Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player STCEA101-RK Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Seagate FreeAgent Theater is now cheap because it is old technology and it shows. It is not a bad player for old-school video formats, but the picture is composite like an early years DVD Player, not HD. The firmware is slow, ugly, and buggy. The newer Theater+ model has HDMI, networking, and HD picture, but it is not worth the much higher $ investment (currently over $200 with hard drive and dock). The new firmware is still a D+ at best. I recommend using a netbook with an HDMI port as a media server instead. A netbook will work flawlessly as a media server and you will enjoy all the other PC fuctions it can do for you.

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The easiest way to move your photos, movies and music from your PC to your TV. Share and enjoy your memories in a comfortable, social environment such as your living room. With two easy steps, you will be viewing and sharing your favorite photos, movies and music in no time! With its unique dual-docking system, setup the device once and never hassle with cables again. Simply place the FreeAgent Go portable hard drive (sold seperately) into the PC docking station and it automatically copies your photos, movies and music from the PC to the drive. Then docking the FreeAgent Go portable hard drive into the FreeAgent Theater media player, connected to the TV, puts your entire media library at your fingertips with 1080i High-Definition playback and crystal clear Dolby Digital 5.1 audio surround sound support. With the front-mounted USB port, you can also plug your digital camera, USB flash drive or external USB hard drive directly into the FreeAgent Theater and enjoy the same high-quality viewing experience. Navigating through your media library is intuitive with the FreeAgent Theaters user interface and compact remote control. Share your memories like a pro with easy to customize slideshows, transitions, background music and zoom feature for both pictures and movies. Share and experience your memories in comfort with FreeAgent Theater.

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JVC KW-AVX800 7-inch In-dash Multimedia System Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this unit specifically because I wanted certain functions. After extensive research, I found that this device said in the product specs that it would do everything I wanted. While technically true, it performed so poorly in some areas that I in the end was disappointed. I have now tried several units trying to get these functions, including this unit. Ultimately, I returned this unit, though because it was not good enough at all of the things I wanted it to do. If you do not care about some of the things I do (or you care about other things - for example, for me DVD playback was irrelevant, so I did not even try this out), the unit might be fine for you.
Keep in mind, in order to do a lot of these things, you need to buy a separate breakout box or adapter that is not included in the price. Here is a list of what I wanted it to do & how it did:
1.Bluetooth integration. Fantastic. Best voice dial integration on any product I tried. There is a dedicated hard button to turn on voice dial that can be accessed no matter what mode the unit is in. Call quality was also good. It also accessed and played in a very good quality my music on my bluetooth smartphone. Truly, best in breed, and if all you care about is bluetooth integration, then this unit is for you.
2.Ipod integration. Not so good. Although the unit is touch screen, instead of listing items on the screen and letting you touch them to select, it instead only goes through one item in a menu tree at a time & then you have to hit an "enter" button that is not marked as enter. It looks like they took a non-touch screen interface & used it in this unit instead of writing one to take advantage of the touch screen capabilities. Worse, it sometimes looses time scyc with my latest generation ipod (I tried both a new 8 gb nano and a new 80 gb classic & had the same problems). Basically, the time would come up with "00:00" quite often, and then stay there. Because the unit continually thinks you are at the beginning of a track, it will not let you rewind. This can be a problem with books on tape or podcasts. This happened at least a few times per week. My installer said JVC was aware of this problem.
3.XM integration. OK but not great. It suffers from the same annoying lack full touch screen integration that exists for ipod, albeit to a much lesser extent. You can, for example, select a preset by touching the channel. However, my xm presets would often disappear from the preset list. What I mean is that the slot for the preset would be there, but the channel name would be missing. This happened almost daily. My installer said JVC was aware of this problem.
4.Control of unit from factory redundant controls on steering wheel. Poor. I wanted to be able to control basic functions on the unit from the factory steering wheel controls so I would not have to take my eyes off the road. Sometimes it worked, sometimes (often) it did not. Volume down refused to work most of the time.
In the end, item 1 was great, item 2 was below average, item 3 was OK, and item 4 was poor. On balance, not good enough for me to keep.


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JVC KW-AVX710 7-Inch In-Dash Double-DIN CD/DVD/MP3/iPod Bluetooth-Ready Touchscreen Receiver Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)No USB connector and no SD card slot as stated in the description of the reciever.

