WDTV Live Alternatives

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#1280296 10-Apr-2015 10:24

If it wasn't for Netflix and streaming required a R.Pi will play most media types. The original version stutters occasionally on 1080p but the new model should handle it with ease. You can set up Netflix on it but it may required a PC as a proxy, so it's probably not the best choice, but it's really cheap.

iamian

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#1280307 10-Apr-2015 10:30

garvani: Another wdtv, you must be kidding. AFTV is a far superior device and does everything he needs. Since searching didn't happen ill provide the link to the guide that allows you to root the device then install stickmount that will allow access to the 1.5tb of storage through the usb port.

Btw that guide will look daunting! but its very well laid out and following it step by step will only take an hour at most.

Thanks for the info! Looks like this is the way to go... Is there anything I can do if it ships with newer firmware that is 'unrootable' (according to the guide)?

robjg63

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#1280311 10-Apr-2015 10:34

garvani: Another wdtv, you must be kidding. AFTV is a far superior device and does everything he needs. Since searching didn't happen ill provide the link to the guide that allows you to root the device then install stickmount that will allow access to the 1.5tb of storage through the usb port.

Btw that guide will look daunting! but its very well laid out and following it step by step will only take an hour at most.

The AFTV is a great device alright, but I gather only the units with a (now) quite old firmware could potentially be rooted (provided you blocked the amazon site on your network before connecting it the first time).
The http://www.aftvnews.com/ site pretty much seemed to think you would have no chance of picking one up now.
Amazon wont be holding lots of very old units in stock - they will have pretty recent firmware installed I reckon.

BTW - You dont need to root them to install KODI/XBMC.

But the problem is the OP wants a box he can hook up to USB hard drive and playback locally.

I guess you have tried reflashing/resetting the WDTV back to factory defaults? (you do mention something like that).
Do you have the latest firmware?
Can you install older firmware - maybe there is a bug in the latest version?
I see mention that the youtube app on the WDTV is a memory leaker which causes everything to start crawling. The only solution to this seems to be to power the unit off for a few seconds and restart.

Is there a custom firmware that you can install?
Obviously some risk of bricking the device - but might breath life back into the WDTV.
Have a look here:
http://www.wdtvforums.com/

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

iamian

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#1280321 10-Apr-2015 10:43

robjg63:
garvani: Another wdtv, you must be kidding. AFTV is a far superior device and does everything he needs. Since searching didn't happen ill provide the link to the guide that allows you to root the device then install stickmount that will allow access to the 1.5tb of storage through the usb port.

Btw that guide will look daunting! but its very well laid out and following it step by step will only take an hour at most.

The AFTV is a great device alright, but I gather only the units with a (now) quite old firmware could potentially be rooted (provided you blocked the amazon site on your network before connecting it the first time).
The http://www.aftvnews.com/ site pretty much seemed to think you would have no chance of picking one up now.
Amazon wont be holding lots of very old units in stock - they will have pretty recent firmware installed I reckon.

BTW - You dont need to root them to install KODI/XBMC.

But the problem is the OP wants a box he can hook up to USB hard drive and playback locally.

I guess you have tried reflashing/resetting the WDTV back to factory defaults? (you do mention something like that).
Do you have the latest firmware?
Can you install older firmware - maybe there is a bug in the latest version?
I see mention that the youtube app on the WDTV is a memory leaker which causes everything to start crawling. The only solution to this seems to be to power the unit off for a few seconds and restart.

Is there a custom firmware that you can install?
Obviously some risk of bricking the device - but might breath life back into the WDTV.
Have a look here:
http://www.wdtvforums.com/

Yeah I've tried rolling back the firmware, resetting etc, sometimes it works for an hour or so then back the the slowness.

Would the AFTV work with the media on a network drive?

Thanks for all your input so far guys.

robjg63

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#1280328 10-Apr-2015 10:55

I have an unrooted ATFV and have installed KODI on it - its pretty simple to do this.
I have a folder on my main PC that has all my media stuff and I have this shared on my home network.

All I had to do was add a link under KODI to the network folder.
Now I start my AFTV, start KODI, navigate to the network folder share (a couple of clicks) and there is all is.

I just leave the AFTV hooked up to the lounge TV.

If you had a network drive shared on device in your house then the other laptop users should just be able to access the share directly - they wouldnt need any extra devices provided they can play the files.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

garvani

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#1280336 10-Apr-2015 11:04

You might be better off hitting up ebay for a new amazon fire, chances of getting an older model on there. If you were to get a newer model firmware i would sit on it, block the updates as noted. They are finding new exploits all the time and just because right now its not rootable doesnt mean in a few months it wont be.

