WDTV/ Roku Streamers
- Thread starter piggvomit_sl
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Joeboo
Molten Core Raider
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WDTV can definitely do that. I have 2 WDTV boxes. Both have USB ports and I have my external media HDs just plugged into those, rather than my PC. Works great. The boxes can see the all of the HDs, as well as any folders I want to share across my network from my PC. Basicaly I have 3TB external drive for TV shows, 1 3TB external drive for movies, both of those plugged into a WDTV and every device on my network can see them, desktop, laptop, tablets, etc. I also have my newly downloaded torrent folder shared on my main PC, and the WDTVs can play that stuff too, if I've been slacking on copying new downloads over tho the external drives.
Works great with all file types. mkv, avi, wmv, mp4, etc.
The *only* slight negative to the WDTV is that the interface is a little slow and clunky, and the remote that comes with it is tiny as hell(and doesn't glow in the dark/backlight, so it's impossible to see when watching a movie in the dark)
Works great with all file types. mkv, avi, wmv, mp4, etc.
The *only* slight negative to the WDTV is that the interface is a little slow and clunky, and the remote that comes with it is tiny as hell(and doesn't glow in the dark/backlight, so it's impossible to see when watching a movie in the dark)
McCheese
SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Fantastic, thanks. You described the exact setup I'd like to do.
One final question: I'm trying to do this on a budget (thus dropping cable to save money). Is it necessary to get a WDTV Live, or could I get away with the cheaper WDTV Play?
McCheese
SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Well, like I said the vast majority of what I watch is straight from USB storage. It just seems simpler to plug that directly into a single solution (WD TV) than have a Roku and Plex and stream it from my PC.
Joeboo
Molten Core Raider
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I had my WDTV Livess before I even knew Plex and Rokus existed. I've had them a long time, probably 4-5 years(bought them when they first released, maybe 2009?), and they work great for what I do so I've never bothered to switch over. I don't really care about features like having cover art or things like that. I just want a big list of all my files, that works for me.
Grimmlokk
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
- 12,190
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WDTV is pretty straightforward plug and play for me, not long transcoding etc. Occasionally I'll get a file where the audio won't work though, that's obnoxious.
I have the cheapest oldest version bought refurbished through woot a few years ago. Might have to upgrade some day.
I have the cheapest oldest version bought refurbished through woot a few years ago. Might have to upgrade some day.
ShakyJake
<Donor>
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Speaking of WDTV, I have a WDTV-Live which is wireless. After a few days it gets INCREDIBLY SLOW. Like menu navigation gets all sluggish and playback takes a while to buffer in. I have to power it completely down and back up to fix this. It seems like the wireless signal has degraded and a reboot is required for it to re-establish a clean connection.
Anyone else seen this issue?
Anyone else seen this issue?
McCheese
SW: Sean, CW: Crone, GW: Wizardhawk
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Update: After about a year of constant use my WDTV Live shit the bed about a week ago. The remote stopped working about a month back, as well, so I had been using a digital version on my tablet to control it. I really liked my WDTV, and I loved how easy it was to watch my massive storage of downloaded tv shows/movies. However, given the shoddy craftsmanship (remote/box dying in under a year, fuck you WD) I decided to go with a Roku this time.
Joeboo
Molten Core Raider
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You really don't need anything more than a Chromecast + Plex in you home, unless you have to be wired because you are regularly streaming full blu-ray, uncompressed video rips(the big 40-50 gig ones). My Chromecast does just fine with ~10-15 GB 1080p rips over wifi. I have two WDTV Live boxes gathering dust ever since I got two Chromecasts for our two main TVs.
If you were already using a WDTVLive or Roku wirelessly, just get a Chromecast.
If you were already using a WDTVLive or Roku wirelessly, just get a Chromecast.
Joeboo
Molten Core Raider
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Right, it doesn't have a remote but you can control it with any phone, tablet, laptop, or pc.
Jysin
Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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I actually bit the bullet and ditched my Boxee this month and went for a HTPC build.
The new Intel NUC boxes are amazingly powerful for their price.
I bought this box:
Amazon.com: Intel NUC BOXD54250WYKH1 Intel 4th Gen Intel Core i5-4250U with Intel HD Graphics 5000: Computers Accessories
Slapped an old Intel 520 SSD in it and 8G of cheap laptop ram and called it a day.
I run Kodi beta client (formerly XBMC).
Kodi | Open Source Home Theatre Software
The thing is blazing fast. Scrapes all 7TB worth of my data in less than a minute, has FAR fewer errors or "unknown" results that the Boxee did. It's just a monumental leap ahead in performance and now I actually have a full blown PC in my living room. I have a wireless keyboard for typing and bought a $20 bluetooth card to pair with my Harmony remote for media control.
The new Intel NUC boxes are amazingly powerful for their price.
I bought this box:
Amazon.com: Intel NUC BOXD54250WYKH1 Intel 4th Gen Intel Core i5-4250U with Intel HD Graphics 5000: Computers Accessories
Slapped an old Intel 520 SSD in it and 8G of cheap laptop ram and called it a day.
I run Kodi beta client (formerly XBMC).
Kodi | Open Source Home Theatre Software
The thing is blazing fast. Scrapes all 7TB worth of my data in less than a minute, has FAR fewer errors or "unknown" results that the Boxee did. It's just a monumental leap ahead in performance and now I actually have a full blown PC in my living room. I have a wireless keyboard for typing and bought a $20 bluetooth card to pair with my Harmony remote for media control.