WesternDigital posts

Filed under: Hardware

WD TV provides subtle support for Mac-format drives

by Michael Rose (RSS feed) on Nov 13th, 2008

It wasn't the splashiest product introduction ever, but last week's launch of Western Digital's $130 WD TV high-definition media player may have caused a few smiles for Mac users. The playback unit -- a simple configuration of a USB2 port for connecting a hard drive, and either composite (SD) or HDMI signal output -- supports a veritable alphabet soup of audio, video and photo formats for playback, including the eminently Mac-friendly AAC and H.264 codecs (unprotected content only, so no joy with iTunes Store purchases).

The unit also supports drives formatted in HFS+ as long as you turn off journaling, which is a first for third-party media players as far as I know; while the Mac could easily write to a FAT32-formatted drive for media exchange (as long as file sizes stayed below 24 GB), enabling HFS+ is a very nice gesture towards detente with the Apple-loving world.

The WD TV is available now and should work with any TV that supports composite or HDMI inputs. Without network connectivity, iTunes sync and support for protected content, it's no Apple TV -- but at $100 less for a BYOStorage player, it may just fit the bill. We'll try to get our hands on a review unit and see if we can stump it with ancient QuickTime clips and legacy MP3 files.

Update: Our pals at dealnews.com report that Dell is discounting these handy units by $30 right now.

[via Macworld]

Tags: apple tv, AppleTv, h.264, playback, wd tv, WdTv, western digital, WesternDigital

Filed under: Hardware, Peripherals, Troubleshooting

WD MyBook updates for Leopard compatibility

by Mat Lu (RSS feed) on May 12th, 2008

I have previously noted that I like the Western Digital My Book line of external hard drives (particularly for their design cues). However, since Leopard I have had some problems with my drive, in particular it would randomly unmount causing my SuperDuper! based automatic backup schedule to fail. Since I suspect some of our readers might suffer similar problems I thought it worth pointing out that Western Digital has finally released some updates. I've been testing them for a couple of weeks now and things seem to finally be working as advertised.

First there is a firmware update for the drive itself (be sure to pick your actual model) which is necessary for using the drive with Leopard. Second, there is also a Mac WD Drive Manager menubar application which is supposedly necessary for light and button functionality. In fact, the light "fuel gauge" on my drive still doesn't work properly, but since doing the firmware update and installing the drive manager I have not had the drive randomly unmount. So if you have been having problems running a My Book drive with Leopard I highly suggest applying the firmware update and running the Drive Manager to see if it helps.

Tags: My Book, MyBook, western digital, WesternDigital

Filed under: Accessories, Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Peripherals, Mac 101

Mac 101: External HDs

by Robert Palmer (RSS feed) on May 7th, 2008

More Mac 101, our series of basic tips for new and returning Mac users. Since most Mac models don't offer extra drive bays, external hard disks are the way to go for adding vast storage capacity to your computer. External HDs are great for storing large projects, moving huge amounts of data from place to place, or backing up via Time Machine.

Hard disks are a commodity product nowadays: the market is flooded with a cornucopia of options, most of them cheap and easy to install. So which is right for you?

The trick is this: find out who makes the actual hard drive inside the external enclosure (that is, inside the nicely-designed plastic or metal box that sits on or under your desk).

It's what's inside that counts, and we'll explore after the jump.

Continue reading “Mac 101: External HDs”

Tags: hard-disk, hard-drive, maxtor, seagate, western digital, WesternDigital

Filed under: Hardware

Western Digital makes Mac My Book

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Sep 25th, 2007

It was only a few days ago that our very own Mat Lu was talking up Western Digital's line of My Book external drives, and today Mac users have even more reason to check 'em out. The My Book Studio edition is aimed squarely at Mac users. The enclosure was designed to compliment Apple's hardware, and the drive is HFS+ Journaled formated. It also sports a quadruple interface (USB 2.0, FireWire 400/800 and eSATA) and backup software.

Available in 320 GB to 1 TB capacities and priced from $199.99 USD to $399.99 the My Book Studio edition is worth checking out.

Tags: western digital, western-digital, WesternDigital

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