Theres always plugging it into your routers usb port and accessing through a network share similar to what you did with the wdtv as a failover. With everything hardwired this shouldn't be an issue.

iamian

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#1280345 10-Apr-2015 11:17

robjg63: I have an unrooted ATFV and have installed KODI on it - its pretty simple to do this.
I have a folder on my main PC that has all my media stuff and I have this shared on my home network.

All I had to do was add a link under KODI to the network folder.
Now I start my AFTV, start KODI, navigate to the network folder share (a couple of clicks) and there is all is.

I just leave the AFTV hooked up to the lounge TV.

If you had a network drive shared on device in your house then the other laptop users should just be able to access the share directly - they wouldn't need any extra devices provided they can play the files.

Awesome - thanks again.

This sounds good, the only drawback seems to be that my 5 year old can currently find his own stuff on the WDTV live, but I'm sure he'd learn how to get to the right folder in KODI pretty quickly!

It's even under the customs threshold so I won't have to spend a week arguing with NZ customs and Fedex to get it to me! (like I have been doing with something else this week!)

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

StarBlazer

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#1280346 10-Apr-2015 11:18

Will the AFTV connect to a NAS (I know KODI can through NFS and Samba on a Pi)? If so, perhaps the OP should think of that as a better method of using and storing data for all the devices to use - also that may be enough for me to buy an AFTV too! I've been thinking about it for a while.

Procrastination eventually pays off.

garvani

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#1280349 10-Apr-2015 11:20

iamian:
This sounds good, the only drawback seems to be that my 5 year old can currently find his own stuff on the WDTV live, but I'm sure he'd learn how to get to the right folder in KODI pretty quickly!

Almost certain the default theme for kodi allows you to create shortcuts for anything on the home screen, wouldn't be an issue to create a smart playlist and then put a link to said playlist on the main screen, then its just a 1 click.

IF the default skin doesnt then there are plenty out there that do.

garvani

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#1280351 10-Apr-2015 11:22

StarBlazer: Will the AFTV connect to a NAS (I know KODI can through NFS and Samba on a Pi)? If so, perhaps the OP should think of that as a better method of using and storing data for all the devices to use - also that may be enough for me to buy an AFTV too! I've been thinking about it for a while.

No problem at all, have a lot of content on my Asustor and theres no issue there at all. 20gb "files" stream fine.

robjg63

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#1280354 10-Apr-2015 11:26

StarBlazer: Will the AFTV connect to a NAS (I know KODI can through NFS and Samba on a Pi)? If so, perhaps the OP should think of that as a better method of using and storing data for all the devices to use - also that may be enough for me to buy an AFTV too! I've been thinking about it for a while.

Well KODI on my AFTV connects to my windows PC using a samba share (Think NFS and FTP are supported as well) - so cant see why you would have a problem with a NAS.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

trig42

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#1280355 10-Apr-2015 11:27

If you have your media on a network drive already (assuming not a NAS), then the easiest way is to setup Plex Media server on the computer the media is on, and download the Plex App for the FireTV, Soo easy to use (5yo friendly). Can also then use Plex on other networked devices (tablets, laptops, (Samsung) Smart TVs).

iamian

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#1280375 10-Apr-2015 11:51

The media at the minute is just on 2 hard drives connected to the WDTV, and that turns it into a network drive. Looks like changing this so they are connected to the modem/router and then getting the Fire TV is the way to go.

Thanks!

robjg63

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#1280402 10-Apr-2015 12:35

iamian: The media at the minute is just on 2 hard drives connected to the WDTV, and that turns it into a network drive. Looks like changing this so they are connected to the modem/router and then getting the Fire TV is the way to go.

Thanks!

Might be worth polling geekzone as to how well those modems are as a network share.
I believe most routers dont have particularly high speed sharing - may be a bottleneck for you.

https://community.vodafone.co.nz/t5/Modems-home-Wi-Fi/hg556a-router-usb-hdd-slow-transfer-speeds/td-p/80463

Might not be fast enough for you to successfully stream the media you want.
You dont have a cheap old basic PC anywhere in the house that you could leave turned on and hooked up to your router?

EDIT: Actually - maybe this is what you want to do:
http://blog.jdpfu.com/2011/02/10/very-cheap-nas-wd-tv-hd-live
It looks like you can potentially set the current WDTV to be a DIY NAS. So you could hook it into your router with an ethernet cable, hook your USB hard drives up to it and with a bit of fiddling you should have some shares that can be accessed on your network.
As it would simply be a NAS you wouldnt be accessing it via a menu or anything - might work ok?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Glassboy

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#1280787 10-Apr-2015 21:05

Get a Roku 3, and register it to a UK address.

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