Western Digital WD TV Live 2011 review
A big improvement on the outgoing version, yet for the same low price. It's a worthy award winner
Of course, the WD TV Live’s biggest strength is its wide format support. Chances are, the music and video files in your library are a mix of different formats. The Live takes the pain out of converting your files for one specific device, as it will play virtually everything, from MKV and DivX to ISO files and raw transport streams, up to 1080p. There’s even support for Dolby TrueHD via the HDMI 1.4 output.
The only support lacking is for DRM (you can’t play protected AAC or WMA audio files) but few users will be bothered by that. Various playlist formats can be used, and subtitles support is also good with SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB and SMI format recognised. Playback resume is useful for movies, where you might return to watch the rest later.
Photo slideshows weren’t as slick as Apple’s, but there are plenty of options, including background music. For music, you can browse by artist, album, genre, folder and more, and album art is shown.
For just £80, we can’t really complain about the WD TV Live’s odd flaw, as it offers so much. It easily deserves its Best Buy award.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | **** |
| Media Streamer type | streaming multimedia receiver |
Audio Compatibility | |
| Audio MP3 playback | Yes |
| Audio WMA playback | Yes |
| Audio WMA-DRM playback | No |
| Audio AAC playback | Yes |
| Audio Protected AAC playback | No |
| Audio OGG playback | Yes |
| Audio WAV playback | Yes |
| Audio Audible playback | No |
| Other audio formats | FLAC, MKA, AIF |
Video Compatibility | |
| Other video formats | MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, APC, H.264, x.264, AVC, VC-1, Xvid |
Image Compatibility | |
| Image BMP support | Yes |
| Image JPEG support | Yes |
| Image TIFF support | Yes |
Network Interfaces | |
| Wired network ports | 1x 10/100 |
| Wireless networking support | Yes |
AV Interfaces | |
| Minijack line outputs | 0 |
| Minijack headphone outputs | 0 |
| Stereo phono outputs | 0 |
| Coaxial S/PDIF outputs | 0 |
| Optical S/PDIF outputs | 1 |
| Total SCART sockets | 0 |
| HDMI outputs | 1 |
| Component outputs | 0 |
| S-video output | 0 |
| Composite outputs | 1 |
| Other connectors | 1x USB |
Physical | |
| Size | 30x125x100mm |
| Power consumption standby | 6W |
| Power consumption on | 6W |
Server Compatibility | |
| Software included | none |
| UPnP | Yes |
| iTunes | No |
| SlimServer | No |
| SMB | Yes |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £80 |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Supplier | http://www.pixmania.co.uk |
| Details | www.wdc.com |