Western Digital has made a foray into HTPCs with their WD TV HD Media Player.  Strangely for a storage company there is no onboard storage to capture your favourite TV shows, though that decision has allowed them to make the entire box half as tall as a DVD caseand just over twice as thick.  On the back you can see plugs for USB, HDMI 1.2, TOSLINK and Composite video out.  What seems to be missing is a network connector, but as far as the video playback quality, The Tech Report was quite happy.  Perhaps some of the sacrifices are justified; you can pick up the WD HD for just under $100.

“But… it’s made by Western Digital, and it looks exactly like the firm’s My Book external storage solutions! I assure you: while the WD TV certainly shares some design characteristics with other Western Digital products, it’s a completely different kind of animal.

Sporting a glossy, piano-black finish and only two subtle LED indicators on the front, the WD TV is a pretty slick contraption that would look right at home in just about any entertainment center. The included infrared remote is about the size of an average cell phone, and it fits comfortably in your hand. Home theater buffs will most likely replace it with a universal remote, but for the price-conscious consumers Western Digital is targeting, the stock remote works just fine.”

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