Wednesday 23 September 2015

Western Digital Media Player 2.02.32 Firmware [Buggy]

I've been using my WD Media Player for years and I love this little box for it's ability to stream movie files that I can copy to it over my LAN and for playing Netflix content.

However, recently the players been acting buggy and running very hot. This issue became very apparent when trying to stream Netflix where the shows would consistently reload during viewing.

Here are some other issue users have reported since upgrading to this firmware:
- It freezes and needs to be unplugged & re-plugged. 
- I repeatedly get "Low memory" issues and need to reboot 
- it is unresponsive to remote control. Sometimes it buffers the buttons pressed and eventually goes through the sequence of buttons pressed in frustration over the previous 10-15 seconds.

My first thought was that the unit might be defective, but after doing a little research on internet forums I learned the problem stemmed from the latest firmware patch 2.02.32.

The solution to the above issues created by said buggy firmware is to downgrade the FW to the previous version 2.01.86.

Instructions below.

Source:

http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-TV-Live-Streaming/2-02-32-Firmware-no-longer-allows-content/m-p/781937#M32423
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1. small flashdrive (2,4,8 GB) formatted FAT32 ... completely empty

2. download rollback firmware: http://download.wdc.com/wdtv/wdtvlivegen3_rollback_2.01.86.zip

3. extract all 4 files onto the root of the flashdrive ie. No Folders

so you should only have these on the flashdrive

wdtvlivegen3.bi2
wdtvlivegen3.bin
wdtvlivegen3.fff
wdtvlivegen3.ver

4. Before inserting the flashdrive .... check the detect New Firmware setting is "On"
Setup > System > Auto Detect New Firmware > On

5. Power off the WDTV (Press and hold Standby button for 5 seconds ... switch off at the mains power)

6. "Safely Remove" the flashdrive from your PC and insert it into the front or rear usb input on the WDTV

7. Power On the WDTV

8. New Firmware should now be detected "New Firmware" notification will appear in the Home Menu. Press OK.
(it will say 4.01.86 ... don't worry, ignore it)  ... press OK to proceed)

9. wait until finished  (it can take 7 several minutes .... it should not take longer than 10-15 min)

10. It's also recommended after a Firmware Rollback (or upgrade) to do a *Factory Reset*
Setup > System > Device Reset > Reset All Settings Back to Factory Default

11.when finished (optional) disable the New Firmware notification
Setup > System > Auto Detect New Firmware > Off
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Since doing the rollback, my WD Box is running super smooth with no glitches...

Pay it forward y'all - share the knowledge!

RPM


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