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This Double-DIN receiver can play DivX and other video formats on the wide 7-inch monitor, which is also a user-friendly touch panel. With GIGA MP3 MULTI, a huge amount of songs in MP3/WMA/WAV format can be played from a single disc. The 7-band iEQ lets you fine tune the sound to your taste. You can also enjoy iPod, Bluetooth Wireless Technology, HD Radio, and SAT Radio with optional devices.

CDs, DVDs and More Enjoy your favorite CDs or watch some video on DVD, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW or VCDs.
You can also enjoy your favorite WMA/MP3/WAV audio files, or take in MPEG1/2 videos or JPEG images, from disc or from a USB device.
AM/FM Radio The KW-AVX710 features an AM/FM radio with standards like automatic presetting. You can also add SAT or HD radio with additional accessories.
The HS-IVi tuner features higher sensitivity, thanks to three IF bandwidths (wide, middle and narrow). It also includes AM Noise Canceller plus upgraded IF filters that help avoid the distortion caused by interference from adjacent stations.
To get even more from the airwaves, add JVC optional hardware for HD Radio or SAT Radio reception.
Stylish Frame Design With its smooth slope from side to bottom, the faceplate's simple streamlined contour blends perfectly with your car interior.
Customizable Interface Choose from 12 different GUI colors and multiple graphic options to match your car interior.
Multimedia Connectivity Connect, control, and charge your iPod or iPhone with full speed using its existing charging cable. Also compatible with Portable HDD Devices, USB Flash Memory Drives, and Digital Audio Players (KS-U30 Cable required for iPod/iPhone video connections).
Dial in Your Sound Perfect your sound with a three-band parametric equalizer and Loudness control for low level listening.
Input and Output Two pairs of 2.5V preamp outputs are provided for adding a little extra power to the KW-AVX710's onboard 50W x 4 amplifier.
An AV input is also included for use with video game systems or other devices, and you can also use the composite video output terminals to send video to a passenger screen.
Bluetooth Ready Bluetooth Wireless Technology is available with an optional adapter. A maximum of five compatible mobile phones can be registered for hands-free calling. With voice-recognition mobile phones, you can dial by just saying the name in your phone book. The wireless functions work even if your mobile phone is tucked away in your bag or pocket. You can also stream music from a compatible digital audio player, for listening on your car stereo.
Wireless Remote A full-featured wireless remote is include for controlling receiver functions.
What's in the Box JVC KW-AVX710 Receiver, trim ring, sleeve, remote control, wiring harness, installation hardware, installation manual, instructions

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Pioneer DV-220V-K HDMI 1080p Upscaling DVD Player Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This player is really small, so it might not stack well with your other components.
The converted picture to 1080p is really amazing! (I don't feel like I need to get a Blue-Ray player...)
One small complain: to change mode from 4:3 to 16:9 you need to stop watching, go into the setup menu and do it.
It would be nice to have a button on the remote to do this.
(We just finished watching a DVD that had been recorded in 4:3, so it looked squished on our HD TV until we figured out how to change that aspect ratio...)

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Pioneer DVD player for For the home theater enthusiast that has an extensive library of DVD titles, our Pioneer DVD player encompasses both form and function. Spectacular video and audio playback combined. Ultra-compact Design - 14-3/16" (360mm) Wide -HDMI 1080p Upscaling -USB Input for Compressed Music Playback -CD-to-MP3 ripping to a compatible USB Recording Device -Advanced Graphical User Interface

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Pioneer AVIC-Z120BT 7" In-Dash Double-Din Navigation CD/DVD/MP3 with Pandora iPhone streaming Review

