X

WD TV Live (2011) photos

The WD TV Live (2011) offers a solid combination of must-have streaming services and excellent USB and network file support, making it one of the best devices of its kind available for under $100.

Ty Pendlebury
Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Ty Pendlebury
35026900_OVR.png
1 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Overview

Following the success of the WD TV Live Hub, Western Digital has now introduced the diskless version in the new WD TV Live (2011). The new Live adds a couple more killer features, namely built-in Wi-Fi and support for the Spotify music-streaming service, to the already long list of services and file formats handled by its predecessors. And all for only $99--the same price as the Roku XS, the Apple TV, and the Logitech Revue (Google TV). It has one of the prettiest interfaces of all the streamers, even if it can be hard to use at times, but its main appeal over those other devices is its broad file support, an extra that should appeal mainly to people who make heavy use of downloaded video files. The only thing we wish for, aside from Amazon and Vudu support, is an App controller. The WD TV Live isn't yet the ultimate streaming device, but it comes pretty close.

Read the full review of the WD TV Live.

35026900_BK.JPG
2 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Front view

The WD TV Live features a front-mounted USB port for easy connection of external hard-drives and USB keys.
35026900_BK2.JPG
3 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Connectivity

Left to right: power, optical digital, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, second USB, and AV breakout.
35026900_RMT.JPG
4 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Remote

The remote is decently ergonomic, but the buttons are very spongy.
35026900_SD.JPG
5 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Side view

35026900_DT2.JPG
6 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

The Mochi interface

35026900_DT.JPG
7 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Mochi settings screen

35026900_DT3.JPG
8 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Services

Highlights include Netflix, Spotify, Facebook, Hulu Plus, and YouTube.
35026900_DT4.JPG
9 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Spotify interface

The Spotify interface isn't as comprehensive as the desktop version.
35026900_DT6.JPG
10 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

Spotify player

35026900_DT5.JPG
11 of 11 Sarah Tew/CNET

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos