Y U NOT SUPPORT MY DEVICE
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Why are these devices unsupported?
If you got to this page you probably know that WDLXTV won't work on your device. You are understandably upset, but this is how life works... In order to get closure and move on you'd probably like to know why exactly your device is not supported and what you can do (if anything) about it.
WDTV Mini
Update: 3/28/14 A forum user is developing a firmware for the mini. This is not a WDLXTV firmware. and we can't speak to functionality or what it will do to your device. It can be found http://forum.wdlxtv.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8107
The WDTV Mini is a small media player without network capabilities that can be used to play back content only from attached drives. It hasn't gained the popularity of WDTV Live and development never started for it. It is suspected that it has lower specs than the WDTV Live anyway, and it would be missing a lot of features. There haven't been many requests for it.
WDTV Hub
Update: Work is being done to support Gen3 devices without flashing a new firmware, but by exploiting a bug and loading a firmware from USB. Most likely the same approach will make a future firmware for the Hub as well. Keep an eye on the forum for anouncements.
The Hub has great technical specs, including a wider remote, an internal HDD and an improved OSD. Initial tests had started with the Hub, but after a few attempts b-rad found out that if you try to flash an unsigned firmware (firmware not produced by WD), the Live Hub permanently deletes its Netflix encryption keys. Even if you return to the stock firmware later on, you can never get Netflix back to work.
The files WD has to deliver in order to comply with the GPL licensing terms include the source code for all the linux files and dependencies. However they are not required to release the source code for the OSD, playback engine or NTFS drivers. So, WD chose to release a crippled OSD version with their GPL archive. This means that in addition to netflix you also lose almost all Internet Media -> only Fickr works in this version. However, people have manage to extract the OSD from the original firmware, so this wouldn't be such an issue (the osd has been even ported on the Live/Live Plus).
Because of this, the team has decided not to build a custom firmware for it, because no matter how many times you say it, how bold or red you make the font, there will be users who will flash it and then complain they damaged their device.
Because of these risks, there will never be a WDLXTV firmware for it.
Q: But I don't care about these limitations. I want to use the cool features WDLXTV brings!
A: Sorry, we won't do it. Complain to WD and ask them to remove these restrictions from their GPL archive/platform.
WDTV Live Streaming (aka Gen3)
Update: 3/28/14 There is a new firmware, Which can be found http://forum.wdlxtv.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=8707 . It's very stable but still considered a beta firmware.
Update: Work is being done to support Gen3 devices without flashing a new firmware, but by exploiting a bug and loading a firmware from USB. Follow the progress here (currently in alpha stage Mad ady 07:35, 9 January 2013 (UTC)): http://forum.wdlxtv.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=7663&start=0&hilit=gen3
The main differences between the Live Streaming and the Hub are the included Wifi in the Streaming and the removal of the internal HDD. The same limitations found on the Hub still apply (read above), but in addition, they now encrypt the partition where the OSD and non-free components of the firmware are situated, in order to prevent their extraction.
Again, by using only what WD provides in their GPL archive, you get a crippled down OSD (no Internet Media) and your Netflix keys are permanently wiped.
Because of this, the team will not build a WDLXTV firmware for it. However, it seems that if people are determined enough, these limitations won't stop them. There is a project started by Guimli that attempts to make a homebrew firmware for it, but it is not supported/endorsed by this team. Follow the progress here: http://guimli.free.fr/
Future WDTV hardware
Most likely future versions of WDTVs will be even more locked down, so I doubt there will be more WDLXTV supported devices. b-rad and the team have changed their focus from WD devices to a different vendor (still based on the Sigma chipset) and are working to make a more open and customizable media player in the future.
