[any ANONYMOUS forum user]

I have tried both WD TV and CinemaTube. For my review, I will be comparing CinemaTube primarily with WD TV since these are the media players having similar features at similar prices. Despite WD TV is the most popular media player, CinemaTube wins and I will show you why. To my belief, there are no other media player at this price right now which can beat CinemaTube. And, this is a statement from an advanced user.

I have tried both WD TV and CinemaTube by hooking it up with my 1.5 TB external hard disk drive (HDD, Seagate 7200 rpm inside) via USB and then connecting the player to my 720p plasma HDTV via HDMI.

What CinemaTube CAN do:

# Plays virtually any file you are aware of. I have many different files in my HDD, namely, x.264 coded MKV, DivX/XviD coded AVI, WMV, RM, MP4, MOV and so on. None of them failed. It even played .MTS files (from my HD camcorder) flawlessly. Unless the file specs are unusual and/or not supported by CinemaTube, it should play well. Other than WD TV Mini, none of the WD players play RM files.
# Can play upto 1080p although I could be able to test upto 720p as my TV does not support 1080p.
# DTS + Dolby digital ready. Could not test it as I do not have a dedicated surround system.
# Video preview. Very nice feature. Not available in WD players.
# Resumes playback. WD players does this too, CinemaTube does only in a nicer way.
# Edits playlist.
# Plays DVD menu with dedicated button. This means if normal DVD disk is copied into the HDD as VIDEO_TS folder or ISO file, CinemaTube plays it as if you were playing a DVD in normal standalone DVD player (for example, if I want to turn on/off English subtitles or go to a specific scene (scene selection), or extra features). None of the WD TV have this great feature. I actually returned WD TV because of the absence of this feature.
# Downloads torrents (simultaneously 3). I could be able to do it by setting up a static IP address for the player. No WD players can do it.
# UPnP streaming through 3rd party apps. CinemaTube is a networkable media player, so it can connect to your home network. Did not test it.
# Turns HDTV into a supersized digital photo frame.
# Plays a plethora of formats for music, photo and subtitle files.
# Compatible with Mac file system (HFS+ supportive). Not available in WD players.
# Remote control is bigger but much better than WD's.
# Really light and not too big.
# Universal voltage (100-240 V). Consumes little power.
# Spin down the HDD when the player is turned off.
# Two USB ports; one HDMI, component, composite video each; one L/R S/P DIF optical audio; one Ethernet port. Other than WD TV Live, none of the WD players have Ethernet port for internet connection.
# Can show files directly from any plugged USB storage devices like digital camera or camcorder like Flip Video.
# Optional wireless USB adapter.
# Now comes with HDMI cable. WD does not offer it.
# Does firmware update (online/USB update) frequently to get you more and improved features. This is where WD disappointed me. They have been in the market for so long time, but do little update.
# CinemaTube seemed to be faster than WD TV when same USB drive was loaded. Keep in mind that loading time of a HDD may vary depending on its capacity, rpm, how much space you are using, etc.
# I have liked its interface.
# Many more features you will come to know only when you play with it.

What CinemaTube CANNOT do:

# Can't search media file you are looking for. Here WD players win. CinemaTube still has to come up with an update to include this essential feature (specially, when you have hundreds of files in your HDD).
# Can't copy files between USB drives. WD TV Live does it.
# No torrent uploads. Torrent communities typically want members to maintain a typical upload/download ratio, therefore, you eventually have to use a computer to "upload" something. In addition to that, computer can offer better control in torrent client like configuration, speed, details, etc.
# Changes drive letter to a different one. Keeping the drive letter the same is important specially if you have OS files in your USB drive. You may have to reassign the drive letter if you want to hook it up back again with your computer.
# WD players are somewhat smaller than CinemaTube.
# WD has an online community which can help you.
# Occasionally, it fails to respond, but that happens to every standalone media player including WD players.

Last but not the least, excellent customer service from Brite-view. They respond to your email promptly and really try to answer your question. Their reps are knowledgeable. I cannot tell you how many times I asked them questions, but they responded very well. On the other hand, WD reps are just disappointing.

Bottomline: If you are looking for computer-free media file playback, torrent download and streaming, you are going to love this gadget. For your peace of mind, frequent firmware update and excellent customer service are also right there. Buy it, you won't regret