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(More customer reviews)[*** UPDATE 9/9/2010 - It turns out that firmware version 2.003, which I just installed tonight, fixes the bug where you have to press OK before your phone connects to the AVIC-Z120BT. I tested this out and it works as expected now. ***]
I got this AVIC-Z120BT unit a few days ago and installed it in my 2009 Nissan Frontier. The install did take a while; but, I had several quotes by some car audio installation places and I decided I'd be better off doing it myself and saving the money. So far, I am absolutely loving having this system in my truck!
In the attached video, I tried to go over some of the main features of this unit. I'll also try to cover most of the same material here for people that don't want to spend the time to watch the video.Here are the things I'm loving about this Pioneer navigation system:
1) The sound quality is very good. The radio reception is also exceptional for both AM and FM.
2) The media source selection is great! This unit supports playing from CDs & DVDs (including MP3s from either), SD cards with either video or music, iPods (using an additional interface cable), USB keys, or the internal AM/FM tuner. You can also add an HD radio tuner, although I didn't add that feature. Personally, I love that I can stick an SD card with all my music in this unit and it is always available to me without having to mess with an FM transmitter or hook up my phone to the receiver.
3) The navigation system itself is very good. The maps are up to date in my area, and it looks like new maps can be downloaded from Pioneer when they are available. It has all the standard nav features, like being able to adjust the scale or change the top of the map to be either North or to be inline with your current heading. It also offers turn-by-turn guidance, waypoints, and can be controled using voice commands - although I haven't played with this much.
4) The Bluetooth interface on the receiver is amazing! It automatically downloads the contacts from my phone whenever it turns on and then I have access to all of my contacts through the nav system. Even though my Android phone does NOT support voice dialing over Bluetooth, I can now use the voice dialing feature of this receiver and it automatically dials my phone.
5) The voice interface in general is very good. It handles everything from voice dialing to switching inputs - even when I'm driving down the highway. The included mic works fine for phone calls in the truck, although it does sound like I'm talking on a speaker phone (which I basically am when using this system).
6) Incoming calls on this system work very well. A small overlay pops up on the screen that lets you answer incoming calls, hang up, etc... It also mutes (or turns down) the currently playing audio during the phone call.
7) The backup camera is a great addition. It switches on automatically when the truck is in reverse, and it can also be used in conjunction with the map view - which will be great for towing.
8) The system boots fairly quickly. The backup camera and previously selected music source are available almost instantly, where the navigation system and other controls are available after about 15 seconds. My Android phone typically takes about 45 seconds to connect from the time the system first starts up.
9) I should have shown this in the video, but the screen tilt can be adjusted if you need it to angle up a bit. In my truck, I don't need it to tilt at all; so I tend to forget about that.
10) The interface looks great and is very easy to use! The system also looks great in my truck.
11) You can set an anti-theft password through a 'secret' interface, and the system will prompt for the password if the backup power is ever cut. I think this is a dubious 'anti-theft' feature since the system could easily be stolen and the thieves wouldn't find out about the password until they were back at the secret lair :). I guess I would have the satisfaction of knowing they probably couldn't use it...Although I absolutely love this Pioneer nav system, there are some quirks in the firmware that I hope will be addressed by future releases:
1) [*** UPDATE - This is fixed in firmware version 2.003. ***] When booting the system, you need to press OK on the warning screen BEFORE the system connects to your phone. Otherwise, you won't be able to voice dial until the car is turned off and back on again. If the system boots up into the map screen, this is pretty easy since the prompt will show before the map is displayed. If, on the other hand, the system boots into the media mode, the prompt won't even display until you manually switch to either the home screen or the navigation system - and it can be easy to forget until you need to make a call...
2) The AM and FM presets are named based on the text being broadcast by the station. That makes no sense in my case, so I end up with presets with names like "ive,". I wish that could just be turned off and I could just have the frequencies displayed - or it would also be great if I could name the presets myself. Normally, I don't mind remembering the preset numbers - but this interface doesn't really lend itself to that. Hopefully this will be fixed/changed soon!
3) I wish this system would show album art for songs that are on the SD card. I called Pioneer and verified that isn't supported in the current firmware.
4) On bright days, the display tends to be a bit washed out - even on the brightest setting. It's still visible, but just barely. I may end up getting my front windows tinted to help out with this.Overall, I really love this system and would highly recommend it if you want an integrated nav/bluetooth/multimedia system in your vehicle. The combined feature-set that this added to my truck wouldn't have even been possible a few years ago; and, the Pioneer pulls it all off with a very nicely integrated user interface. There are some quirks in the firmware, but I think they should all be easily addressed by future firmware updates - I just hope Pioneer does us all the favor of actually updating the firmware!
I will update this review to reflect any changes in my opinions, or if new firmware versions are released.


