Player locks up and HDMI connection drops after a few minutes of normal use Options

[nick776]

I've been using my WDTV Live for a little over a year with few issues (out of warranty period by now). Recently the unit has been randomly freezing where all video and audio drops (I only see a black screen) and will not respond to any button presses at all. The only way to get out of this freeze is to unplug and replug the power cord. I tried to troubleshoot the problem with many different scenarios, but have had no luck. Please see below for details:

- WDTV Live bought in Oct 2009 (Part #: WDAAN0000NBK) connected to a Sony 46" 1080p TV

- The firmware has been updated periodically and is now on the most recent version 1.04.31_V

- The system has been connected through both HDMI and composite cables playing both HD (720p) and SD content

- I have played files stored locally (on a flash drive/external HD) along with streaming from my laptop (network share)

- I have done the "Factory Reset" located in the menu (this did not seem to rollback the firmware) and have also pushed the physical Reset button on the back of the device.

I tried to isolate the problem by combining all of the above factors but nothing has helped. No matter the combination, the video will play normally for 5-45 minutes and then suddenly all video and audio just drops (my TV shows "No Connection"). The unit does not respond to any commands from the remote and the only way to restart the device is to unplug and replug the power cord. Any thoughts?

Thanks for reading!

[WDUser]

Similar issues have affected other people's players as well over time, so if a firmware downgrade doesn't help, then it may be the hardware failing. Also, are you sure the player's not getting too hot? That's a known issue as well. Maybe you can try directing a table fan towards it while it's working and see if that helps.