Topic: WD TV HD Media Player

[lmerb]

Updated my firmware to .07 then played a 720p mkv. I got problem with the resume function. I wont resume .It freeze on that scene. even if I select cancel it still shows that particular scene. I also did try to eject the disk and play again it still shows that scene where it freeze.

What I did is plug the disk on pc and delete the wdtv folder and it played flawlessly.

[Panmunjom]

I recently bought a WDTV and WD 1tb. HDMI to TV and then optical cable to AVR (with DTS). The problem is that in playing DTS movies, only the background music is audible, the dialogue is not. I noticed that my center speaker is not working in these instances. No problem naman pag hindi DTS. What do you think is the problem? the files perhaps?

Thanks in advance!   

[lmerb]

@jomgray

Same set up din sakin. No problem playing DTS and AC3. Setting ko sa WDTV video set to HDMI and audio set to Digital. Kung 1 movie lang yun ayaw malamang file yan sir.   

[jaypd97]

"For WDTV, you can only plug in 1 external HDD at a time. This is ok if you have a big HDD and few movies.  But if you have large or growing collections, say 2TB ~ 4TB up, it's more practical and cheaper to store in several internal HDDs inside a low-powered PC hooked to the local area network." - from sir miken

this is not true guys. you can use a usb hub for your WDTV. i have 2 mybooks connected to a usb hub which is  connected to usb 2 of the WDTV. The USB 1 of my WDTV is connected to my WD passport.

[gearhead000]

i also don't see a problem with a growing list of titles for NMT's. right now, i prefer several 1TB WD Essentials than internal drives. i can store them like books in a bookshelf or even in a drybox. just connect the drive that contains the movie you plan to watch to your NMT. it avoids wear and tear to the other drives and lessens the initialization time of the player. and also, isn't it that SATA ports inside a pc is also limited to at most 4-channels, but usually 2?

if you really want to network your multimedia files... i guess the most practical solution is a NAS enclosure, like the ones below:



http://www.villman.com/Product-Detail/Dlink_DNS-323

http://www.villman.com/Product-Detail/linksys_NAS200

[Dowals]

what are the benefits of this one:


w/ 2 internal 1tbs

over


2 external 1tbs?

[uvax]

what are the benefits of this one:


w/ 2 internal 1tbs

over


2 external 1tbs?


The top one is a NAS. Since we're discussing WDTV you can't really use a NAS (unless you're adventurous enough to try some of those 3rd party firmware hacks) since the WDTV has no networking capability.

[raptor]

Sir,

the first one (D-Link) is a network attached storage (NAS) ... you can access it over the network from your different networkable media players and PC's over the network, as if you're accessing an internal drive...you can also configure it to be accessible over the Internet for file transfers, and it can also work stand alone as a torrent downloader without a PC ... i'm not sure if WDTV has a network connectivity option  - if none, you would not be aable to use it...this device btw does not come with a HDD - you have to purchase HDD separately; the unit can accommodate 2 HDD's

the second device (MyBook) is simply a storage device accessible via USB port ... you need a PC for it to be accessible via network



based on above-mentioned features,

[milken]

@uvax

D-Link NAS
- can change hard disk (if one or both dies)
- upgradeable; can change to a higher capacity hard disk
- networkable; connect via ethernet to your router
- since it's networkable, several PCs or NMTs can access it all at the same time
- generally, cannot be used with WDTV; unless you install 3rd party hacks
- more expensive

WD external
- fixed hard disk capacity; not upgradable
- not networkable
- can be used in one device only at a time (e.g. PC, WDTV or NMT)
- cheaper

[fernando_montalban]

wala po bang NAS na pwede sa WDTV? For example, pag hindi connected sa network, pwede siyang gamitin as an ordinary external hard drive (usb powered or ac powered, it doesn't matter).  Or better yet, kahit connected sa network, may usb port siya na pwede gamitin for it to be just like any other external hdd.

[milken]

this is not true guys. you can use a usb hub for your WDTV. i have 2 mybooks connected to a usb hub which is  connected to usb 2 of the WDTV. The USB 1 of my WDTV is connected to my WD passport.

i was referring to one ext. HDD per USB port at a time.   hmmm... pwede pala ng USB hubs. interesting.  would you know how many ports are supported simultaneously?

and also, isn't it that SATA ports inside a pc is also limited to at most 4-channels, but usually 2?

depends on motherboard. some support 2, 4 or 6 SATA ports plus 2 IDE. also, you may add RAID controllers to accommodate more HDDs.  PCs are more flexible and expandable imo.  Sample pics. 

wala po bang NAS na pwede sa WDTV? For example, pag hindi connected sa network, pwede siyang gamitin as an ordinary external hard drive (usb powered or ac powered, it doesn't matter).  Or better yet, kahit connected sa network, may usb port siya na pwede gamitin for it to be just like any other external hdd.

in the first place, WDTV is not designed to work with NAS at the moment (wait for future firmware maybe).  but there are third party hacks such as this: http://b-rad.cc/wdlxtv  You will have to flush your firmware and replace it with an unofficial one.  I personally don't recommend it unless you like to experiment with your device.  Proceed at own risk.