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Pioneer's new flagship AVIC-Z120BT integrates sophisticated navigation capabilities as well as new groundbreaking features, including a revolutionary 3D touch slide interface, Pioneer MusicSphere and ECO Graph. In addition to built-in navigation capabilities, the new double-DIN AVIC-Z120BT features a large motorized 7-inch WVGA hi-resolution touchscreen display, a 3D graphics accelerator, DVD playback, built-in Bluetooth1for hands-free calling and music streaming, USB connectivityfor iPod/iPhone connectivity, a micro SD card slot, a back-up camera input, and is SIRIUS XMsatellite and HD Radioready.


Sophisticated Navigation and Groundbreaking Features
AVIC FEEDS for iPhonecompatible
Bluetooth Hands-Free
Bluetooth Audio Streaming (A2DP and AVRCP)
Navigation destination entry byVoice Control (Address Search, POI selection by category or brand name)
USB Direct Control for iPod/iPhone and USB Devices (Optional Cable Required for iPod/iPhone)
Advanced Sound Retriever to restore your compressed media to near CD quality
XM and Sirius Radio Ready
3 Hi-Volt (4V) RCA preouts for adding on external amplifiers
Two-Way Crossover with separate High and Low Pass settings.
Built-in MOSFET 50 W x 4 amplifier for excellent sound quality, minimal distortion and efficient power handling.
DVD/CD Player
Supertuner IIID advanced analog and digital processing assure superior imaging, less distortion and noise, and stronger, smoother broadcast signal reception.
AUX input to easier plug in your portable media devices
Back-Up Camera Ready

The Last Word in Navigation The line of AVIC-Z products have long been considered the last word in navigation, and this year, the AVIC-Z120BT stays true to its Pioneer heritage with its high performance features. Out of the box, this systemoffers a comprehensive map database from Tele Atlas, covering the entire United States, Canada, Alaska and Hawaii, enabling users to route to millions of destinations including more than 12 million points of interest (POIs). The built-in Text-to-Speech engine clearly pronounces turn-by-turn direction and street names to ensure smooth travels. The AVIC-Z120BT also offers a wide variety of map views tailored to different driving experiences. For example, "Rear View" allows you to watch your cargo in tow with your optional back-up camera while simultaneously being able to view the map. High-resolution 2D and 3D maps provide renderings of nearby landmarks and terrain to help you navigate the world around you. The Z's high-powered graphics processor and precision-guided GPS sensor deliver stunningly detailed mapping with amazing accuracy. Pioneer's AVIC-Z120BT takes convenience to the next level with voice-activated navigation. You can simply input an address by voice or find a place to re-fuel by saying, "Find the nearest gas station" or "Find the nearest McDonalds"

Enjoy All Kinds of Media Built to navigate, but born to entertain, the AVIC-Z120BT offers audio and video playback from the most popular formats. Whether you're watching DivX files on DVD, H.264 video on SD card or iTunes AAC files on CD, there are dozens of playback options for your favorite media. You will also appreciate the Z's ability to simultaneously entertain your front and back seat passengers with two different audio and video sources using Dual Zone functionality. You can also access your favorite Pandora stations through your iPhone.

Ditch the Headset With Built-in Bluetooth Take incoming calls through the AVIC-Z120BT, and be heard clearly without a headset courtesy of Bluetooth technology. Connecting your compatible phone is easy and gives you instant touch screen access to your contacts. You can also dial a contact with the sound of your voice by simply saying "Call Jack Smith."

Your iPod (and iPhone) Will Thank You On top of being an exceptional navigator, the AVIC-Z series delivers an iPod experience that blows away FM transmitters or cassette adaptors. Even at the first glance, you will fall in love with the easy-to-use touch screen controls for your music and brilliant 7-inch display for your videos. Album art is also beautifully displayed. With the optional cable (CD-IU50V) connected to your iPod, you will notice how easily you can find songs, videos, artists, or playlists with a few simple taps of your finger. Pioneer has also created powerful searching tools such as Link Play and Alphabet Search to help you find content faster. The AVIC-Z120BT also features voice-activated control of your iPod. Simply say the name of an artist, album, playlist, or genre to bring up the next song.

Customize and Colorize This all-new AVIC-Z120BT features a revolutionary touch screen interface that let's you build your own home screen with the navigation, multi-media and Bluetooth functions that your use most. Simply drag and drop a function's icon in the menu to create up to 15 shortcuts within your home screen. You can further customize the navigation receiver by adjusting button illumination color to match the interior of your car, or by uploading your own boot-up screen photo.

