Audio Video News

Last year, Western Digital released the WD TV HD Media Player, a handy little box designed to let you play any media from a USB drive on your home theater. It was a simple device with 2 USB jacks, some A/V connections, and the electronics necessary to decode a whole bunch of movie and music files, including 1080p video.

Western Digital has just unveiled a newer, smaller version of the player, the WD TV Mini Media Player. Unfortunately, it only supports 1080i video and loses the original player's second USB jack (so users can only watch media on one USB drive at a time), but it gains a few new handy features and fits them into a much smaller package.

The WD TV Mini is just 0.8 inches thick and measures just 3.6 by 3.6 inches, yet somehow manages to add some new connections the WD TV HD lacks. While it only has one USB jack and no HDMI, it offers optical audio and component video, in addition to old-fashioned composite video. It also supports RealVideo playback, which the WD TV HD does not.

Western Digital has not released pricing or shipping information on the WD TV Mini yet, and since it was only just announced in Singapore, its stateside release isn't even completely certain. The company will probably have more details about the player next month, at CEDIA.

— Will Greenwald