Does the WDTV Live Plus HD Media Player work with Mac?

[VoodooDaddy]

Ive seen a few people here talk about this and Ive looked at it several times but I dont know what to do. I generally stream content to my Xbox with connect360 but alot of times the video stutters and freezes. I think because the Xbox is old, as in launch day old. Or maybe it just cant decode some of the higher bitrate stuff Im trying to stream fast enough. Some things play fine, others freeze every few minutes and its annoying.

So been looking at this WD box. I know they have a non-network version where you can hook up an external hard drive, but I prefer the Live Plus box with wireless built in. However, I have no idea how this works or if it works with Mac.

Was at Best Buy last weekend, explained to the sales guy what I wanted to do, he gets the "apple expert" over for me to talk to. He had no idea so he opened the box, took out the install disc and mounted it onto one of the Macs there. Nothing. The disc shows up, but there is no install app of any kind. So he takes it out, puts into a PC and sure enough, the disc wants to run the setup.

So the question is, how does the box, when connected to the tv, interface with the Mac?

 

[maestrokev]

I have the WDTV Live and it connects over my ethernet network to my Video shares on my Mac Pro. I just choose which folders I want to share out and create a username/password for the WDTV to use. Easy.

 

[nobunaga209]

For some strange reason I can never seem to get mine to work. My MacBook Pro sees the WDTV Live but when I try and connect it nada.

 

[maestrokev]

For some strange reason I can never seem to get mine to work. My MacBook Pro sees the WDTV Live but when I try and connect it nada.

Did you create an account on your Mac for the WDTV to use for logon? Share out the folders where your media is stored? Enable share files and folders using SMB?

Make sure you clear the network logon info in your WDTV and choose not to save password (for the first time) so it will prompt you to enter the username/password for your Mac.

Before I had tried those options my WDTV wouldn't see anything inside my folders, but once you've set up networking properly it works every time.

 

[susannab]

How do I connect my mac to my tv?

hey all,
i have a mini dvi to dvi adapter and an hdmi to dvi cable and the audio cables as well. however, once the mac is connected to the tv (i have a vizio flat screen) i can only see the desktop picture, nothing else. no mouse, or anything else that's on my screen. please help.
thanks!

 

[WDTVUser]

Ive seen a few people here talk about this and Ive looked at it several times but I dont know what to do. I generally stream content to my Xbox with connect360 but alot of times the video stutters and freezes. I think because the Xbox is old, as in launch day old. Or maybe it just cant decode some of the higher bitrate stuff Im trying to stream fast enough. Some things play fine, others freeze every few minutes and its annoying.

So been looking at this WD box. I know they have a non-network version where you can hook up an external hard drive, but I prefer the Live Plus box with wireless built in. However, I have no idea how this works or if it works with Mac.

Was at Best Buy last weekend, explained to the sales guy what I wanted to do, he gets the "apple expert" over for me to talk to. He had no idea so he opened the box, took out the install disc and mounted it onto one of the Macs there. Nothing. The disc shows up, but there is no install app of any kind. So he takes it out, puts into a PC and sure enough, the disc wants to run the setup.

So the question is, how does the box, when connected to the tv, interface with the Mac?

One very easy way to resolve that is to install a UPnP server on your mac. There are a handful ( Twonky, many others). This way WD TV will auto-find your shares (and no user/pass hassle).
You'll also be able to use the dedicated iPhone remote control application (WDTVRemote)

Enjoy the great device!

 

[Gabutto]

My WDTV doesn't find any VIDEOS on my iMac through cable LAN

Did you create an account on your Mac for the WDTV to use for logon? Share out the folders where your media is stored? Enable share files and folders using SMB?

Make sure you clear the network logon info in your WDTV and choose not to save password (for the first time) so it will prompt you to enter the username/password for your Mac.

Before I had tried those options my WDTV wouldn't see anything inside my folders, but once you've set up networking properly it works every time.

Hi,
I got the same problem:
Just bought a WDTV unit and connected it to my iMac 27" through my home LAN.

After WDTV scans for connected servers it says «IMAC8c065» (which I suppose is my iMac, even if I «IMAC8c065» is NOT how I named it). Then it goes and looks for video stored on it, but after few seconds displays: «NO VIDEO IN THIS FOLDER».

First of all, I would object: «On which folder exactly didn't you find any VIDEOS?». But anyway...

In System Preferences > Sharing > File Sharing

I enabled ALL possible intrusions from the Outside World... I mean: there's a OPTION tab where I enabled all this three:

AFB, FTP and SMB are checked.

So, especially MaestroKev, how I actually I «create an account on my Mac for the WDTV to use for logon» ?

And HOW I actually «Share out the folders» where my media is stored?

GUESS: Are you maybe saying that I've to move my videos in the SHARED FOLDER on my Home for WD TV to access them, or is it something a little more tricky?

Really thank you and all from Italy!

 

[maestrokev]

Gabutto, for computer name, check System Preferences, Sharing, click Edit to verify Local Hostname.

To create account name, go to System Preferences, Accounts, then create a account, I called mine "WDTV", give it a simple password that's easy to input on the WDTV settings screen.

Under System Preferences, Sharing, File Sharing, add all the folders that you want the WDTV to see and make sure in the right side "Users" that you've added your WDTV account. You do not have to move any shared folders, you can share ANY folder on your Mac and the WDTV will then be able to access it, as long as your permissions has been set correctly.

This is the trickiest part, then go back to WDTV, clear any network settings, access your folder and the WDTV should prompt for your Mac username/password - use the WDTV account you created to logon.

 

[Gabutto]

Dear Maestrokev,

everything worked CORRECTLY, Thank you!

I mean: WDTV can connect and see my MAC, but it can't play smoothly HI-DEF material via ethernet streaming from my iMac 30 feet far.
For BlueRay or video file size bigger than 4-5 GB I actually have to COPY files on an HD I previously connected to my WDTV.
So, when I decide to watch these kind of files first I copy them (2/3 hours prior play-time), then I play them locally from the USB drive.

But as I saw reading here I don't think this is an easy-to-fix problem. It seems ethernet doesn't support the flow of information needed for playing HD stuff.
But it's fine anyway being able to transfer files from the Mac to the WDTV connected USB drive with no hassle of attacching and detaching cables and stuff.

 

[maestrokev]

Gabutto, sorry for late response.

I assume you're on wired ethernet and not wireless? Ethernet is more than capable of streaming. I had the same problem with jumpy video and it required updating the old firmware that came with my WDTV. There's a new version that has just been released as well. Even with the previous firmware version I had no problems playing 1080p bluray rips in the 10GB range.

Dear Maestrokev,

everything worked CORRECTLY, Thank you!

I mean: WDTV can connect and see my MAC, but it can't play smoothly HI-DEF material via ethernet streaming from my iMac 30 feet far.
For BlueRay or video file size bigger than 4-5 GB I actually have to COPY files on an HD I previously connected to my WDTV.
So, when I decide to watch these kind of files first I copy them (2/3 hours prior play-time), then I play them locally from the USB drive.

But as I saw reading here I don't think this is an easy-to-fix problem. It seems ethernet doesn't support the flow of information needed for playing HD stuff.
But it's fine anyway being able to transfer files from the Mac to the WDTV connected USB drive with no hassle of attacching and detaching cables and stuff.