The Freedom of Speech Navigation functions, iPod audio control and hands-free Bluetooth calling can all be controlled with the sound of your voice. Voice-activated control over your navigation system not only performs in-car tasks with greater speed, but helps you keep your eyes (and attention) on the road ahead.

MusicSphere Pioneer's new MusicSphere for the AVIC-Z120BT allows you to easily create instant playlists from the music in your iTunes library. MusicSphere uses an advanced plug-in that works with iTunes to intelligently construct playlists from your massive music collection by analyzing attributes such as feeling (bright, energetic, gloomy, relaxing calm), rhythm pattern, Beats Per Minute (BPM), and more. Playlists are stored on your iPod or iPhone and accessed through the AVIC-Z120BT's MusicSphere interface.

ECO Features For eco-friendly consumers, the system also features the second generation ECO Driving function with new features that provide driving status reports and the driver's impact on the environment with visual images on-screen. Through Pioneer's proprietary AVIC FEEDS PC software, the unit can estimate the fuel cost of trip routes as well as the vehicle's CO2 emissions through detailed Drive Reports. Through a proprietary fuel consumption algorithm, AVIC FEEDS can also log and archive driving data and analyze driving habits to generate various reports with suggestions to improve fuel efficiency.

ECO Graph New to this generation of eco-conscious features, the ECO Graph feature provides a view in addition to 2D and 3D, which divides the map view screen with a new graph to provide drivers with a visual representation of their environmental impact. Additionally, when a route is set, the unit will calculate a Drive Score based on driving efficiency which factors abrupt stops and accelerations and idle time.

HD/SAT Radio Ready The AVIC-Z120BT gives you plenty of room to expand your broadcast options. With optional tuners, experience the vast channel selection of XM Sirius Satellite Radio and HD Radio.

What's in the Box AVIC-Z120BT Main Unit, Installation Hardware, User's Manual

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Western Digital WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player Review

