WD TV Live (2011) Reviews & Tests

Expert review by : Ty Pendlebury (cnet.co.uk)

WD TV Live (2011) review

WD TV Live (2011)

The WD TV Live features industry-leading format support and built-in Wi-Fi. Its broad selection of streaming services includes Spotify, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, and Pandora, among many others. The interface is friendly, and video and sound quality are...

The best streaming channels require paid subscriptions or pay-per-view fees. There's no support for Amazon Instant. The remote buttons are rubbery, and the onscreen keyboard is a pain to use. DLNA support is spotty, and the software still has a few...

The WD TV Live (2011) offers a solid combination of must-have streaming services and excellent USB and network file support, making it one of the best devices of its kind available for under $100.

Oct, 2011

Read the full review

Expert review by : Ty Pendlebury (cnet.com)

WD TV Live (2011) review: WD TV Live (2011)

WD TV Live (2011)

The ; features industry-leading format support and built-in Wi-Fi. Its broad selection of streaming services includes Spotify, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, and Pandora, among many others. The interface is friendly, and video and sound quality are as good...

The best streaming channels require paid subscriptions or pay-per-view fees. There's no support for Amazon Instant. The remote buttons are rubbery, and the onscreen keyboard is a pain to use. DLNA support is spotty, and the software still has a few...

The WD TV Live (2011) offers a solid combination of must-have streaming services and excellent USB and network file support, making it one of the best devices of its kind available for under $100.

May, 2012

Read the full review

Expert review by : Ty Pendlebury (cnet.com.au)

WD TV Live (2011) review: WD TV Live (2011)

WD TV Live (2011)

The ; features industry-leading format support and built-in Wi-Fi. Its broad selection of streaming services includes Spotify, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, and Pandora, among many others. The interface is friendly, and video and sound quality are as good...

The best streaming channels require paid subscriptions or pay-per-view fees. There's no support for Amazon Instant. The remote buttons are rubbery, and the onscreen keyboard is a pain to use. DLNA support is spotty, and the software still has a few...

The WD TV Live (2011) offers a solid combination of must-have streaming services and excellent USB and network file support, making it one of the best devices of its kind available for under $100.

May, 2012

Partner Source

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com)

Does it all.

I have multiple streaming players Roku Soundbridge, Roku 1 and the WD Live.

DLNA, Netflix, music, video.

remote could be better.

Apr, 2014

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com)

"Slow and unresponsive. locks up in apps. Wife HATES it!"

Slow and unresponsive (Seriously). Poor build quality of the remote. Buggy. Locks up on most apps. Poor channel options. Wife HATES it compared to our Roku2 XD and PS3.

Streams? Eventually

Slow and unresponsive. Poor build quality of the remote. Buggy. Locks up on most apps. Wife HATES it compared to our Roku and PS3.

Jan, 2013

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com)

"Firmware updates have destroyed these things!"

With the first couple of firmware updates after buying two WDTV Live Plus units, we got increased functionality and smoother media playback. However, the latest firmware updates have been disastrous. Refusing to play files that were never a problem...

Just one decent firmware update away from be a top notch little box.

Same as "Pros"

Jan, 2013

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com)

Firmware updates have destroyed these things!

With the first couple of firmware updates after buying two WDTV Live Plus units, we got increased functionality and smoother media playback. However, the latest firmware updates have been disastrous. Refusing to play files that were never a problem...

Just one decent firmware update away from be a top notch little box.

Same as "Pros"

Jan, 2013

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com)

"Hands down, the Roku is better."

No, I've spent 20-25 minutes waiting for the WD media player to find stuff on my Wi-Fi, thinking that it would be a one-time deal. I've had it for a week and have gone through the process 3 times. It loses the connection and then has to go through the...

Nice looking.

Take it from someone who has had the WD for a week, and the Roku for about 6 months, there is no comparison. I thought "well, they make decent HDD's, so I'll try one. It cost more, but it probably is better."

Jul, 2012

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com)

Hands down, the Roku is better.

No, I've spent 20-25 minutes waiting for the WD media player to find stuff on my Wi-Fi, thinking that it would be a one-time deal. I've had it for a week and have gone through the process 3 times. It loses the connection and then has to go through the...

Nice looking.

Take it from someone who has had the WD for a week, and the Roku for about 6 months, there is no comparison. I thought "well, they make decent HDD's, so I'll try one. It cost more, but it probably is better."

Jul, 2012

Read the full review

Consumer review (cnet.com)

Does its main job well.

Great device if you have lots of media stored on your computer, but want to play it on your TV. If you want to buy this only for Hulu or Netflix or anything like that, buy something else. If you have exclusively Apple products, sell them. If you won't,...

Reads many file types Smooth playback Hi-def looks great, and low-def doesn't look too bad either (considering) Android and iPhone apps work great as remotes from anywhere on your network.

Loses my youtube account information UI isn't the best in the world, but it is workable

Jun, 2012

Read the full review