WDTV Alternative - Suggest Value Please

LSteatoLegato on 21/04/2018 - 11:48
Last edited 21/04/2018 - 12:47 by 1 other user

Hi fellow Bargain seekers!
My old WDTV box died recently and I need a substitute to play my several TB worth of (legally purchased) movies and cartoons for my wife and children. I need your advice as to the best solution for the money - there are just too many options on the market for me to decide without having the experience or the insider know how.
The ‘Box’ needs to have 2x USB ports, be able to play every media I throw at it and output via HDMI as it will go through Yamaha receiver first then to TV.
Netflix and streaming and such I don’t really need as my TV does that already but a decent fast OS is definitely a bonus

Looking forward to your suggestions!

Cheers

Electrical & Electronics Apple Media Player Western Digital

Comments

  • p1 ama on 21/04/2018 - 12:11
    +1

    http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2671807 might help

  • Cheapo Moose on 21/04/2018 - 12:13
    +1

    Intel NUC with LibreElec.

    If that's too pricey you could probably look at one of those cheapo Android Kodi media player things.

    • fredblogs on 21/04/2018 - 20:04

      Is LibreElec much better than running the full OS with Kodi?

      • Cheapo Moose on 21/04/2018 - 20:23

        If used purely as a media centre… absolutely.

        It's very light. Can even be run off a memory card.

        I'm using a basic Celeron NUC with a cheapo SSD and LibreElec. Couldn't be happier.

        Very snappy and plays anything I throw at it.

  • Wystri Warrick on 21/04/2018 - 12:24
    +2

    I have a the Mini M8S II, bought it a year ago for $53.
    It plays everything perfectly including 4K H265 HDR 60hz, the only thing is when using Kodi and you press the home button a few message comes up a few seconds later saying Kodi has crashed.
    It's really much more faster and smoother than WD TV.
    Supports LibreElec.
    Can be powered by a TVs USB port, which is how I use it.

  • SteatoLegato on 21/04/2018 - 13:08

    So an android media player box most likely will suit my needs best. What about NewPal M8s pro about $100 aid posted. Looks good on paper -?

  • aboabo on 21/04/2018 - 14:15
    +1

    I thought my Beelink Ultimate was the bomb until I played an iso recently through the VLC app. The audio was fine but the video was jumpy.

    Found a 'WDTV Live' on Gumtree for $15. All good now.

    • Wystri Warrick on 21/04/2018 - 14:44
      +1

      Kodi on my Mini M8S II plays ISO's flawlessly.
      I've read lots of good stuff about Beelink on Ozbargain, maybe try Kodi.

      • aboabo on 21/04/2018 - 16:40
        +1

        Thanks for the suggestion. I'll let you know how it goes later.

      • aboabo on 22/04/2018 - 10:28
        +1

        Kodi on my Beelink Ultimate plays ISO's flawlessly.

        • Wystri Warrick on 22/04/2018 - 10:43

          Sweet =).
          When I was in the market for one I was tossing up between the one that I bought and the Beelink as it's like the only one that gets updates.

  • et tu brute on 23/04/2018 - 20:27

    Although a bit more pricey than other Android TV boxes, I replaced my WD TV with a Nvidia Shield (Android)TV (with game controller) for USD 179.00 (actually USD159.00 during an Amazon Prime day sale). A worthwhile oinvestment. Just pug in ang go. I run mine via a Bose Cinemate system, so running it via a Yamaha A/V receiver (with HDMI)is no biggie.

    It is well supported by Nvidia with regular firmware updates for the Nvidia Shield box, remote control and game controller). It is a robust unit and handle 4K HDR content as well if you want to future proof your setup. The setup is simple and you will be up and running literally in minutes (unless it goes immediately to firmware updates). I purchased this to access my NAS Media, Amazon Prime Video and MLB.TV. (Their is no Android TV version of Amazon Prime Video except on this unit and the Amazon Fire products due to a turf war going on between Google, Apple and Amazon). I have had mine running for over a year now and rarely had an issue (that I can remember off hand). One word of advice, purchase a Korjo US to AU AC plug adapter locally. Abount $9.99 from Bunnings. It is small and cylinderical in shape and will fit onto a crowded power board or wall plate without any physical interference from other plugs. All others a too wide and chunky.

    A note of caution. If you are looking at any of the myriad of the cheap 'Yum Cha' "Android TV" boxes around at the moment, check that the underlying o/s is actually 'Android TV', and at least version 7.0. This is a completely different O/s than the standard Android Tablet version that is found on many of the 'Yum Cha' boxes (their documentation is not always honest).

    I miss my old WD TV, however it is no longer sold and/or supported by Western Digital. It was legendary for handling many
    different video (and now vintage)file formats and worked perfectly with my WD My Cloud Gen 2 NAS media server. It could be problematic at times, but nothing that a quick reboot would not be able to fix.

    Others may have differerimg opinions, but check ALL recommendations thoroughly before deciding on a final choice.

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