[raptor]

wala po bang NAS na pwede sa WDTV? For example, pag hindi connected sa network, pwede siyang gamitin as an ordinary external hard drive (usb powered or ac powered, it doesn't matter).  Or better yet, kahit connected sa network, may usb port siya na pwede gamitin for it to be just like any other external hdd.

pwede sir, kaya lang this would be an expensive option .... you are better-off purchasing a disk enclosure with multiple disk storage ... NAS devices are quite expensive - around 8k yung cheapest without the HDD

[dips15]

saw this on the WD website:

- An audio receiver is required for surround sound output. AAC/Dolby Digital decodes in 2 channel output only

Does this mean that it will play the native 5.1/6.1/7.1 audio file if plugged in an A/V receiver or will the audio receiver just use something like pro-logic to create the surround sound?

I'm just thinking if this could serve as an HTPC replacement in a home theater set-up.

[audiojunkie]

saw this on the WD website:

- An audio receiver is required for surround sound output. AAC/Dolby Digital decodes in 2 channel output only

Does this mean that it will play the native 5.1/6.1/7.1 audio file if plugged in an A/V receiver or will the audio receiver just use something like pro-logic to create the surround sound?

I'm just thinking if this could serve as an HTPC replacement in a home theater set-up.

yes! with the latest FW it can send DD/DTS audio to AVR thru dig. optical & analog connections. in my case I got DTS thru analog L/R RCA connection to my preamp not from optical conn. ...     

[milken]

saw this on the WD website:

- An audio receiver is required for surround sound output. AAC/Dolby Digital decodes in 2 channel output only

Does this mean that it will play the native 5.1/6.1/7.1 audio file if plugged in an A/V receiver or will the audio receiver just use something like pro-logic to create the surround sound?

I'm just thinking if this could serve as an HTPC replacement in a home theater set-up.

It depends on the audio codec embedded in the file.  Using a proper receiver, files with 5.1 Dolby Digital (AC3) and DTS audio codec will output 5.1 surround sound.  DD-EX and DTS-ES will produce discrete 6.1 surround sound.  AC3 and DTS don't support discrete 7.1 audio (but some receiver can produce matrix 7 channel sound for a 5.1-ch movie). Only DTS-HD, TrueHD, and other lossless audio format support native discrete 7.1 channel surround.

[lanchawbin]

Question:

WDTV audio output via RCA (stereo) cannot play sounds which are DTS encoded 1500kbps...

This is it's major fault. sounds with DTS will only output on HDMI or Optical output.

using WDTV as a Media player + an Altec Lansing MX5021 or any speakers without an optical input you cannot hear sounds in movies with DTS.

is there a way to correct this besides.. buying a receiver, a speakers with optical input (Z-5500), or a DTS encoder???

Thanks!!!

[barrister]

No, it cannot be done.  The WD does not support DTS decoding.

Enthusiasts claim that the WD's Sigma chip supports DTS decoding/downconversion, but WD chose not to enable DTS due to expensive licensing fees. 

Until WD decides to sign a DTS licensing deal, only an illegal hack can enable DTS.  To date, I haven't heard of any existing DTS hacks for the WD.

[stryder]

mga sir and guru...am a newbie here and very much interested to get a WD Media Player...i need clarification lang mga bosing on the ff:
1.  is the mkv format much better than mp4 or avi? - in terms of file size, PQ and AQ
2.  i got some dvds and would like to convert to mkv - how do i go about it?
3.  are ISO files puede rin i-convert to mkv?

[lanchawbin]

@barrister

Thanks for the quick reply.

well so i guess the cheapest option right now is to buy a used entry level AVR with optical out and connect the PC Speakers there. would that be right?

[lanchawbin]

mga sir and guru...am a newbie here and very much interested to get a WD Media Player...i need clarification lang mga bosing on the ff:
1.  is the mkv format much better than mp4 or avi? - in terms of file size, PQ and AQ
2.  i got some dvds and would like to convert to mkv - how do i go about it?
3.  are ISO files puede rin i-convert to mkv?

Sir

1. Better?? well actually mkv is just a container. MPEG 4 i think. 
in terms of size well NO. Why mkv usually is 4.37gb for short 720P Movies. 7.++gb for 1080P movies. it can go up to 20+gb comapring it to AVI usually 700mb lang.
PQ - Definitely Much much better bitarate are around 4k it can also get over 20k
AQ - Again from 128kbps on mp4 avi mkv are uaually 640kbps on DD and 1500kbps on DTS.

