Western Digital TV for network audio streaming

DaveHo

I have a couple of questions for anyone using one. I've looked at the online manual, but it's still not clear. I need it to output via HDMI & the composite analog connection simultaneously so I can feed my receiver an analog signal for Zone 2 purposes. Can it do that? I'm sure the internal DAC is not great, but since it would be for Zone 2 purposes(garage, deck, shop) is it passable? If the analog out is complete garbage, can the HDMI & optical output simultaneously so I could use a DAC to feed analog to the receiver for Zone2?

My intent is to stream music & the occasional photo & video stored on my network. Music consists solely of CDs ripped to FLAC. My receiver is already network capable(Pioneer SC-1523) but does not support playlists or shuffle playback of tracks. I don't want to have to go into the WDTV menus to reconfigure it for Main vs Zone playback which is why I'm interested in having the HDMI & optical or analog output work simultaneously.

-Dave

GospelTruth

I'll check tonight when I get home from work on what can/cannot be done.

DaveHo

That would be great. Thanks!

DaveHo

Nevermind. Bought a Pioneer N-50.

tophatjohnny

man, someone that moves faster than me!!

Nightfall

Can I ask why you chose the Pioneer over the Marantz NA6005?

DaveHo

I looked at the Marantz. The most significant difference is DSD support, but I have no ripped DSD anyway. I don't need wi-fi connectivity or bluetooth, so, it basically came down to price & proven performance. The N-50 has been available for some time & has received high marks for sound quality. But next gen versions are coming, so one can be bought for half of MSRP if you are willing to buy from an unauthorized seller on eBay. The Marantz is fetching MSRP or close everywhere. The Pioneer N-50A is a closer match to the Marantz, but is not available in the US yet, plus it would be more than I'm willing to shell out anyway.

As I mentioned above, I already have the ability to stream from my network via my Pioneer SC-1523K receiver, but that capability is lacking some convenience features that I need. I wanted a low cost solution that would allow me to feed both my main system & zone 2 areas. The N-50 fits that bill in a one box solution & has a reputation for sounding damn good. Plus this will be easy for the wife to operate, so hopefully I can remove the stupid CD changer from the rack.

GospelTruth

Sorry, for the delay.

I see that you already made an alternative choice, and that's fine. I thought I would answer your question anyway so that others would know what to expect from the WD Live player.

It will put out to both the Analog and Digital outputs at the same time from what I can tell. I have it set to Stereo and hooked up via HDMI to my TV and still get the sound. If you want full 5.1, you have to pick either HDMI or Optical. It won't do both digital outputs at the same time.

I didn't know if you were doing video, and that's another issue. But from your choice above, it appears you didn't care about video by going with the pioneer audio device. I do think the WD would have worked for you based on your requirements though. I think it's a great low cost solution but it doesn't have all the features the Pioneer you purchased provides. Specifically, it's lacking a display on the front if you want to run it without a video monitor (which you need to run the WD to see where you are) and Apple Airplay support if you want that. And of course, it looks a whole lot sweeter. You can however control the WD via an apple or google device over the network if you so choose. Good alternative if you want to change the music from another room and don't have a line of sight for the provided remote. I like the WD, and it's an easy interface for my wife to navigate which makes it that much more appealing. Sounds like you'll get a nice interface as well for the wife.

Hope it all works out for you with the new Pioneer. Looks like a nice sexy piece of equipment. It's convenient to be able to rip all your music to FLAC (or whatever format) and ditch the CD player. However, from time to time, I still play a disc every once in awhile just for nostalgia sake.

DaveHo

Thanks for taking the time to write that up. I would still like something for photo & home movie viewing, so I may end up buying the Western Digital as well at some point. Having to author & burn to DVD is time consuming & the Western Digital would give us a way to view that stuff natively from our network.

I still have a disc spinner in the form of a universal player, so I'm not completely out of the physical media game.

GospelTruth

DSkip wrote: »

Do you really need a monitor on for that? On my Amazon Fires, I just hit the home button to refresh the unit and choose a song. I only turn on my projector when I want to watch something or if there is an issue I'm trying to resolve.

I don't know how the Amazon Fire work, but the WD is visual interface so I don't know how I could go and select music without having it connected to some monitor to see what I was doing. The iPhone app that you can use with the WD doesn't have any information on where you are in the navigation. It's more or less a visual depiction of the remote control provided. Not that useful in my opinion unless you want to skip songs or something while in another room via the network. I wish I didn't have to turn on the TV and that I could select music and such from my iPhone. That would be a great additional feature.

GospelTruth

DaveHo wrote: »

Thanks for taking the time to write that up. I would still like something for photo & home movie viewing, so I may end up buying the Western Digital as well at some point. Having to author & burn to DVD is time consuming & the Western Digital would give us a way to view that stuff natively from our network.

I still have a disc spinner in the form of a universal player, so I'm not completely out of the physical media game.

I got it for both music and watching movies (and the occasional photos). Having my movie collection off of the DVDs and on a shared NAS makes it easy to pull up movies on any TV in the house and watch them. No need to go looking, they are all on the server. I think you'll like the convenience of it once you get one for the video portion.

It's a lot different than when I was growing up and dad putting on the home movies with a movie projector or watching family photos on a slide machine.