Apple TV or WD Live Plus? Input appreciated

[ritmomundo]

As you can tell from the title, I'm trying to decide which to get - the Apple TV (latest gen) or the WD Live Plus. I've read tons of articles online comparing the two, and I feel more torn now than I did before.

Let me tell you my needs:
1) Ability to play existing content from my computer (pictures and videos - including divx, avi, mpegs). I have an iPad and an iPhone, so airplay would be cool, but not a requirement. However, aTV doesnt play divx or avi files natively. I'm not opposed to jb'ing and installing boxee or XBMC or something, but I want it to run smoothly without connection/speed issues. I've read that boxee and xbmc on the aTV can take a long time loading files, which could get incredibly frustrating.
2) Netflix streaming.

Thats about it. I dont plan to rent movies. I dont need hulu/youtube/whatever other media streaming. I just want something to do what I need, and to do it well.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ritmomundo]

After reading some posts from MRoogling, I've come to find that plex/boxee/xbmc can be dodgy at times. Aside from lack of airplay, I think the WD TV Live Plus is probably gonna better fit my needs. Soooo question solved. Thanks MR!

 

[rickvanr]

After reading some posts from MRoogling, I've come to find that plex/boxee/xbmc can be dodgy at times. Aside from lack of airplay, I think the WD TV Live Plus is probably gonna better fit my needs. Soooo question solved. Thanks MR!

I have both. Apple TV is great because it can stream, but jailbreaking is a pain and you're always worrying. A thumb drive is less inconvenient then not always working!

 

[KevinC867]

I have both an AppleTV, and a WDTV Live (not the Plus). They are both great, but the WDTV's ability to play just about any media type really makes it stand out. It's pretty cool to rip a Blu-Ray to a full resolution MKV, then be able to play that 30GB 1080P file directly on the WDTV Live.

Of course, the AppleTV's user interface is much nicer. But if it can't play the file you want, that really doesn't matter.

 

[Che Castro]

Well i have both too and i dont use the wd tv live anymore

Since my apple tv is jailbroken

I use xbmc to play mkv

And icefilms for new movies & shows [streaming megaupload]


So

Jailbroken Atv2 > wd tv live

 

[MikeVarney]

I have both an AppleTV, and a WDTV Live (not the Plus). They are both great, but the WDTV's ability to play just about any media type really makes it really stand out. It's pretty cool to rip a Blu-Ray to a full resolution MKV, then be able to play that 30GB 1080P file directly on the WDTV Live.

Of course, the AppleTV's user interface is much nicer. But if it can't play the file you want, that really doesn't matter.

I agree. I have both as well. I use the ATV on my HDTV, but use the WDTV boxes for everything else. I have 3 WDTV boxes (one of which is the Media Hub which stores all my AVIs) which I watch all my low-quality stuff, and then I have the ATV for the high quality streaming.

 

[ritmomundo]

I have both. Apple TV is great because it can stream, but jailbreaking is a pain and you're always worrying. A thumb drive is less inconvenient then not always working!

Thats what I was worried about really- the jailbreaking process. Im not opposed to jailbreaking, but getting a stable untethered jb after each iOS release takes time and sometimes doesnt work right away (i've spent hours fiddling with the jb process on my iphone when it didnt work right), so I'd rather just avoid that whole mess...

I have both an AppleTV, and a WDTV Live (not the Plus). They are both great, but the WDTV's ability to play just about any media type really makes it really stand out. It's pretty cool to rip a Blu-Ray to a full resolution MKV, then be able to play that 30GB 1080P file directly on the WDTV Live.

Of course, the AppleTV's user interface is much nicer. But if it can't play the file you want, that really doesn't matter.

I think thats my main deciding factor here - being able to play anything without having to install more stuff on it. Visually, aTV looks better, I agree, but I dont mind the WDTV UI either, it still gets the job done.

Well i have both too and i dont use the wd tv live anymore

Since my apple tv is jailbroken

I use xbmc to play mkv

And icefilms for new movies & shows [streaming megaupload]


So

Jailbroken Atv2 > wd tv live

I already pay for satellite, and I won't be getting rid of it, so personally, I dont have the need for streaming shows online. But for those ppl that want to stream new shows/movies, I can see why going the jailbroken aTV route is better. Thanks

I agree. I have both as well. I use the ATV on my HDTV, but use the WDTV boxes for everything else. I have 3 WDTV boxes (one of which is the Media Hub which stores all my AVIs) which I watch all my low-quality stuff, and then I have the ATV for the high quality streaming.

It seems like everyone has both units. Right now, I'll start off with the WDTV live plus, because I think it suits my current needs better than a jailbroken aTV. I guess in the future, if need be, I can add the aTV to my setup as well (right now, the only reason I can think of is airplay, and we'll see what features apple decides to put into future iOS releases).

Thanks for the input guys!