Product Review: Western Digital USB HD Media Player

Got a broken connector on your media player, where you can no longer hook it up to your TV? Got external storage which you want to view, or listen to your media on your TV, but do not want to use a computer? This is the product for you: the Western Digital USB Multimedia Player! This player will work with any USB storage device, or camcorder, which supports popular video formats. The CD that comes with the unit has conversion software for files that are not compatable, but most likely, the only thing you'll use it for is the instruction manual. This device can be hooked into an HDTV via the HDMI connection (cable NOT included), and can view up to 1080p/60. For those with a regular analog TV, you can use the composite video with the supplied cables. Ease of use is stupid easy. I never used the manual, and figured this thing out. Of course, having a brain fart while doing this review does not help prove that fact. One amazing note is that fast-foward and rewind, unlike most multimedia players of any type, will play all frames of video, even at 4x speed (fastest I took it thus far), without pixelization (that I saw), or skipping prediction frames. Amazing! You can't go wrong, whether you want to view multiple sources of video, or you broke the TV output ability of your device (or lost the video cables), this USB multimedia player is for you.

Retail: $95 to $105, depending on location.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• wd
• western
• digital
• usb
• universal
• serial
• bus
• hd
• high
• definition
• 1080
• 1080p
• multimedia
• multi-media
• multi
• media
• player
• video
• view
• views
• play
• plays
• mp3
• mp3's
• mp4
• mp4's
• audio
• music
• pictures
• photos
• movies

[cherrypopsiclesful]

just put some films on usb and stick it in the box.

[georgef551]

@cherrypopsiclesful

You can't do that, due to copyright law.

However, in this case, it could qualify as "Fair Use", being that it's demonstrating a product.

Better safe than sorry.

[cherrypopsiclesful]

@georgef551 Do you mean, you could, but it's illegal ?

For example if I download the Sopranos, put it in a usb stick, put the usb stick in the box, would they play ?

In theory of course, since that is illegal. But Would it ?

[georgef551]

@cherrypopsiclesful

Yes, they will, provided it's a format it supports. (I never checked to see if there's update patches for newer codecs. I hope there are some.)

What's illegal, is to show it in the review for too long. It is actually illegal to have copies of copies, even for archival reasons. I don't get that part, but I understand distributing them.

[cherrypopsiclesful]

@georgef551 my final question.

how do you switch from the ''media player'' to regular tv, and back again.

when I turn my tv on it goes onto the news channel, how do I switch to this ?

[georgef551]

@cherrypopsiclesful

You'd have to see your TV's manual for that one. Usually, in a general manner, selecting "TV" for your input, or a TV channel, usually reverts back to regular television.

If your cable/sat box not through the antenna input (may also say Cable), you'll have to look it up in the maual, if the input # isn't located next to the inputs anything is on.

[georgef551]

@polaris911

It does seem rather odd, but it's far from the only product that does that.

Might be a standard, for some reason.

[polaris911]

why does the player display file size in kilobytes instead of MB/GB? These are large files.. seems idiotic

[georgef551]

@TheHappyZerg

It's a little glitchy, and there's some spotty brightness differences, but it is a good TV. Oddly, some stations turn the TV off, then it turns back on a few seconds later.

[TheHappyZerg]

We have the same TV. Regonized your TV menu instantly. Love that TV. You can change the input label. (Eg. Instead of input 5 you can change it into PS3. Well thats what I did.) Its such a good TV.