WD TV

This was one of my random unplanned buys on one particular trip to the US.

Why a WD Player?

I mostly had my content on a hard drive and had HD content in mkv formats. I also bought a new HD TV and realized there was no easy way of streaming my content to my TV via my laptop. Also, the AV receiver I had did not support a USB to drive video. What I wanted was a simple, easy to use device which would take stream out via a HD output all the content I had stored on my hard drives. The price point of a 100 dollars and the size of this device was my compelling reason to pick it up. Besides I am a complete black gadget person to keep up with the theme of my apartment and so the colour surely helped.

What is good about this?

• It is small and sleek.
• It supports most formats and has firmware releases frequently.
• There are also a few other firmwares available which allow you to play around a little more.
• It has a remote to manage and control your device.
• It also supports regular AUX outputs. 
• It has two USB ports and this can be extended via a hub.
• It is ideal for an entertainment room where you do not want a big fat server.

What could have been better?

• The interface is just average and could have been a lot better.
  Music stats and some intelligence such as recently played and favorites would have helped
• The navigation is so slow and can get frustrating
• It takes a while to move in and out of Video to Music or Photo Mode.
• Photo support is very poor in terms of slide shows but is manageable
• The version I picked up did not support an ethernet port and that was a huge set back. However, there are firmwares where you can add a USB wireless device. Also the new version has an Ethernet port. (Yay!!)

Recommendation:

• I would strongly suggest you buy this if your primary source of content is on your hard drives. 
• If you have not invested in a DVD player and already have an Amp, then this is ideal. 
• If you have not got an amp and intend to do more in terms of support, take a look at media servers.
• No issues this far in firmware upgrades or device conking out. 
• I own this and have been using this for over 2 years now.