Western Digital WD TV Live Hub 1 TB Media Center

Product Details

Western Digital WD TV Live Hub 1 TB Media Center From Western Digital

Product Description

Store your digital media collection, play home network media, watch movies, and access Internet favorites. Enjoy it all on your big screen TV in brilliant high-definition with the WD TV Live Hub media center, a network media player with a built-in high-capacity hard drive.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #251 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Western Digital
• Model: WDBABZ0010BBK-NESN
• Dimensions: 1.30" h x 6.10" w x 7.80" l, 1.22 pounds

Features

• A high capacity 1 terabyte hard drive and network HD media player in one
• Play media from USB drives, home network, and the Internet on your TV
• Beautifully simple user interface for everyone in the family to use
• Access your Netflix unlimited membership or Blockbuster On Demand and watch movies and TV episodes instantly.
• Collect your media in one place and stream it anywhere in the house.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Manufacturer

WD TV Live Hub Media Center - Bring your digital life to your big screen.

Whether it's your own videos, music, and photos or Internet entertainment, you can play it all in the comfort of your living room in brilliant high-definition. Put your personal media on the high-capacity built-in hard drive and stream it to any screen in the house.

Watch the things you love on the screen you love.
Get your family and friends together, sit back, and enjoy! Whether it's your own videos, music, and photos or Internet entertainment, you can play it all in the comfort of your living room.

Collect your media in one place. Stream it anywhere in the house.
Download and play your media collection on the built-in hard drive. Stream to any TV or computer on your network.

Take your entertainment center to a whole new level of cool.
Experience your media in Full-HD 1080p and crystal-clear digital sound. Easily make your entertainment choices using our intuitive navigation menus.

Features at a glance Network media player with built-in hard drive Centralize your media and play it on any screen Play personal videos, music, and photos Stream movies from Blockbuster on Demand® and Netflix® Access Internet favorites on your HDTV 1-year limited warranty

An easy-to-use HD media player with a network hard drive built in. Connect it to your HDTV and the Internet. Then download your personal movies, music, and photos and you're ready to enjoy them on the big screen in your living room or anywhere in the house.

Watch popular movies and TV episodes instantly - Don't wait for the mailman to deliver your movies and don't settle for streaming to your small computer screen. Access Blockbuster On Demand or your Netflix unlimited membership and watch TV episodes and movies on your big screen.*
*Blockbuster online membership or Netflix unlimited membership required. US only.
Centralize your media collection - Store all your media in one place on the high-capacity drive. Enjoy your home movies, share vacation slideshows, and play your music on the big screen and sound system in your living room.
Access popular Internet content from the comfort of your living room - Play YouTube videos, access Facebook, see your photos on Flickr, play music on Pandora, and watch daily video podcasts from CNN, NBC, MTV, ESPN, and other online content.*
*Availability varies by country. Pandora available in US only. These streaming services may be changed, terminated or interrupted at any time.
Access media anywhere on your home network - The Ethernet port lets you connect this media player to your home network so you can access and stream video, photos, and music from any Mac®, PC, and network drive in your house.
Full-HD 1080p video playback - Sit back and enjoy the spectacular picture quality of brilliant high definition video and the crystal-clear sound of digital audio.
It's a multi-room media server streaming to any TV in your house - You can stream any file on the WD TV Live Hub media center to a WD TV Live media player or any DLNA/UPnP compatible TV, Blu-ray Disc player, or game console.
Play almost any type of media file - WD TV Live Hub supports a wide variety of the most popular file formats including HD camcorder video formats. No need to spend time transcoding.
Video camera-ready - Connect your camcorder or digital camera directly to the media center and instantly view or archive HD video and photos without a PC.
Transfer files easily - Copy, move or delete files stored on a USB drive, a network drive, your camcorder, or a camera attached to the media center using the on-screen menus.
Works with USB keyboards - Use the on-screen keyboard, an alphanumeric keypad, or attach your wired or wireless USB keyboard for easy text input. Perfect for searching videos on YouTube or updating your status on Facebook.
WiFi-ready - Supports a wireless network connection to your home network with an optional USB wireless adapter. Or, get the speed you need to stream HD with a WD Livewire powerline AV network kit—it extends your Internet to any room in your home using your electrical outlets.
Ideal for

