Western Digital has announced new apps and features for its relatively unsung WD TV Live streaming media player, chief among them VUDU's collection of digital movie rentals. Several other paid and free on-demand services, including SnagFilms, XOS College Sports, SEC Digital Network, Comedy Time and Watch Mojo, were also added to the set-top box's growing roster this week.
A free multilingual remote app that turns iPads and certain smart phones into a hybrid WD TV remote also debuted. The new app provides the same features as the player's default controller, plus touch-based gesture and keyboard support, said Western Digital.
Director of Marketing Chris Bull talked up the media player's personalization options, calling them better than anything offered by the Roku 2, Apple TV or NeoTV.
"Whether it is photos or movies on your PC, Mac, tablet, smartphone, personal cloud drive such as the My Book Live, or one of our exciting entertainment services such as VUDU, WD TV media players enable anyone in the family to easily enjoy a custom entertainment experience with their favorite movies, TV shows, music and photos."
Western Digital brought popular streaming music service Spotify to its box in October, allowing members to sync and play their cloud-stored music collections. Other apps offered by WD TV Live include: YouTube, FaceBook, Pandora, Netflix, Blockbuster On Demand and Hulu Plus.
Research group Strategy Analytics revealed last week that Apple rules the home media player roost, selling four million Apple TVs this year for a 32 percent market share. The company's customers also tend to spend more and more often than those who own other devices, said Jia Wu, senior analyst.
