Western Digital has released the latest product in their WD TV line, the Live Hub media center. Live Hub is highlighted by a 1TB internal hard drive for storage and full HD 1080p HDMI output. In addition to playing local or networked content, the Live Hub also offers access to online services like Blockbuster On Demand, Netflix, Pandora and Facebook.
Western Digital has released the latest product in their WD TV line, the Live Hub media center. Live Hub is highlighted by a 1TB internal hard drive for storage and full HD 1080p HDMI output. In addition to playing local or networked content, the Live Hub also offers access to online services like Blockbuster On Demand, Netflix, Pandora and Facebook.
The WD TV Live Hub is interesting in that it blends together typical media streamer features with the inclusion of local storage, integrating some aspects of a small home NAS. Content may be transferred to Live Hub over the network (WiFi via not-included adapter) or directly via external hard drive, USB drive or from video and digital cameras connected over USB. The device is DLNA compliant, making it easy to stream to or from other DLNA devices on the network.
The Live Hub is also highlighted by its online services, the Facebook integration may be one of the more robust for a device of this nature. Users can leverage the device to upload photos and videos, manage their status, and view their personal wall and newsfeed through a simple interface. The other online services available at launch include: Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, Pandora, Blockbuster On Demand, AccuWeather, and MediaFly daily video podcasts from CNN, NBC, MTV and ESPN.
Other features include HDMI 1.4, composite video, component audio, automatic sync of shared digital media folders from PCs and Macs on the network, customizable user interface, programmable remote, two USB ports and one-year warranty.
Supported file formats include:
- Video – AVI (Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), MPG/ MPEG, VOB, MKV (H.264, x.264, AVC, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1), TS/TP/M2T (MPEG1/2/4, AVC, VC-1), MP4/MOV (MPEG4, h.264), M2TS, WMV9
- Photo – JPEG, GIF, TIFF, BMP, PNG
- Audio – MP3, WAV/PCM/LPCM, WMA/WMA Pro, AAC, FLAC, MKA, AIF/AIFF, OGG, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS
- Playlist – PLS, M3U, WPL
- Subtitle – SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB, SMI
Availability
The WD TV Live Hub media center is available now exclusively at Best Buy and at WD’s online store for an MSRP of $199.99.
Update – WD TV Live Hub Review Posted
