WD TV Live Hub Replacement

Mel_P · 31 Jan 2022 at 23:32

What still using that!?

Well not any more - turned it on today and the "loading" flashing light / message on screen is continuous. Have tried powering it on/off etc., factory reset from menu, paper clip reset on bottom of box - these all seem to reset it but then as it begins its power on cycle, accessing the HDD the thing seems to get stuck in a loop. again The LAN connection seems to lock up as well.

Does anybody make a similar device nowadays? Seems not.

There seem to be loads of generic "media players" on the internet - are these any good?

What i want is a "black box / remote" that I can plug into the HDMI socket of the TV - and plug into that a USB HDD that has all the films (mkv format) that my grandchildren want to watch when they visit - Just like the WD TV Live Media center used to do (that obviously had a built in HDD).

Suggestions please, thanks Mel.

OspreyO · 31 Jan 2022 at 23:59

Still using the Nvidia Shield Pro here. Its been a little buggy with one or two of the updates. Works well enough.

Kind hard to find a simple file manager Movie player.

ivrytwr3 · 1 Feb 2022 at 06:57

I was using the WDTV 1tb media player for years - thought it was fantastic and very simple to use, but like yours, it eventually died on me.

After much researching and a couple of trials with other media players i found this:

https://osmc.tv/store/

It's networked to my pc and has a 4tb hdd hanging out the back of it.

You can also change the skin, Confluence and Embuary are my favourites - title sleeves, imdb info and pick up where you last left off.

I could not get on with the Shield, too many options, settings etc for what i needed - the OSMC, plug, update, play!

Mel_P · 2 Feb 2022 at 23:15

ivrytwr3 said:
After much researching and a couple of trials with other media players i found this:https://osmc.tv/store/

It's networked to my pc and has a 4tb HDD hanging out the back of it...... the OSMC, plug, update, play!

Thanks - looks what I might get sometime - £107!

Another update - if I reset with a paper clip and operate it "stand-alone" it works - BUT immediately I plug in a network cable it freezes. I can access material on a USB dongle. Some fault with the LAN circuitry?

So it looks as though I can load stuff onto the internal HDD via a LAN connection BUT i can play existing material on the HDD and new material on a dongle - I'll wait till the Grandchildren come next and see if this suffices, Mel

Simmz · 3 Feb 2022 at 00:16

If you don't want any of the streaming services and hassle of setting Plex or Kodi up etc, then I recommend a Zidoo Z9X. Will play anything you throw at it.

Just out of interest, have you tried plugging the USB drive directly into the TV. Some models these days will happily play the media without the need for anything additional.

Mel_P · 3 Feb 2022 at 12:35

Simmz said:
Just out of interest, have you tried plugging the USB drive directly into the TV.

My TV would do that but I already have 50 films on my WDTV and the grandchildren know how to use it with the remote. TV is clunky in this respect. Not a new one either!!

Mel_P · 3 Feb 2022 at 14:18

I have an ASUS usb wifi adapter - but that doesn't seem to be recognised by the WD box - WD box = old; wifi adapter = new so suspect not compatible! Need an old wifi adapter!! Manual refers to list of Ok adapters in WD knowledge base but goes to "page not found".

Mel

ivrytwr3 · 3 Feb 2022 at 18:28

Mel_P said:
Another update - if I reset with a paper clip and operate it "stand-alone" it works - BUT immediately I plug in a network cable it freezes. I can access material on a USB dongle. Some fault with the LAN circuitry?

So it looks as though I can load stuff onto the internal HDD via a LAN connection BUT i can play existing material on the HDD and new material on a dongle - I'll wait till the Grandchildren come next and see if this suffices, Mel

That's what happened to mine. Did a factory reset to sell the box on and it could not longer connect to my lan. A lot of the updates are no longer available so I sold it on.

The osmc is fantastic and importantly, the family find it easy to use.

kidloco · 29 May 2022 at 18:33

Simmz said:
If you don't want any of the streaming services and hassle of setting Plex or Kodi up etc, then I recommend a Zidoo Z9X. Will play anything you throw at it.

Just out of interest, have you tried plugging the USB drive directly into the TV. Some models these days will happily play the media without the need for anything additional.

Picked up a Zidoo Z9X this week. I've lost count of the number of media boxes I've had over the years, the most recent ones being Shield TV, Vero 4k+ and Apple TV4k. All have had their issues that just bugged the hell out of me over time. The Apple TV was very nearly spot on, everything was so quick and snappy but there is an issue on flickering on 4k content in certain shadows that is very distracting, so it went. So far (touches wood) the Z9X seems to play everything flawlessly, including Dolby Vision. The UI is snappy and looks good and little things like the remote control not being a laggy mess all make a difference when you have to live with it. It's useless for streaming services, but I use the apps on my TV for them anyway. For those looking for something to play locally stored content, take a look, it's very good.