

The WD TV Live sports an HDMI 1.3 output with maximum resolution of 1080p (the original supported HDMI 1.2 with a max resolution of 1080i), but you’ll also find cables in the box for component or composite video connections (S-Video is not supported).
Wd live tv browser movie#
The device doesn’t support other types of encrypted content, either, including Amazon, Blockbuster, and iTunes online movie rentals protected iTunes songs or music streamed from subscription services such as Napster and Rhapsody.

Netflix streaming support, however, is conspicuously absent, and it’s our single biggest criticism of the WD TV Live. In addition to retrieving the digital videos, music, and media stored on your own network or portable drive, you can also access media on the Internet, including videos on YouTube, music on Pandora or Live365, and digital photos on Flickr. If you don’t have a Wi-Fi network (or if your TV is in a dead spot), you might consider powerline networking. Don’t have an Ethernet jack next to your TV? Plug a compatible wireless USB Wi-Fi client adapter into the second USB port and establish a link to your wireless router that way ( click here for a list of compatible adapters). You can also access any media servers running on your network. The WD TV Live retains that feature, but adds hardwired network support so that you can tap media stored on your network (including password-protected shared folders on PCs, network-attached storage devices, Windows Home Server, and so on).

The original product could access only media stored on a portable USB storage device (either a hard drive or flash memory). But is that enough to justify a 50% price delta compared to its predecessor? Read on to find out.ĭLNA-compatible network connectivity is the biggest draw. This second-generation device keeps all those features and adds a few more, including network support and the ability to tap online services such as YouTube, Pandora, Flickr, and Live635. Western Digital’s original WD TV digital media player was notable for the its HDMI output, strong support for just about every popular digital media format, and the fact that WD didn’t force you to pair the product with one of their own portable hard drives. Can’t stream Netflix movies, wireless networking costs extra, currently supports only a limited number of online media services
