50under50

The WD TV Live HD media player is an unassuming bit of tech: 1080p video playback, support for all your favorite codecs, both Pandora and Live365 Internet radio apps, WiFi, two USB ports for external storage, HDMI, composite and component video outputs, SPDIF audio output, and more. MSRP is $150, but as always Amazon has it for less.

Why does this matter? Well for starters, the device allows you to keep your files on the drive of your choice, separate from the player, making it ultra portable and convenient. It has a thin OS so boot up time is quick. I power down when not in use, something that I found annoying with the AppleTv.

You can also organize drives based on content, i.e. SciFi, Sports or Kids movies. Add drives as your library grows.

The interface isn’t nearly as slick as Apple’s offerings, but I find the ability to play  a variety of 1080p content trumps the ease of use. Copy files from your computer and the software does the rest. It comes with a remote so that you can scroll through your content.

Product Description:
Full-HD 1080p video playback and navigation - This is the real thing; Full-HD 1080p playback. Sit back and enjoy the spectacular picture quality of brilliant high definition video and the crystal-clear sound of digital audio. Use the included remote control to make your entertainment choices using our crisp, animated navigation menus.

Play a wide variety of file formats - WD TV Live supports a wide variety of the most popular file formats. No need to spend time transcoding.

Play videos, music and photos from the Internet on your big screen TV - Explore and watch YouTube videos and Flickr pictures on the big screen. Rock out to thousands of radio stations via Live365 and discover new music with Pandora radio.

Access files anywhere on your home network - Play movies, music, and photos from any PC or drive on your home network. The Ethernet port connects this player to your home network through a wired connection or via popular, supported WiFi adapters (sold separately). Ideal for use with WD’s My Book World.

Turn your USB drive into an HD media player - Play content from most popular USB drives, and digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices. Optimized for My Passport portable hard drives.

Collect without limits - There’s no limit to the size of your media collection; just add more USB drives for more space.

Play media seamlessly from multiple USB drives - Two USB ports on the player let you connect multiple USB storage devices and access them simultaneously. Our media library feature collects the content on all the drives into one list sorted by media type.

Transfer files easily - Copy, move or delete files stored on a USB drive, a network drive, your camcorder, or a camera to the attached USB drive using the on-screen menus.

Show photos and movies directly from your digital camera or video camera - Works with digital cameras, digital video cameras, in fact, any digital imaging device that supports Picture Transfer Protocol.

Advanced navigation options

• Thumbnail and list views – Browse your content by filename or by thumbnails of photos, album covers and movie cover art.
• Media library – This unique feature lets you view all your media by media type in one menu regardless of its location in folders or drives. You can view your content by categories such as genre, album, artist and date.
• Search – Search by genre, title, artist, filename and partial filename.

Online Services
Play a world of media on your TV!
WD TV Live supports a list of popular online services that delivers Internet content onto your HD TV.

YouTube – Broadcast yourself. World’s #1 video sharing website.

Pandora – Free, personalized Internet radio playing only the music you love. Enter your favorite songs or artists, and enjoy stations created just for you. Rate songs as they play, because Pandora caters to your tastes and adapts stations to your feedback on the spot.

Flickr - Share your photos. Watch the world.

Live365 – Listen to thousands of commercial-free Internet radio stations! Live365 has broadcasts from Radio Disney, Santana, David Byrne, Pat Metheny, and Paul Oakenfold, as well as stations created by music lovers just like you!

Easily browse through popular genres such as rock, hip-hop, jazz, and new age. Or discover treasures in some of the less-traveled styles such as gospel, comedy, anime, Hindi, trip hop, 30s, glam, tribal, Celtic, and 100s more.

Buy WD TV Live HD Media Player from Amazon $120

LaCinema Mini HD

Recently announced at CES, LaCie has one upped the media player game with the introduction of the LaCinema Mini HD. No matter the video, music or photo format and resolution, the Mini HD will play it seamlessly with clear sound and the vivid images that you’ve come to expect from HD. It’s compatible with all the most popular video formats on the market, from DivX and MKV, to AVC and H.264, and comes with Dolby Digital surround sound. 

It’s easy to play your movie library on your HDTV: Attach the LaCinema Mini HD to your computer via the bus-powered USB 2.0 connection to quickly transfer your movies, then connect it to your TV for instant playback. No other configuration is required. The LaCinema Mini HD also comes with 802.11n WiFi technology to ensure maximized performance for HD movie streaming. Embedded inside an ultra compact design, LaCinema Design, Design by Neil Poulton, will elegantly integrate into your HDTV setup. 

With up to 500GB of storage available, you can store your entire digital media library in one location. A user-friendly navigation and remote control have been designed to enhance your entertainment experience. You can even quickly connect a USB storage key to the front of your LaCinema Mini HD to instantly watch movies on your TV.

Not yet available but you can check it out here.

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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