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WD TV simplifies personal content playback on any TV

New WD TV media player gives users the freedom to enjoy virtually any media file format on their TV.

Johannesburg, 30 May 2014

WD, a Western Digital company and a world leader in connected storage solutions, has unveiled the new WD TV - Personal Edition, an easy to use WiFi-enabled media player that plays virtually any media file stored on USB and network storage devices or any computer on the home network.

WD TV - Personal Edition.
WD TV - Personal Edition.

"Consumers have increasingly large libraries of disparate personal content types on a variety of storage devices, from portable USB to Network Attached Storage (NAS) and personal computers," explains Jim Welsh, executive vice-president, WD Content Solutions Business and worldwide sales. "WD's ecosystem of apps and media players ensures that viewing that content is seamless on all screens, from mobile devices to the HDTV. WD TV personalises the entertainment experience, providing the easiest way for consumers to playback all of their personal videos, photos and music."

WD TV - Personal Edition allows users to enjoy a wide range of personal media such as photos, video and music on their home entertainment systems by supporting many file formats, including MKV, MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV and more. Files can be streamed from any connected USB drive like the My Passport Ultra and My Book product families, personal cloud and NAS drives like WD's My Cloud product family, digital camcorder or cameras, and any networked PC or Mac computer in the home.

WD TV - Personal Edition (front).
WD TV - Personal Edition (front).

The new WD TV media player features WD's newest intuitive user interface that allows users to take control of their entertainment by customising the home page with their favourite apps, setting shortcuts to favourite content folders for quick access, and setting auto-run for preferred apps to begin at start-up. Additionally, WD TV now supports Miracast, so that users can project their Miracast-enabled mobile device onto their TV in up to full HD 1 080p. WD TV also allows customers to easily stream hit movies, view the latest viral videos, catch up on TV shows and stay connected to social networks through apps such as YouTube, Hulu Plus, VUDU, SlingPlayer, Spotify, Pandora and Facebook, among many others.

Says Anamika Budree, Branded Sales Manager, WD South Africa: "As the South African consumer market continuously gains access to more and affordable broadband, they are increasingly downloading and storing digital content for entertainment purposes on a variety of devices. Our latest WD TV delivers the ability to stream this digital content, providing convenience and access to a number of services, enhancing the user's entertainment experience."

The WD TV Remote app improves the navigation experience for WD TV users by turning their iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or Android-compatible mobile device into an advanced feature remote control for their media player. The WD TV Remote app's advanced features allow users to more easily navigate the wide variety of digital media WD TV users enjoy on their television.

Price and availability

WD TV will be available in South Africa in July and will retail for approximately R1 399, inclusive of VAT. The WD TV Remote mobile app is currently available for download for free from the App Store and Google Play.

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WD

WD, a Western Digital company, is a long-time innovator and storage industry leader. As a storage technology pacesetter, the company produces reliable, high-performance hard disk drives and solid state drives. These drives are deployed by OEMs and integrators in desktop and mobile computers, enterprise computing systems, embedded systems and consumer electronics applications, as well as by the company in providing its own storage products. WD's leading storage devices and systems, networking products, media players and software solutions empower people around the world to easily save, store, protect, share and experience their content on multiple devices. WD was established in 1970 and is headquartered in Irvine, California. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at www.wd.com.

Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), Irvine, California, is a global provider of products and services that empower people to create, manage, experience and preserve digital content. Its companies design and manufacture storage devices, networking equipment and home entertainment products under the WD, HGST and G-Technology brands. Visit the Investor section of the company's Web site (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.

Western Digital, WD, WD TV, My Book, My Passport, and the WD logo are registered trademarks of Western Digital Technologies in the US and other countries. Google Play and YouTube are trademarks of Google. SlingPlayer is a registered trademark of Sling Media. Pandora is a registered trademarks of Pandora Media. Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook. Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch are trademarks of Apple, registered in the US and other countries. All other brand and product names mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies.

Editor's notes:
Western Digital product photos: http://www.wdbrand.com
Product information: http://www.wd.com/wdtv
Review samples of WD TV may be requested by visiting http://www.wdc.com/en/company/pressroom/eval_request.asp.

Editorial contacts

Anamika Budree
Western Digital
(082) 403 8090
Anamika.Budree@wdc.com