WD TV Media Player Review - New for 2014 WDBYMN0000NBK-HESN

I agree with the other reviewers and commenters that the omission of Netflix is puzzling on this device given it was on previous devices.

How this one differs from the older WD TV Live version is that it offers additional user interface customization and Miracast support to allow screen mirroring from Android and Windows 8.1 devices. Miracast devices typically run in the $30-50 range, so the $20 premium over the WD TV Live product might be worth it if screen mirroring is something you're in need of.

Overall it's an exceptional media player (especially when connected over ethernet) and has played nearly every format I've thrown at it in testing, including trickier formats like MPEG 2, x.264, and WMV files. Typically I've had to use a PC running Plex to transcribe many of these files into a format that my Roku box could play back.

The WD TV makes an excellent companion to DLNA capable network attached storage (NAS) devices like WD's My Cloud or other similar devices from Synology and QNAP. I have converted many of my Blu Ray movies to MKV files that I store on a NAS device, and the WD TV had no problem connecting to the network drive and playing back the movies in full 1080p Blu Ray resolution - including passing the DTS and Dolby Digital audio streams to my home theater receiver.

So from the standpoint of compatibility the WD boxes are probably among the most versatile out there. If you're using a Plex server on a PC primarily to transcode video to make it compatible with your playback device, the WD TV can take the PC out of the equation completely.

If you don't need the Miracast functionality and want Netflix, the WD TV Live will be the better choice and costs less. But I suspect any upcoming stuff WD wants to do with their set top boxes through firmware will likely be focused on this new device.

DISCLOSURE: WD provided me with this unit to review

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[robertneilly]

There is a 2032 battery on the board inside. Changing this battery made my box completely new. Works great now, no stalling or slow loading.

[adpmaverick]

I was curious about the miracast capabilitites and if it might be possible to send netflix using the miracast function since it does not have the actual app

[MrDefeater]

I bought one of those in 2015 and have used it almost everyday since then. The interface is just okay apps aren't as good as an Android TV or a Roku but you can hook up a usb stick or a hard-drive and play your own media on it flawlessly. My hard-drive is 1TB Western Digital and when I first connected it I think it took about 15 seconds to load all of the files(Just the first time you hook it up) and then anytime I connect the same hard-drive it works instantly. Overall a great product to own ONLY if you plan on playing your own media files.

[grayboo]

Great video, well presented.  One thing to mention is how to turn the unit off properly (bear with me).  If you just hit the power on the remote, yes, it will turn the unit off but it still has a steady current going to it and it will stay fairly warm to the touch even though it appears to be off (the light on the front of the box, if you have it enabled, will be off).  If you kept an external hard drive plugged into it, it will still be running and you will have to unplug it from the box to kill the power running to it.  You have to press and HOLD the power button for roughly 4 seconds to completely power the unit down.  I did not know this for the first year I had this thing.  I would eject my usb device, hit the power button, but my WD My Passport 2TB external hard drive would still be running even though the WD Live box appeared to be turned off. By holding the power button in 4 seconds, it powers everything down.

[HrdcorECW]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but does it support Mac OSX Extended Journaled? Also, with Video TS folders will it play menus and everything? I have full backups of DVDs and would love to play them just like I had the physical disc in a DVD player. Thanks!!!

[eyalnaamat]

Hi Lon..
Does the blu-ray get stuttering after a few minutes of playback or it's always a smooth image quality? 
And does it support Hebrew subtitles?

[atzrys]

Hi Lon, I'm looking to get a new media player as my iOmega Screenplay has gone to bits, the remote won't work anymore! I've got about 1TB worth of movies in there. Can I play my files from there using this WDTV? I am a bit clueless as you can imagine. Do I just plug a usb from the iOmega to the WDTV?? Or plug from the computer first? Thanks.

[bradleyhodgins]

Is it possible to choose the audio track used?  With 6 channel AC3 connected to a basic TV, will I get any sound?  Thanks.

[davesmith]

Hi lon, don't know if youve covered this. Ive had the box for a couple of weeks now and I would like to know if there is a way that you can get the box to rescan the content of a My cloud drive. I know it will do it eventually all by itself but i wanted to know if it can be instructed to do so, hope this makes sense, many thanks Dave

[danielcouture]

Hi, is it possible to keep the menu of a Blu-ray DVD on a MKV file on a hard drive or on any other file?

[fayyazb]

Still have this and works great! Only thing lacking is Netflix and Prime Video or to add new apps!
BTW how to use the AV Port to external speaker 3.5mm cable? I keep getting buzzing sound disturbance with a very light audio!
Let me know if any tip for resolving this issue. Thank you.

[DJGeek]

I have the old school WDTV Live HUB with 1TB Drive. I might need to replace it as it's going bad. I love WDTV has it plays any and every format and like that it has a hard drive and network support. Any suggestion on a newer model to get if I need to replace my old one??

[leftyimages]

Sorry if you've answered this question. How did you get the Blu-Ray or DVD onto the WDMyCloud? Thanks.

[vincenzocanta]

Il mio WD media player da qualche tempo ha problemi con YouTube; a volte non di collega, oppure non compaiono le "vignette" dei video.
Da che dipende: dal dispositivo o dal tv o dal modem (un vecchio "Alice")?

[TheBroDotTV]

Is streaming any good from a media server if you just use wifi? Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.

[Phatgameboy]

Thanks Lon! I needed to see this new version of the WDTV box live.

[neilmurphy]

Hi lon love the reviews. Im just wondering what you use to rip your dvds to my cloud as i have tried through HB and i am having issues.

[BobRoberts]

I have the old one and really love it cause it plays almost every codec out there.  Theres been a few new ones out after but hey for what I get out of this its great to plug in my storage drives.  I noticed too how nice and fast this one looked as you went between menu's looks really nice.  I have on question. I read that you can hook up to your network. Now will that hook up to myhomegroup in windows 8.1 so I can play stuff off my storage in there or through the network created in Windows 8.1?  Basicly like I can watch stuff from my laptop through my network on my desktop so does this player work the same way then? So I can play stuff off my hard drives in my desktop.

[VnFview]

Lon, thanks for great review. When you play the files from MyCloud NAS (or Plex) via DLNA, are you able to play those video/movies with external subtitles (eg. .SRT) - eg. foreign movies with subtitles?
Can you try this new one?

I had the older WD TV live but only able to play the .SRT if they are locally connected to the USB external hard drive.

Thank you.

[jbsocal]

Hey man ive been looking for a media player so i can plug into my tv so i can connect my passport which has a lot of movies..is this a good option for that purpose ? or is there any other device thats better for that purpose.