I have been in Cable Internet Hell for about three weeks. The cable company diagnosed the problem as a dead router (symptoms dropped connection, unable to connect, this page unavailable errors, online for 45 minutes with no problem, other times only online for 20 minutes and then unable to reconnect. Using the Repair Connection feature in Windows XP & Vista was unsuccessful as the OS was unable to diagnose and repair the connection problem). Router's light indicators were lit as normal. Cable tech said problem not cable modem but router.
When he connected the computer directly to the cable modem the internet connection was solid and working - no dropped connection. Once the router was integrated into the system connectivity was sporadic at best. My router's been around for awhile and received heavy use it simply never occurred to me that it could go bad. I bought a Linksys e2000 router and shortly thereafter a Western Digital Live TV Plus.
Here are my observations:
- Linksys e2000 (improved wifi range) No external antenna which I believe would provide extended and improved range. The netbooks in the living room (which are 3 good sized rooms away from the router) always connect with a low signal indicator but no noticeable lag in loading sites. The connection is reliable and steady.
- One annoyance is that Cisco Linksys provides guest account access which is on by default. The default should be off. The guest account is password protected with a default password programmed. Anyone owning a Linksys will know the guest password unless the user is savvy and changes it.
- WD Live TV Plus (natively streams NetFlix & YouTube videos and displays Full 1080p HD quality). It natively connects with the MediaFly service.
- Only one TV in our household has a HDMI connector so we set it up via HDMI and the quality is very good near HD. The HDMI cable must be purchased separately and I was amazed at how expensive they are! Average price for one cable is $29.95 for a generic brand.
- WD Live TV Plus also can connect via composite video and after enjoying the HDMI connection we tried the composite connection on the living room TV. The quality is equivalent to VHS when connected via composite, but is still acceptable when you consider you're streaming NetFlix movies. When reading film credits the smaller print is barely legible but tolerable. Of course, HDMI provides the best viewing experience.
- Ethernet connection is wired as the WD Live TV Plus doesn't have built-in wifi. You can purchase an optional USB wifi device, but streaming video is very processor intensive and I wouldn't expect wifi streaming to be a pleasant experience.
- Two USB ports for connecting hard drives. Of course, if you buy the optional USB wifi device then you're left with one USB port for connecting an external drive. It's a great way for me to view the multitude of video podcasts I download. If the podcast is 1080p it's a spectacular viewing experience!
- It automatically connects to the MediaFly service, which is a free site that provides access to a number of video and audio podcasts. Of course, Leo Laporte's Twit network, as well as Revision 3 shows GeekBeat and Tekzilla are featured on MediaFly for easy viewing.
I've been downloading these programs in iTunes for years but really haven't viewed them on the iPod because it's easier for me to listen to an audio podcast then stop what I'm doing and view them.
I can't tell you how great it is to sit in my bed all comfy and cozy and watch video podcasts on a big screen TV. It's beyond convenient, it makes perfect sense. I mean, who wants to sit propped in an office chair and view a couple hours of web content on a computer screen?
I've been downloading video podcasts forever and simply archived them to an external drive so that I didn't fill up the drive iTunes is on. I can stop downloading selected shows in iTunes and simply view them via MediaFly.
For the older shows I've archived, I've simply connected the external drive to the Live TV Plus, easily navigated to the drive via the onscreen menu and begun viewing the content. I have many shows that go as far back as 2006!
I've been archiving shows precisely because I didn't want to sit in front of the computer and watch them. Of course, the shows look good on a monitor, but they look even better on my TV as I sit in a comfy sofa with my legs propped up or lie in bed.
The video podcasts I'm enjoying are Alaska HD, London Landscape, American RVer and Beautiful Places to name a few so viewing 2006 episodes in 2010 isn't an issue as they're travel related and timeless.
So to summarize the WD Live TV Plus automatically connects to YouTube, NetFlix (provided you're a member), MediaFly and displays many audio / video formats that may exist on your external USB drive.
I can search YouTube content based on subject or username via an onscreen keyboard I navigate via remote. The remote does not have a keyboard but I don't have a problem pointing and clicking on an individual letter to spell out a username / site. I can also view channels I'm subscribed to.
Once I locate a user I want to view, all videos by that user are listed and I simply scroll to the end of the list to continue listing what's available. Once I view a user's video, Live TV Plus will present a list of like videos based on the tags used in the previous video. I can view videos from other users with like tags or navigate back to the original user to continue viewing their videos.
I now view YouTube videos, which I didn't do before. You can't believe the difference when viewing web content on a computer screen vs a TV screen. It's a completely different experience that is beyond enjoyable, it's fun! It's fun because you can share the content with as many people as can comfortably fit in the room and adequately see the screen. Try doing that on a computer monitor!
The Roku 720p with built-in G wireless support wasn't a consideration for me because I knew I wanted my connection hard wired for best results and wanted 1080p capability. The Roku maxes at 720p which is what NetFlix streams at.
I always read Amazon.com reviews, I try to read as many as 50 to get a solid feel and average for users' experiences. One reviewer shared about preferring a wired LAN connection to Roku's wifi option but not wanting to snake CAT 5 cable through the house.
He opted to purchase PowerLine Ethernet, which uses the electrical current in your home to transmit network traffic. Now I haven't employed this solution simply because my house so old it lacks enough electrical outlets and the PowerLine Ethernet needs to connect to the electrical outlet to work - not into a surge suppressor.