• Storing personal videos, music, and photos for playback on your TV
• Watching movies and TV shows from Blockbuster On Demand or Netflix (Blockbuster online membership or Netflix unlimited membership required. US only.)
• Accessing popular Internet sites such as Facebook and YouTube
• Playing media stored on computers and USB drives connected to your home network
• Centralizing your digital media collection on your wired or wireless network
• Playing virtually any media file without transcoding

What's in the box
Media center: media player with built-in hard drive, Remote control with batteries, AC adapter, Quick Install Guide.
Requirements
Standard or high definition television with HDMI or composite video connections. Cables not included. Home network and broadband connectivity for online services.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
46 of 49 people found the following review helpful.
Great product just read the online manual!
By Hank
This is a fantastic product.
Only two simple things need to be done after you have plugged everything in.
Read the manual provided online. It is very informative and explains everything in detail.
Download WD Discovery. Link for it is provided in the online manual.
You can then map the hub as a hard drive and it'll function just like any other hard drive you might have used.
Just drag any content you want into it and you are done.
My dad who isn't technologically savvy has started using it as well which tells you a lot.
It really is that simple to use.
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful.
... master of most
By A. Dent
As in Jack of All Trades :)

I want to begin by saying the 'I like' (but I don't yet fully 'love') WD's TV Live Hub and this earns it 4 (but not 5) stars. And I like it in spite of it lacking a few almost 'must have' features for a device in its class such as some storage redundancy (RAID-1 = disk mirroring) or at least a built-in backup utility or any significant security or, to a lesser extent (I'll explain) built-in Wi-Fi. And I like it even though bugs still exist such as the Hub's occasional failure to maintain/update its 'media library'. And I do like it even though the Hub's supported Web 'services' are few at this time - because the some of the 'major' ones are there.


WHY I LIKE IT

Some of the shortcomings duly noted above, I like the Hub because:

The Hub turns out to be a well connected, relatively easy to use and operate, low-power, physically small, versatile video/music/still photos player with the built in ability to store the equivalent of almost 200 DVD-quality movies on its built-in 1TB drive, expandable to many times more than that via an attached USB drive and capable to sync and play content from any accessible media server such as PCs, Xboxes or PS3s, Microsoft Home Servers or NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices.

The Hub can also go out on the Net and report the local weather, play YouTube videos, Netflix and Blockbuster movies, Podcasts and Pandora music (I compiled a list of supported Web services below).

I was able to add the TV Live Hub to my Harmony universal remote control setup and I was able to address the lack of built-in backup (running a scheduled Robocopy task off a Home Server) because the Hub's drive can be mapped and managed as any other computer drive through a PC.

The Hub plays content off existing media servers and it acts as a media server for other devices (PCs, PS3s, etc.) on the same network. It can be set to sync with whatever content it can discover on your home network and it supports iTunes (did not test iTunes support myself). And for the hard-core YouTube users, a USB-attached keyboard should allow for easy searching. Also, the Hub makes it easy to post content directly to Facebook and Flickr.

And, finally, the Hub is likely to do more and do it better tomorrow because WD is constantly updating the firmware and hopefully it will address some of the more annoying bugs soon and because there appears to be an active, lively, innovative, helpful and supportive user community. [Note: 2 firmware updates later, several new Web services were added and some bugs were fixed.]

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Here are the hub's features in a more organized format.

MEDIA PLAYER

- Plays videos with full support for HD and multi-channel sound.
- Plays music with support for playlists.
- Plays movies/videos with filters for genre, rating and so on.
- Displays photos, has slideshow capabilities.


MEDIA HUB

- Acts as a media server for other devices (PCs, PS3s, Xboxes). My PS3 'saw' the Hub and was able to play content off it as soon as it went online.
- Plays content from other media servers on the local network. It saw 'everything' we were sharing as soon as we turned it on.
- Plays content off NAS (Network Attached Storage).
- Syncs with media found on PCs and has support for iTunes.

