do i really need to update the firmware?

[John_Daristas]

I'm reading the firmware section and I see many people complaining about problems they have after the update. My question is: do I really need to update the firmware? is there a list for the things that have been fixed in the new firmware? what are the benefits?

I'm new to this community and my device still brand new with the original firmware, mean time I can't go through all the pages (thousands) to see if i should update or not....

any directions regarding the firmware will be much appreciated.

thank you

[richUK]

The simple answer is No you do not have to update, its up to you. 

If you go to the page below you will see the link to the release notes (right hand side). This will tell you everthing about all the updates up to and including the latest one. These notes do not tell you the many problems and bugs that were introduced when the firmware was developed.

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=wdfwdtv_livehub

[Miami_Son]

Avoid the latest update like the plague.

[John_Daristas]

my device already comes with the Version 2.04.13, didn't see any problems so far. Is there any stable version higher than the 2.04.13 and users didn't find any problems with it? I heard that the 2.08 is not good?

thanks

[TonyPh12345]

>>>  Is there any stable version higher than the 2.04.13 and users didn't find any problems with it? 

You will *ALWAYS* find users complaining about EVERY version.

If what you're running works for you, then stay with that version.  If not, well, then you'll have to do some homework.

[foetus]

I am still OK with FW 2.04.13
basicly I use WD to play movies and music and watch photos,
for services I use AccuWeather, Youtube and radioThingy

[Miami_Son]

The only thing I gained from 2.07.x was the ability for the Hub to see the entire contents of my 3TB Hitachi drive. Other than that I'd still be on 2.04.

[John_Daristas]

Hi Miami, any idea if the firmware 2.04.13 will support over 1 TB hdd not WD brand? I'm planning of getting 2TB seagate.

Also, did you have any problems with 2.07.x because you mentioned that you would stayed on 2.04 if was not for the 3tb drive.

thanks

[Tinwarble]

You know, probably the best thing for you to do is to try a firmware, if you find that it's too buggy for your taste then you can always rollback to an earlier version.

I will say this though, if you plan on using any of the themes that are listed in the Themes forum, then I would not bother with 2.08.13 since it has bugs with the UI and make those themes unusable (at least as they are intended to be used). 

I would start with 2.07.17 (I use this version and find it works fairly well) and then if you don't find that it works for you then rollback to 2.04.13 (don't even bother with 2.06.10 or 2.05.08).

You can find the info on how to rollback here:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5860/~/how-to-roll-back-the-firmware-on-a-wd-tv-live...

This might take some time to do, but is the best way to figure out which version will best suit your needs.

[pacorob]

You can also turn off the automatic message that a new firmware is available (i sure did).

I'm using the firmware 2.07.17 and that works nicely. The latest version 2.08.13 has (still) quite a lot of old and new bugs (cover data for movies missing). I would advise not to upgrade to the latest version. 

The reason for me to upgrade to e.g. 2.07.17 were the Internet services such as Shoutcast radio and Deezer.

I enjoy the Shoutcast and TuneIn Radio app a lot. All others i haven't used a lot because they are either very slow or buggy.

For me the major downside for 2.07.17 is the screensaver bug which causes the audio services or your own music collection to stop when the screensaver is set to photos. If you put it on the WDTV logo is does work correct.

Download links:

http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=1010&sid=134&lang=en

http://www.wdc.com/wdproducts/updates/?family=wdfwdtv_livehub