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Cost Of Western Digital Wd Tv Live Plus 1080P Hd Media Player

Jingthing

By Jingthing
in Audio Visual AV

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theseahorse Senior Member

theseahorse

Posted
Posted (edited)

It will be cheaper in the US, all electrical equipment is. As someone else posted they're about 4,200 baht here ($140), but I don't think thats the 'plus' version.

I've had the WD TV Live for a couple of years now (bought in Singapore before they came out in Thailand) and have been very happy with it. Only problem was that after about 4 months the internet connection went and it was no longer 'Live'. As it was bought in Singapore and wasn't avaliable here I couldn't take it back. But as I never really used the online features it never really bothered me.

My only real complaint now is that they don't support MP4 video files and so much of my stuff now is on MP4. I'm now having to plug the computer in to the TV again all the time.

Looking at the Thai visa sponser InvadeIT's website - http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/media-players/ - there's no 'Plus' version, but the WD TV Live is 4,270 and the WD TV Live Hub is 7,990. You can sometimes find things a little cheaper than InvadeIT, but there's not normally much difference.

Edited by theseahorse
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sarahsbloke Gold Member

sarahsbloke

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Posted

Get the US version for the firmware. Asian sold models have different firmware which means limited online content providers and you cant flash the usa firmware to the asian version.

Changing the firmware doesn't work.

The USA servers won't allow foreign ISPs to access their content.

You would need to use a VPN which is fairly expensive to use Netflix, etc.

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negreanu Gold Member

negreanu

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Posted
You would need to use a VPN which is fairly expensive to use Netflix, etc.

My point was if you want access to the US apps on a WDTV you cannot do it at all on the asian versions they will not accept a US firmware flash so if u want to do the below with a Asian version you cannot.

Not really expensive about US$40 a year.

or usvideo.org for around the same price and about 2x 3x the streaming speed of a VPN. Even manages netflix streams in HD.

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MoonRiverOasis Platinum Member

MoonRiverOasis

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This place sells the Live and the vanilla V2 version (non Ethernet) for ~4,500 THB, but usually you can buy it a few hundred Baht cheaper if you shop around the usual places in BKK.

As noted, the Plus version is not relevant to Asia, as Netflix, Blockbuster on demand etc are not accessible from non-US connections.

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craigt3365 Star Member

craigt3365

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Just bought my second WD Live Plus, for $91 off eBay. I flashed the firmware a few times while in Thailand on my old one, and though most online apps don't work, you can access YouTube and Live365 radio. For the price, pretty cool technology.

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hyperdimension Platinum Member

hyperdimension

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Is the WDTV (the cheaper one without HDD) capable of playing Blu-ray video files that have been copied straight from a dual layer Blu-ray disc onto a USB drive?

On some computers that I've tried, playback of Blu-ray video files is not smooth because I presume that there's too much data to process.

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craigt3365 Star Member

craigt3365

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Is the WDTV (the cheaper one without HDD) capable of playing Blu-ray video files that have been copied straight from a dual layer Blu-ray disc onto a USB drive?

On some computers that I've tried, playback of Blu-ray video files is not smooth because I presume that there's too much data to process.

I don't know about copying directly from the disk to a USB drive, but I play BRs all the time. Huge files to download, but most come with 5.1 digital surround....great stuff.

Just bought a new WD for the bedroom! Got it for $91 back in the US, no hard drive.

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craigt3365 Star Member

craigt3365

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I just bought a 500GB WD for $75 off Amazon.com. They had a cheaper model, but it had a power supply, this one did not. I also got a 1TB WD for around $100 or so from my local Walmart. I like the WD's as I have never had a problem, but have with some other brands. :(

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trisailer Silver Member

trisailer

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Get the US version for the firmware. Asian sold models have different firmware which means limited online content providers and you cant flash the usa firmware to the asian version.

Changing the firmware doesn't work.

The USA servers won't allow foreign ISPs to access their content.

You would need to use a VPN which is fairly expensive to use Netflix, etc.

I tried for months to get a VPN to work to stream and nothing I tried worked.

You can get a Dvix Slim 1 for 5,000 baht which plays every format and has a optional wifi. It has a slot for a internal SETA drive plus 3 USB inputs. Does sterieo or surround sound and has some nice easy launguage and subtittle controls. Also has a built in fan, LAN in and HDMI out. You can also get the artwork for your movie files.

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Oberkommando Gold Member

Oberkommando

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Posted

The WD TV is a piece of junk, got rid of mine ages ago after mistakenly buying one in lieu of a decent player like the Popcorn Hour or HDi Dune.

The problem with the cheaper players is they won't play BD ISO or handle the latest audio standards such as DTS Master Audio, which many rips are being released with nowadays.

Then of course the latest movies are in 3D which the Popcorn Hour now supports with the latest firmware and the Dune looks set to follow. In addition they are now ripping 3D blu-rays into half SBS which means you can watch them on HDMI 1.3 without a 3D compatible player or cables (you'll still need a 3D TV though).

I tried for months to get a VPN to work to stream and nothing I tried worked.

Use Tor. You can select your location and stream and it is free.

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jaideeguy Platinum Member

jaideeguy

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Now....what makes the WD unit so cool as a media player when compared with the Apacer media player that I mentioned in a post just down from this one?? All I wanted was a small portable [for traveling] media player that would play a large variety of formats and have the versitility of many outputs to tv?? @ 2,500thb only

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jaideeguy Platinum Member

jaideeguy

Posted
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Now....what makes the WD unit so cool as a media player when compared with the Apacer media player that I mentioned in a post just down from this one?? All I wanted was a small portable [for traveling] media player that would play a large variety of formats and have the versitility of many outputs to tv?? @ 2,500thb only

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janverbeem Gold Member

janverbeem

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I just bought a 500GB WD for $75 off Amazon.com. They had a cheaper model, but it had a power supply, this one did not. I also got a 1TB WD for around $100 or so from my local Walmart. I like the WD's as I have never had a problem, but have with some other brands. :(

So juding your posts ,you make no profit on either of your purchases from the US,I guess you pay even a little more compared to Thailand in some cases.Additional to that you will have serious issues when you need to get a warranty.

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craigt3365 Star Member

craigt3365

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I just bought a 500GB WD for $75 off Amazon.com. They had a cheaper model, but it had a power supply, this one did not. I also got a 1TB WD for around $100 or so from my local Walmart. I like the WD's as I have never had a problem, but have with some other brands. :(

So juding your posts ,you make no profit on either of your purchases from the US,I guess you pay even a little more compared to Thailand in some cases.Additional to that you will have serious issues when you need to get a warranty.

It is a bit cheaper in the US...but not much. The WD media player is about 800-1000B cheaper in the US than here. I shop at Fry's, and find it easier to find the latest technology as well as an incredible selection. Here in Pattaya, the shopping options are limited. And the latest stuff is many times quite expensive...or hard to find.

I had a hard drive go out on me only 1 time. It was after about 5 years of use. And it was only the power supply...so not too worried about service here. If it was a bigger ticket item, I would buy it here for sure!! But I'm in the US for about 6 weeks each time, so have a chance to "burn" things in a bit before I leave.

Add up the savings, and it makes it worth the effort to get stuff back in the US. It's not a lot, but it's something. As I mentioned, some of the items are hard to find here in Pattaya.

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