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(More customer reviews)After much anticipation, WDTV Live is finally here! I'll get right to the point, because I know there are a lot of questions from current Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player owners and those sitting on the fence about the capabilities of the Live in comparison to other media players on the market. I also considered the ASUS O!Play ($99) while waiting for the Live's release or the Seagate FreeAgent Theater+HD ($135). The WDTV is a proven quantity and for the Live, I had high expectations.
Cosmetically, not much has changed. Not even the box. The Live is nearly identical to the WDTV except in color, being matte grey instead of shiny piano black. Ease of setup and usage carries over from its forebear, so WDTV users will be right at home with the Live's interface and settings. At the rear, the ports have been slightly rearranged to make room for a LAN port and component out. HDMI is now 1.3 instead of 1.2, capable of a color depth of 12 bits per pixel. Batteries are included in the box, as are component and composite cables, but bring your own HDMI or LAN cable.
Building on the strengths of the original (and successful) WDTV, WD has made an already excellent player even better. They listened to users and addressed two of the biggest complaints of the WDTV, namely: lack of network connectivity and lack of DTS down-mixing.
I am pleased to report that on these two counts, the Live is a winner, packaged inside the same compact form factor as its predecessor and sold at a very reasonable price. The most exciting thing is network connectivity because the Live can be made wireless!
1) Network connectivity: out of the box, the Live connects via CAT-5. I have no interest in connecting USB hard drives to the Live because it limits my mobility. I have 2 NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices (D-Link DNS321 2-Bay SATA, RAID 0/1 Gigabit Ethernet Port Network Storage Enclosure and D-Link 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure) and have been streaming movies wirelessly to my PlayStation 3, but I don't like the PS3's lack of MKV support and wasteful energy consumption. My PS3 can now go back to being a dedicated game and Blu-ray machine.
I was surprised to discover that my AirLink 101 AWLL6070 150Mbps 802.11n Wireless LAN USB 2.0 Adapter (purchased for a failed WDTV networking hack attempt) worked. I plugged it in, changed the Live's setting to wireless and it saw my wireless network with no fuss. I really have to hand it to WD for making the device open-ended, unlike the NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Live (Black) (which I tested and returned), which requires a proprietary $40 Netgear dongle. Other dongles will work too with the Live, and WD has a forum listing them.
2) DTS down-mixing: this was another shortcoming of the original WDTV. The Live down-mixes DTS to 2.0 so you don't need to slave it to an audio receiver anymore. Many of my MKV's are encoded with DTS, so this is another huge improvement. DTS Master Audio does not seem to be supported, but I am not very concerned as DTS MA is rarely encountered in the wild (though that may change in the future). All my files are MP3, AAC, AC3, or DTS audio streams, which all work on the Live. Many of the tested MKVs have multiple audio streams for different language tracks. You can also mux additional tracks and subtitles into the MKV file with the free and awesome mkvmerge GUI program. Subtitle files can be downloaded from sites like DivxStation.
DTS downmixing means now I can take a portable drive of movies over to a friend's house and not worry about compatibility, greatly increasing the versatility and value of the Live. The inclusion of both component and composite outs removes the worry about older TV's. And like the WDTV, the Live will downsample to standard def for non-HDTV's. However, if you have an HDTV and an AVR, you'll want to use them for maximum enjoyment.
But the most biggest selling point for me is wireless. After discovering WiFi connectivity, I lost all interest in using the Live as a wired device. With just $20 (cost of AirLink), I now have a wireless player that easily out-competes more expensive ones like the Popcorn Hour A-110 HD Networked Media Tank (EU), and can enjoy the freedom and convenience of putting this player anywhere in my house. I don't have messy and dangerous wires all the floor to trip over (I killed a 1 TB hard drive full of movies this way) and I don't need an audio receiver. All the 720p/1080i/p videos I had on my NAS played perfectly with the except of one 1080p .mp4 which had intermittent hiccups every minute or so.
The Live saw each device 2x on the menu, as a media share and a network share. With media share, the files are divided into 3 categories: video, photos, music. Only some of my movies showed up (WMV, MP4, AVI, TS), no MKV's. With network share, all the files are listed. This is the listing option to use if you have a NAS.
3) Additionally, third complaint on the WDTV was lack of support for 1080p24. This format now plays. VOB is now also supported, for those of you who make DVD archives.
USABILITY:
The WDTV had the most attractive and usable interface of any of the 10+ media players I tested over the years, and WD didn't mess with a winning formula. Graphically, the Live retains the blue cool-toned look and easy-to-use navigation of the WDTV. It adds a third listing option, Preview mode. Movies will now start playing in a smaller window on the right if you pause over the title for a second or two (with audio). Every movie I tested plays in preview. The remote control is the same as the WDTV. Navigation long directories is still somewhat of a pain because of no Page Up/Page Down button, but if you hold the up or down button down, it'll scroll by a page at a time after a second or two. Commands are fast and responsive. No spinning dials that plague the Netgear Live Entertainer.
For rewinding, the preview sometimes does not match the time-code. The timer was counting down, but the screen showed video from the opposite direction. If you stop rewinding and resume again, it'll show the proper preview. This is a small nuisance that I hope WD fixes soon in a firmware update.
Subtitle support via embedded or external still works great for Western and non-Western character sets because of Unicode. Embedded subs are pre-tagged with the language code, so the device will display "Subtitle 1/3 - English". For external .srt files, I discovered that if I name them the same as the movie and include a dash, then the language (e.g. "MOVIENAME - ENG.srt"), the WD will display the part after the dash as the language name.
INTERNET STREAMING:
For YouTube, the videos looked really good. The Live will select HD streams if available. I was surprised at the video quality of some of the ones I loaded, particularly one music video. Startup was fast, if not instantaneous, and I did not notice a buffering delay. Currently, YouTube is the only site supported, and searching is only in Western characters. The onscreen keyboard is arranged in row, A-Z, with 0-9 at the bottom. (Plugging in a USB keyboard did nothing.) I'm hoping for Hulu, Vimeo, and more in the future, like a WDTV Live Channels Guide or something like that, organized by interests (sports, history, science, news, etc), or regions of the world. It would be a very useful feature for people like my dad, who doesn't know how to use the web and he'd be able to watch shows from other parts of the world. Maybe in a future firmware update.
I didn't test Pandora or Live365 (internet radio) because I'm not interested in listening to radio/music out of my TV. Noticeably missing is NetFlix support, a feature prominent on some networked media players, Blu-ray players, and gaming platforms (Xbox 360), though word is that WD is at work on an update.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Next on my wishlist is RMVB support. This is the last thing missing from the long list of supported formats, because then I can throw out the really crappy RMVB player I have. Sadly, it seems to be hardware related and cannot be added with a firmware refresh.
Lastly, if the Live came in new colors like fire engine red like the Western Digital My Passport Essential 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive WDMER3200TN (Real Red), or banana yellow, that'd be hot. I don't particularly care for the Live's matte grey exterior and prefer the glossy finish of the WDTV. It's not solid grey. It's sparkly like glitter, a rather odd choice for a finish.
To sum up, this is the device you've been waiting for! It is a great little player for the price. It now does everything I want it to (minus RMVB playback) and is truly the versatile and unfettered player that I have been hoping for. As a gadgets guy and early adopter, I wasted several hundreds of dollars testing out disappointing players and can say definitely that WD makes one of the best players on the market.
UPDATE 1: 10/24/09:
1. I logged into Pandora and it worked...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Western Digital WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player

