New Firmware

[CooLIvaN]

April 14
Still waiting.......
Netgear, please hear the voice of you customers!

[jbinkley60]

I never thought I would do this but even though I own many Netgear devices, including 3 NEO550s and an EVA9150, I went out and bought a WD Live box today. I plan to stay with Netgear for a bit but wanted something I could start evaluating, since it doesn't look like the 550 is going to be supported and I don't see a suitable replacement. I like the 550 and with a couple of minor fixes for me (like speeding up DLNA folder browsing on the 550 to match the EVA9150), it could last me for some time. However, over the long run, I'll be forced to look elsewhere due to no roadmap from Netgear either with the 550 or a suitable replacement.

[anakin1138]

Originally Posted by jbinkley60

I never thought I would do this but even though I own many Netgear devices, including 3 NEO550s and an EVA9150, I went out and bought a WD Live box today.

Unfortunately, the WD Live TV box does not play blu-ray isos with menus, only without the menus. That, to me, is the *only* drawback to the box but it is a big one since i have many BR discs.

I did a pretty extensive research long ago to figure out which media player box out there can play most media with full menu support of dvd and blu-ray isos. I found the following for those interested:

OPPO BDP-93 Blu-ray Player
Popcorn Hour C-200
HV339T Media Player
XTREAMER PRO Media Player
AVerMedia ExtremeVision
MyGica V5

The problem was that some of them either didn't come with wifi, were too expensive, didn't tag the media that you played (to identify those that were played and those that didn't) or they play blu-rays in bd-lite mode instead of full menu (like the last two in the list).

[sempur]

But the Neo is having problems with some menus (probably java related), so to be sure you can play the movie, you have to make a movie-only rip. So in the end, the WD Live wins.

[mifronte]

Originally Posted by jbinkley60

I never thought I would do this but even though I own many Netgear devices, including 3 NEO550s and an EVA9150, I went out and bought a WD Live box today. I plan to stay with Netgear for a bit but wanted something I could start evaluating, since it doesn't look like the 550 is going to be supported and I don't see a suitable replacement.

Unless the WD TV Live added support to bitstream DTS-HD MA, I don't see it as a suitable replacement.

[jbinkley60]

This is all why I said I would start evaluating it. I don't do .iso files. I connect via DLNA/uPNP through a Tversity server. Everything on the Tversity server is in m2ts format. The DTS bitstream could be an issue but if it can pass it through to my receiver, I may be fine. I always have the option of re-encoding the audio track on the m2ts files to AC3 but I'd prefer not to.

Worst case I wasted a few bucks and have something to play with and can watch WD make their modifications. The NEO 550 is pretty solid for me. No real issues, just DLNA browsing is slow.

[lesken]

Originally Posted by anakin1138

Unfortunately, the WD Live TV box does not play blu-ray isos with menus, only without the menus. That, to me, is the *only* drawback to the box but it is a big one since i have many BR discs.

I did a pretty extensive research long ago to figure out which media player box out there can play most media with full menu support of dvd and blu-ray isos. I found the following for those interested:

OPPO BDP-93 Blu-ray Player
Popcorn Hour C-200
HV339T Media Player
XTREAMER PRO Media Player
AVerMedia ExtremeVision
MyGica V5

The problem was that some of them either didn't come with wifi, were too expensive, didn't tag the media that you played (to identify those that were played and those that didn't) or they play blu-rays in bd-lite mode instead of full menu (like the last two in the list).

Don't forget the Dune HD products, while a little expensive, they support full ISOs, Blu-Ray menus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio (up to 7.1 channels), and to cap it all, ongoing support and an active wish/feature list.

Oh and BTW, below is a segment of my ongoing discussion with Netgear support on firmware release dates:-

"As requested in your last email dated 4/4/12 to "wait ample time for a response" I think a 2 week wait is more than adequate. I requested a proposed date for the NTV550 firmware update to correct the "identified fixes" that you mentioned. I repeat, my NTV550s are currently not fit for purpose, they have never been released with fully-functioning production firmware. I would have thought that any self-respecting company would feel obliged to provide its customers with valid information and updates to issues with incomplete products.

If this is not the case, and Netgear feels it has no responsibilities in this area, please let me know, I can get my money back, and move on to products that perform as promised and have the full backing of their developers/manufacturers."

Lesken

[meathead88]

Originally Posted by lesken

Don't forget the Dune HD products, while a little expensive, they support full ISOs, Blu-Ray menus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio (up to 7.1 channels), and to cap it all, ongoing support and an active wish/feature list.

Oh and BTW, below is a segment of my ongoing discussion with Netgear support on firmware release dates:-

"As requested in your last email dated 4/4/12 to "wait ample time for a response" I think a 2 week wait is more than adequate. I requested a proposed date for the NTV550 firmware update to correct the "identified fixes" that you mentioned. I repeat, my NTV550s are currently not fit for purpose, they have never been released with fully-functioning production firmware. I would have thought that any self-respecting company would feel obliged to provide its customers with valid information and updates to issues with incomplete products.

If this is not the case, and Netgear feels it has no responsibilities in this area, please let me know, I can get my money back, and move on to products that perform as promised and have the full backing of their developers/manufacturers."

Lesken

Nice! Let us know if you get anywhere. If I could get mey money back for the 2 I have, I would.

[ablevy]

Can any company justify putting resources on a machine they have already described as EOL? Especially when the box is now selling for about $100 and apparently not sold well in the US at least. I would be shocked if Netgear actually lives up to their previous committment, and if they do post an update, it will probably only include bug fixes that they had fixed six months ago. Heck, if I were CEO I would probably du the same.

The sad part is the box is darn close to the best thing on the market if the interface was improved and the known bugs fixed.

The even sadder part is that these boxes are a dying breed. For the most part these services are being incorporated into TV's and DVD players with limited options but suitable for the masses.

Alan

[8bit]

I owned two WDTV Lives and with the B-RAD custom firmware they are pretty good little boxes but yes; they do lack some features and no BD full menu support.

I bought a PCH A-300 and it only supported simple BD ISO menus so I ended up with a Dune HD Smart D1 and it like my Neo 550 handles full menu support without issue.

I hear the PCH C-300 will handle full BD menus but I like the stability of the Dunes. I have no plans to use anything else but Dune's from here on out.

The Neo 550 had so much promise!