2. NO i will not advice that. Downgrading a video is ok (if done properly) but a lower quality converting it to a higher quality.. that is a different story.. it can be done but it will not be the same as the original source.
much like dvd upscaling. --

3. ISO files yes there will be way to do it. but again not worth the trouble.

[audiojunkie]

mga sir and guru...am a newbie here and very much interested to get a WD Media Player...i need clarification lang mga bosing on the ff:
1.  is the mkv format much better than mp4 or avi? - in terms of file size, PQ and AQ
2.  i got some dvds and would like to convert to mkv - how do i go about it?
3.  are ISO files puede rin i-convert to mkv?

also got some nice DVDs that I like to keep in my storage. I converted them into AVI format using DVDfab, got an option to select which audio format you want to use & also to include subtitle. there's now ver. 6 beta format which working flawlessly... 

[milken]

mga sir and guru...am a newbie here and very much interested to get a WD Media Player...i need clarification lang mga bosing on the ff:
1.  is the mkv format much better than mp4 or avi? - in terms of file size, PQ and AQ
2.  i got some dvds and would like to convert to mkv - how do i go about it?
3.  are ISO files puede rin i-convert to mkv?

1. mkv is only a file container. nothing to do with quality
2. yes. read some x264 encoding guide for DVD sources here:
http://www.networkedmediatank.com/wiki/index.php/Encoding_Guide_for_DVD_to_H264
http://www.dvd-guides.com/content/view/143/59/
x264 (in mkv container) offers better compression than xvid/divx in avi file container.  So you get higher quality in relatively smaller size than avi.  Note: the resulting file is SD also and not HD.  As sir lanchawbin has said, it's not advisable to upscale and convert SD into HD.
3. yes; see #2

[lanchawbin]

^^

just to add.

1. yung size ng mkv container is usually larger in terms of GB but in terms of kbps/mb or per gb lamang ang mkv.

[barrister]

@barrister

Thanks for the quick reply.

well so i guess the cheapest option right now is to buy a used entry level AVR with optical out and connect the PC Speakers there. would that be right?

Yes, DTS decoding should be done externally.  A used AVR with optical input and DTS decoding capability would be a good low-cost solution. 

PC multimedia speakers are self-amplified, so they have to be connected to an AVR's pre-out jacks.  If the AVR does not have pre-out connections, the only option is to connect non-amplified speakers to the AVR's speaker terminals.

[stryder]

mga sirs - lanchawbin, milken and audiojunkie...thanks a lot for enlightening me on  the subject...kaya lang being newbie medyo i cant grasp some tech terms ...so, ganito na lang - what do you guys suggest the file format i can use to convert my dvd collections - being that i dont want to lug around those dvds when i travel? consideration should be file size (minimum), PQ and AQ? at the same time back up files ko na ring ang mga ito in case ma dvd-rot

[aepaguinaldo]

where would be the best place to buy this?

[iiinas]

mga sirs - lanchawbin, milken and audiojunkie...thanks a lot for enlightening me on  the subject...kaya lang being newbie medyo i cant grasp some tech terms ...so, ganito na lang - what do you guys suggest the file format i can use to convert my dvd collections - being that i dont want to lug around those dvds when i travel? consideration should be file size (minimum), PQ and AQ? at the same time back up files ko na ring ang mga ito in case ma dvd-rot

i think for dvd conversion, better use avi container, since dvd are basically standard definition (480p). i think you will rarely see people using mkv container for sd. as for file size, usual size of avi file converted from sd dvd is around 700-800mb per movie with 2 channel (stereo) sound output. pq is acceptable. sq is stereo.

[barrister]

Sir iiinas, puwede rin ang 5.1 AC3 sound sa avi. 

I prefer MP3 stereo for my avi files.  But sometimes I encode in 5.1 AC3, depende sa movie. 

Mas madali pa nga ang 5.1 kasi direct stream lang ang kopya.  Pero mas mahirap mag adjust ng volume sa AC3.  Sa MP3, madali lang ang normalization.

[iiinas]

Sir iiinas, puwede rin ang 5.1 AC3 sound sa avi. 

I prefer MP3 stereo for my avi files.  But sometimes I encode in 5.1 AC3, depende sa movie. 

Mas madali pa nga ang 5.1 kasi direct stream lang ang kopya.  Pero mas mahirap mag adjust ng volume sa AC3.  Sa MP3, madali lang ang normalization.

yes sir barrister, thanks for the info, i have heard of avi with surround sound, but have never encountered it before, may i know how big will the file be if encoded with ac3? 1gb perhaps?

[audiojunkie]

I prefer AVI format fo SD and use default V/A settings in the convertion. Files size depends on the contents of the disc, but usually 1 - 1.8 GB per movie.

for audio format I prefer AC-3 or DTS for concerts, and sometimes I converted for both both (DD/DTS) audio.