The WD TV Live HD Media Player from Western Digital has everything you need to play your HD media collection and the fun stuff you find on the web in brilliant HD 1080p on your big screen HDTV. Because it supports a wide variety of file types, you can instantly enjoy all your home digital media, regardless of the file format. Plus you get direct access to a huge selection of video, photos, and music from popular internet sites like YouTube, Flickr, Live 365, and Pandora (U.S. only) right from the beautifully easy WDTV navigation screen. The WD TV Live HD media player is exceptionally easy to use so anyone in the family can do it and, because it's networked, you can easily access media from any PC in the home. Compatibility; HDMI, Full HD (1080p), AAC, MP3, JPEG, USB 2.0, H.264, SimplayHD, Energy Star, Dolby Digital, DTS, DLNA, Bonjour, AVCHD, Windows Vista. Box contains; Media Player, Compact remote with batteries, Composite AV cable, Component AV cable, AC adapter, CD with sample media, Quick Install Guide.

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Patriot Box Office 1080p High-Definition Media Player PCMPBO25 (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The unit arrived today, and I tested it for several hours so far. It's hooked up to a secondary bedroom 32" Sony LCD via HDMI (cable included). Other included items are : remote w/batteries, wall wart adapter, cheap composite cables. The wireless LAN USB dongle came included as part of the promo in a separate package, inserted either in the front or back full sized USB port.
I have yet to RTFM which is found on a CD, so any missteps or errors on my part may have been avoided had I done so. It offers a ton of features with the price point just right.
Right then, my main use of this MP is to stream video from a networked media center separate from my home theater. I did test direct playback from a portable HD, in this case a WD Passport powered directly via USB. Playback proved flawless of any content I had. Mostly this consisted of mkv container files of 720 & 1080p content. Audio codecs included AC3 and DTS with no discernible difficulty. I was unable to play some archived .iso files, but playback of these were never confirmed on other machines.
The image quality almost rivals my dedicated HTPC (albeit its hooked to a much better TV). The Patriot defaults to an "Auto" noise reduction (NR)function which I left on. Fast panned and action shots displayed smoothly. On the setup screen you can specify TV resolution up to 1080p with or without 24HZ playback. As is the case with stand alone MPs, it does not recognize an attached CDROM.
Audio remained synced with video from mkv containers as well as other files. Pause/play response was quick.
After testing direct playback from USB drive I set up the wireless. It recognized my network, and prompts for ID/PW which you type in via a displayed virtual keyboard, after which it stores (if you so chose) the info. I had trouble logging on to a Windows 7 PC (would not accept info) but had no issues with an XP PC and separate networked drives, including shared CDROM drive. I had no trouble with UPNP setup. Streaming audio and all the usual video formats worked perfectly.
Toggling through the shared content on different PCs was quick and I had no difficulty in accessing the media. Note this is wireless G, not N, so connection speed varies. Best I could achieve in continuously smooth playback was 720p content. It struggled a bit with DTS audio but this mostly depended on the source material. At these times intermittent desync of audio became briefly noticible . 1080p playback proved inconsistent and not advised wirelessly. If this is important to you then running a CAT5 directly may do the trick- I haven't tested it on the Patriot.
Standard DVD play just fine via wireless. Just identify the .ifo and press play. All standard DVD functions including menu navigation work as normally would with any DVD remote.
The remote is decent with all commonly used functions readily available. The response however is inconsistent, sometimes it requires several presses to work a function especially during playback at which time lag is horrendous. Its range is semi decent and has little room for off axis recognition. I like the zoom function up to 8x as I recall-which really showcases the auto digital NR- really great quality. Comes in handy for some 4:3 or 2.35:1 formats if you prefer 16x9 viewing.
Maybe discrete codes are available to program into a universal remote. As far as the quality it's decent enough.
Other features: excellent subtitle handling (Unicode UTF8, and several languages). Adjustable font size, color and screen placement all easily accessible.Build quality is acceptable, light metal not plastic. The price imo is worth the quality and features it offers. Comparing it to the Seagate Theater which I returned to a box store recently, the Patriot's playback quality is noticibly superior which, in the end, is what matters.
So in conclusion, I can see myself using the bedroom TV more and more considering the versatility and quality of playback. The wireless capability does leave room for improvement- as time passes I may decide to extend a direct ethernet to the Patriot if it's worth it and I can't tweak my wireless setup to satisfaction. Also annoying was the occasional slow and inconsistent response of the remote during playback, including FF/Rew and other buttons. With the unit on, some may find the slightly audible hum distracting, but that's subjective. I also have to figure out accessing the Windows 7 PC.
****UPDATE:*****
The unit continues to work great. Since my initial review, I've updated the firmware several times with the benefit (among others) that now external DVD/CDROM drives are recognized via USB. Also, the remote seems much more responsive.


