Western Digital really hit a sweet spot last year with its $130
WD TV HD Media Player. The thing pumped out 1080p over HDMI at an attractive price, and that's all most people really needed. The newly leaked WD TV-2 revisits the formula, but adds in network playback over the new Ethernet jack, DTS audio decoding, and a component video plug for folks caught in the technological no man's land between composite and HDMI. Outside of that there's a just plain silly amount of codec support, which is hard not to love. No word on price or a release date, but the leaked photos and detailed specs seem to imply this thing is ready for prime time.
posted Aug 16th 2009 2:30AM
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DVD4ME @ Aug 16th 2009 7:45AM
I'm in !
Marshall @ Aug 16th 2009 8:40AM
Alright, a true popcorn hour competitor. If they can price it well, it's gonna be on like Donkey Kong.
Jon @ Aug 16th 2009 11:03AM
About 2 years to late .. the next gen of PCH etc.. .. would eat this alive
Marshall @ Aug 16th 2009 6:53PM
At potentially twice the price? I would hope so. Don't get me wrong, I'm a popcorn hour fanboy, but I'm a bigger fan of competition, especially at the low end. If this comes in at $150, and gets more media centers into more homes, ad encourages more content for those media centers, then we all win.
Money Mike @ Aug 17th 2009 3:22PM
I have to agree that a Popcorn Hour competitor can only be a good thing. I have one of the original A100s and am also a big fan, but I'm not so sure I would buy a second one. I'm used to the PCH's quirks and how to navigate everything, but I hate the fact that it's buggy and locks up every once in a while, but that's not even my biggest problem with it.
The only reason I wouldn't is because of the UI.
I just have the one and I move it back and forth between my bedroom and my living room. If I'm watching something on it with others, I'm the only one who can control it because nobody else (friends, roommates, family members) can figure it out without a lesson. When I say I wouldn't buy a second one, I don't mean I wouldn't replace mine if it died (I definitely would if I had to make a decision today). I just mean that if I decided to get another one, it would have to be something with a much friendlier UI so that I could put it in the living room and be comfortable with letting others use when I'm not around.
I would be very interested in seeing what the UI looks like. I don't even know what it looks like on the original WD Media Player, but I was never interested before because it didn't have streaming. WD now has my attention with this new version.
Wryker @ Aug 16th 2009 9:46AM
DTS audio: does that mean it can do True-HD and DTS-MA?
kcmurphy88 @ Aug 17th 2009 8:51PM
No
ombraweb @ Aug 16th 2009 10:59AM
Damn, 2 days after I orderd 2 Xtreamers. I wonder how this will compair to the xtreamer?
EM1 @ Aug 16th 2009 11:44AM
I assume the xstreamer worked fine for your needs or you wouldn't have bought it. Shouldn't matter what this does or doesn't do, no?
Stin @ Aug 16th 2009 11:51AM
Lack of DTS decoding was the biggest thing holding this back. Good job WD, might actually buy this for the rents now.
kingu @ Aug 16th 2009 6:38PM
I think i'll be buying one for each tv not connected to a computer i can find.
Given its running linux like the old one i presume? With the old version some people added networking to theirs with usb nics.
If only all hardware was non-broken by design...
Imagine for instance display port was more prevalent and you didnt have to pay the hdmi consortium for use of the hdmi port for every device bought. Would the use of a dvi (with sound) connector take care of that? Like seen in graphics cards. Sure, sound could be added to displayport in a later revision, much like hdmi has added networking.
Also wondering if the DTS HD-master audio will work.
crh @ Aug 17th 2009 8:43AM
Does anyone know what the UI is like?
Evan @ Aug 17th 2009 11:05AM
I'll likely get one of these to supplement my PS3 (which can't play most of my video files natively), but only if this can play files directly off of a Samba share.
GaryMc @ Aug 17th 2009 11:13AM
Now, if it was only a Media Center extender....
echen @ Aug 17th 2009 4:17PM
Still no internal HD? Doesn't make sense, especially when WD sells hard drives.
Mr_Fizzlepop @ Aug 17th 2009 8:11PM
One could argue it makes perfect sense for that very reason.
They sell HDDs, you need one for this Unit, and now you can't complain about the size that comes with the unit since one doesn't come with the unit. (Pst...it lowers the price too.)
Course, you still found something to complain about :)
echen @ Aug 18th 2009 2:55PM
Except that it leaves you NO option of installing one even if you wanted to. I would rather have choices then having the company decide for me.
Why buy this when I can buy an Xtreamer which does everything this can plus more for about the same price?
kcmurphy88 @ Aug 17th 2009 8:53PM
This has the advantage that it is field-tested with several codecs that PCH has problems with (e.g. no rewind in MKV). Does anyone know what limitations if any the CURRENT WD box has with MKV containers?
chris @ Aug 18th 2009 6:59PM
Nice that it has the DTS playback, I bought the first one and happy with it but this is nice that it can be networked.
besi @ Aug 20th 2009 2:42AM
if the price is right ,im getting one for sure,it would be a nice addition for my older infocus x1.
because the component,until i upgrade to an hdmi 1080p projector
i hope it will be out by christmas.
kevin @ Aug 25th 2009 2:58PM
You can do networking with a WDTV1 using modified firmware. www.wdtvforum.com
I have full 1080p network support, RSS feed and weather all displaying to my WDTV 1
My guess is WD took the best ideas from the modified firmware and incorporated it into wdtv2
Bob @ Aug 29th 2009 8:43AM
WD TV is very poor player, and WD didin't solve basic problems of WD TV.
See http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1100499
Why WD TV2, if WD didn't finish WD TV1?