ONLINE SERVICES

- Services availability is controlled by WD. As far as I know, you can't add or remove a service but that may change in the future.
- Current selection is limited but 'big names' are supported: Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube, Pandora, Flickr, Facebook, etc.
- Grabs metadata (title, description, cover graphics) for music and movies.
- Firmware is upgraded by WD remotely.

CUSTOMIZATION

- Users can download or create their own themes and backgrounds.
- Integrates with Harmony remotes.
- Several styles of menus.
- Additional storage can be attached directly through USB port(s).
- Supports USB keyboards.
- Supports certain Wi-Fi USB-connected devices (not tested by me).

SPECS

- I/O ports: Optical, HDMI, Composite, RCA, 2 USB, gigabit Ethernet
- Video (Full HD 1920x1080): AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), M2TS, MKV (h.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), MPG/MPEG, TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1), VOB, WMV9
- Audio: (multichannel up to 7.1) AAC, AIF/AIFF, Dolby Digital, DTS, FLAC, MKA, MP3, OGG, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA,
- Photo: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIF/TIFF


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MY EXPERIENCE: SETUP

It was as easy as plugging in the unit, connecting to a network hub with an Ethernet cable (not supplied) and to a receiver through an HDMI (not supplied either) cable.

HDMI 1.4 is supported but composite (RCA), and component outputs are also available as well as an S/PDIF digital (optical) output. For best results, 'wired' network connectivity should be preferred. It's the only one supported out of the box and, if you expect to play or stream HD content, it's the only one that can support the load reliably.

Once the box is turned on it quickly updates itself and it's ready to use. Literally 5-10 minutes after powerup we were watching YouTube videos. Of course, additional setup is needed to fully customize it but the Hub can make itself useful quickly and there's no need to rush. Some of the Web services such as Pandora or Netflix require that you have an account but the Hub makes it easy to set yourself up if you don't have one. On the local network, as I mentioned already, the Hub became immediately visible and it was able to see and use the other active media servers running. From a PC it's easy to connect the Hub's drive and upload content. It's also the only way you can back it up.


MY EXPERIENCE: OPERATION

I've been using the hub to store and play DVD and Netflix movies and occasionally music. I've already uploaded several thousand photos, home videos, backed up lots of DVD movies and TV shows and some 700 songs and there's plenty of room for more. Video play off the local disk or from a Microsoft Home server we keep on our network was flawless. I prefer the Hub to PS3 playback because, the Hub lacking big fans, there is no audible 'hum' during playback. Music playing is okay, both off the disk or off Pandora and so are the photo slideshows. Some of the 'radio' and other content services don't look/sound so good but, since I've experience flawless HD playback on Netflix and music on Pandora, I'm blaming 'them' for the low quality.

As far as the other Web services, I don't have major complaints but it's annoying that YouTube recognizes the Hub as something that's attached to a TV and will NOT let you to see anything that's 'big media' produced. Netflix is okay and the latest firmware upgrade brought in the same great interface (Netflix 3.0?) I have on the PS3.

The Hub can make media watching and organizing as easy or as complicated as you are prepared to allow it. It has the ability to consolidate everything it sees on its local storage and on the network around it into a big pile of 'stuff' and the 'media library' will then show you all sci-fi movies you have (an example) regardless of where they are. Or, if you want things arranged in a certain way, you can create your own folders, name them any way you want and navigate to your favorite movies/shows yourself.

From a PC you can easily stream music off the Hub but, because all the movies I keep on it are at the highest resolution, DVD movies streaming can be a little jittery over Wi-Fi and HD doesn't work at all. The Hub works best when playing off its own disk or accessing/serving content over 'fast' wired connections. My home is not wired for Ethernet but I'm using a Western Digital WD Livewire Powerline AV Network Kit to pipe Ethernet over the power lines. It works.