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Patriot Box Office High Definition Media Player is an All-In-One Media Player which supports 1080p playback from various files sources such as VOB, H. 264, ISO, WAV, etc.

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LG AN-WL100W Wireless Media Kit Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased the LG 60pk750 a few weeks ago and love it. I have it wall mounted in a location which is VERY difficult to run wires to. Until now, I have had it temporarily hardwired to my DVR with exposed cable until I found a better way. Enter the "LG AN-WL100W Wireless Media Kit". I was skeptical about wireless HD, but decided to give it a try after reading the small amount of online reviews. Really not much info available about this product, but did find useful info at Crutchfield and home theater magazine. I hope that this review informs people about this product better.
Functionality:
Before I mounted my TV back on the wall, I decided to test the results through the AN-WL100W (smart, huh). I was actually very surprised... the picture was really good. I watched Discovery HD for a while, flipping between hardwired and wireless and saw NO difference. At times I thought I saw picture degradation, but I would flip back to the hardwired and realized that the source was the problem (broadcast HD is hit or miss). Don't have my Bluray yet, so this is the best reference I had. Sound was never a problem, though I was just using the TVs tiny speakers- I can say that it sounded just like the hardwired. For this test, the head unit was about 4 feet away, directly behind the TV, behind a wall in my garage(drywall-studs-plywood-drywall).
Later, I mounted my TV with the wireless dongle connected and in place, and put the headunit where I planned to keep it, in a AV closet approximately 10 feet from the center of the TV, to the right front of the TV. This time I could not get sufficient signal strength to get picture. I could not believe it! The total distance from the headunit to the dongle was about 12 feet- line-of-sight obstacles were a regular interior wall (drywall,studs,drywall), and the TV itself (since the dongle is mounted on the back). The screen would show that it saw the headunit and was tryng to establish picture, but signal strength was too low.
Form:
The product itself is really nice looking- no question. However, I have a huge issue with the dongle size and installation. The dongle is TOO BIG. The AN-WL100W was custom designed for these LG TVs, yet they still managed to allow the dongle to be the tallest protrusion on the back of the set! WTH?!? This is a problem if you are wall-mounting (why else would you buy this product if you were using a stand on a cabinet?). Similarly, the HDMI and control cables which plug into the back of the TV are not designed with 90 angles, so they get all bent and crimped up against the wall too. With so much design going into the electronics of the AN-WL100W, it simply blows my mind that they didn't make wall-mounting a slam-dunk by making the dongle just a bit thinner and supplying cables with 90 bends!
Summary:
I was hoping that going wireless (and paying $300) would simplify my location situation. I also liked the fact that it had nice IR repeaters and integrated switching controlled by the TV. The signal quality was good at very short ranges, but was useless at about 12 feet with a reasonable obstruction. I don't know how practical this is, because I think most people shelling out $300 for this are buying it because they might have an obstruction or distance situation. I would have kept fiddling with it if it hadn't been for the wall-mounting issues mentioned earlier. This sealed the deal for me to return it.


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Let LG's Wireless Media Kit set your TV free from connection clutter! The kit sends a full HD 1080p signal to a compatible LG TV from across the room.

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