WD TV Live user reviews (2011)

5.0 stars

"WDTV is Awesome!" on October 27, 2011 by Athenon87

Pros: *Supports almost every format (in other words, completely unrivaled format support)
*Subtitle switching support
*Audio track switching support
(The above two are not found on the Revue, the box that I replaced with the WDTV)
*Runs 1080 video like a champ

Cons: *Sometimes the subtitles are a little messed up for shows with subtitles for more than one character simultaneously.
*Not a lot of different outputs
*You really need a keyboard for certain things
*The Netflix app is inferior to the one on the Revue (speci

Summary: I watch a LOT of foreign shows that require me to activate subtitles and alternate audio tracks in MKV files. I initially bought the Revue and was extremely happy with it except for two fatal flaws: network streaming support was limited to DLNA only and it didn't support switching subtitle or audio tracks in MKV files (or any files for that matter). Before I returned it, I did some research and found that, from every corner of the net, the WDTV's name came up in relation to anime streaming over the network. I also noticed it had a dedicated button to switch subtitle and audio tracks. As such, I decided to buy the newest model of the WDTV (in my Best Buy it was located with the HDDs for some reason, even though the Revue and the other WDTV models were located with the TVs).

Once I got it home and unboxed it, I was surprised that such a small box could support so many different formats. I have read several places that the WDTV will play more formats than any other streaming box out there. So far, I've not run across a file it couldn't play, and that seems to be the norm. That's more than I can say for the Revue, albeit a lot of it had to do with my DLNA servers.

The WDTV doesn't have as many features as Google TV, but if you need a solid streaming box that can play any file any way you want, this is the box for you. If you mostly just need streaming services like Netflix or Amazon and would enjoy your box being able to control your entire entertainment setup in a very cool way, then the Revue is definitely for you.

I subscribe to the former. I just need a box that will play any format I throw at it (via Samba!) any way I want it (along with Netflix or Crunchyroll occasionally). I really love the WDTV for this reason and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to buy a streaming box.

Note: I have 20mbps internet and a 1gbps router, cables, and network cards as well as a custom-built gaming computer streaming files. As such, your experience might be a bit slower on the streaming side of things. I also have not tried plugging in an external HDD or flash drive to play files off of it.

Updated on Oct 27, 2011

I just wanted to add that I think a lot of the user reviews here on CNet aren't actually referring to the WDTV Live 2011. There was a previous device under the exact same name (WDTV Live) and people get them confused very easily. Note, though, that I am referring specifically one released in October 2011 in my review.