In the past I have dismissed various media players such as the Apple TV with 160GB Hard Drive - MB189LL/A because they either cost as much as a Xbox 360 Arcade or weren't anywhere near as versatile as the PlayStation 3 120 GB. Now there is a viable option that is more versatile than the PS3 (minus the Blu Ray) and costs less than the Xbox 360!
In terms of versatility, this unit excels. It plays media on attached USB drives like the consoles, and like the consoles, it can connect to a DLNA server (such as Tversity). What is unique is the network share support, both in terms of media playback (making media servers someone unneeded if this is your only media player) and in terms of adding any attached USB drives to your network. In terms of codec support, this unit plays just about anything. Where my PS3 could play m2ts files with ac3 (Dolby Digital), this unit can do that as well as play mkv files with either ac3 or DTS (or both since mkv and m2ts files can have multiple audio streams). WMV, mp4, mp3, etc all supported, as are many other formats I don't use (but you may).
The WD TV Live also sports many outputs (though you seem to be able to use just one at a time), including HDMI, component, composite, toslink, and RCA. It's also got 2 USB inputs (supporting optional wireless and drives) and ethernet in. The small unit is about the size of a paperback book and sports enough heft to stay in place (a sometimes overlooked feature). Rounding out the hardware is a mediocre, but functional and responsive remote control. WD says you can use the device with a Harmony.
The software is simple, easy to use, and a bit deliberate in that you must choose your media type (audio, video, or picture, then your source, then browse within. I imagine this would rock if I had many sources, but with one media server, fewer clicks would be a plus. The default thumbnail view may work well with local drives, but using media servers and shares, switching to the list view helped tremendously. While generally responsive, the UI generates some flicker at the bottom of the screen when browsing (using HDMI at 1080p, not sure if all scenarios generate this). Video playback is fine, though some files take a few moments to start up (maybe a tad quicker than Netflix on the 360). The PS3 totally blows the device away in that regard, but otherwise video playback is outstanding. AV is synched, and I've not noticed any hickups even playing 13gb+ 1080p h.264 (profile 4.1) DTS files (over 100mbps ethernet).
All in all, this device is my favorite media player, allowing me to move my PS3 to our other HD TV and retire our 360 from media playback duty (saving it for games). I haven't had a chance to check out the ASUS O!Play - TV HD Media Player (Black), but that may be worth a look (slightly different input and output options, but seemingly as flexible.Get more detail about Western Digital WD TV Live Network-ready HD Media Player WDBAAN0000NBK-NESN.
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