I should also mention that the online manual is VERY well written, very well organized and very helpful. It comes with links to other online resources, including the very active Hub community board where you can find a lot of good advice concerning enhancements and bugs.


BUGS

On 'day one' after uploading some 5000 photos, a message informed me that the Hub was compiling its media library. It was still compiling on 'day two' and it didn't stop until I told the Hub to drop the library and then rebuild it. Rebuilding the library can take 10-15 minutes but it's annoying and I hope that the next firmware update will take care of it. Meanwhile, I learned to be careful as in "don't try to do something else while the media library is being rebuilt" and I only had once similar incident in the past month. I'm not sure whether this was because of the firmware updates or because I'm more 'gentle' when interacting with the Hub.

Another bug seems to be the 'queue'. You have the ability to drop movies or songs into a queue to play them later but it does not always work that way, the Hub reporting that the content couldn't be found. I'm not using the queue feature any longer because it sometimes seems to trigger the never-ending media library recompilation (see above).

I can't think of any other significant bugs other than the Hub rebooting itself a couple of times.

On the WD discussion board I learned that quite a few users had issues with the power button. Apparently it can cause the Hub to constantly reboot, making it unusable. I haven't experienced this problem but I never physically 'touch' the Hub except to dust it off. All operations can be done remotely and, since I've read about that problem, I am somewhat reluctant to physically interact with the Hub.


EVALUATION

I already announced in the first paragraph that this is a '4 stars' to me because 'I like it' and it's not a '5 stars' because I don't love it yet: bugs, not a lot of Web services. My PS3 does almost everything that the Hub does and some of it it does better AND it plays movies and music off discs and it plays games but I can't afford to keep my PS3 always on because it burns a lot of electricity and its fans aren't silent and you can't have 1TB worth of storage on it. The PS3 can also cost $100-200 more. In other words, the Hub has its place and even with a sophisticated machine such as a PS3 or a Microsoft Home server around it's going to see its share of use and playtime. I see how the consecutive firmware upgrades are making the Hub an increasingly versatile device and I won't be surprised if the bugs are addressed and more functionality becomes available. [Rumor has it that Hulu is going to be added soon.]

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NOTE:

The latest firmware upgrades added a number of great Web services and the new additions have enough depth to satisfy me. This is what was available at the time I wrote this:

- AccuWeather
- Blockbuster
- CinemaNow
- DEEZER
- facebook
- flickr
- flingo
- LIVE 365
- Mefdiafly
- NETFLIX
- PANDORA
- tunein
- YouTube


NOTE - March 25, 2011

I tried a 'stress test' the other day. Playing an HD video on the HDMI-connected TV while, at the same time, playing a DVD-quality movie on a laptop which had a drive mapped directly into the Hub - Hub has an Ethernet wired connection to the router, the laptop on 802.11g Wi-Fi. Output was flawless on both.

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>> Brush your teeth, it's the law! <<
52 of 63 people found the following review helpful.
Ok, but...
By Perry Gross
Set up was easy (I used a wired connection because it was convenient for me and the WIFI is not integrated). It connects as a NAS, but the copy speed was painstakingly slow. In the end it is much faster to use the USB connection to copy in your media files.

The main menus are easy enough to use, the setup was not complex, but it took several tries to get the media library compiled. I had to clear it and re-compile it several times before it found everything. Sorting and categorizing is ok, but weak, allows no cover art (don't think iTunes-like here...), no descriptions.

The remote is adequate but is missing a few things users take for granted, notably no slow-motion (forward or back), and video control is very imprecise. The remote control buttons are confusingly placed and make it awkward in a dimly lit room. Using the on-screen keyboard with the remote is not at all a positive experience.

It has an automatic firmware update feature, but the WD Support site is full of horror stories of firmware updates that totally or partially disable the unit. Note that their site is also full of complaints about their generally unresponsive support. Not a good thing.

I do like it for streaming and watching NetFlix but that's available on my TV and DVD player as well (again, the remote is awkward here, sometimes unresponsive too). The YouTube interface is not so easy to use (the remote...), but Pandora is just fine.