WD TV Live HD Media Player - Official Firmware

Here’s a detailed look at the official firmware history for the WD TV Live HD Media Player (and related WD TV models), how to download and install the firmware, what major versions introduced and fixed, and some important caveats when working with legacy firmware.

Firmware history & major versions

The WD TV Live HD Media Player and its successors (Live Plus, Streaming, etc) received multiple firmware updates over the years. Below are key milestones:

Early days: The original firmware updates for the older WD TV (non-Live) added format support, MKV chapters, etc.

For the Live / Live HD, one of the early updates noted was version 1.01.11 (Nov 2009) which improved wireless/ethernet update support.

Version 1.03.49_V (Nov 2010) addressed many issues: HDMI negotiation, auto resolution selection, improved MKV/MP4 support, thumbnail caching, network share detection, etc.

Western Digital

Version 1.04.22_V (Mar 2011) added features such as Tune-In radio, 7.1 channel audio passthrough, auto-frame rate matching.

Legit Reviews

The final major version for the Gen 1 WD TV Live (model WDBAAN0000NBK-00) appears to be 1.06.43_V (Jan 2013) according to firmware download archives.

Meanwhile, later models (Live Plus, Streaming) had their own firmware lines: e.g., Live Plus had 1.06.42_B for the Gen 2 model.

For the Streaming/Gen 3 models: version 2.02.32 is documented in release notes for the Live Streaming Media Player.

So depending on your exact model (check the label, model number, region), you may need a specific firmware version.

Where to download & installation procedure

Many of the firmware versions are no longer hosted directly on the WD website for legacy models. Users report difficulty locating older versions.

However, some archive sites (Softpedia, TechSpot) provide versions like the 1.06.43_V. For example: Softpedia lists “Western Digital TV Live Firmware 1.06.43_V”.

Softpedia Drivers

Installation steps (manual update) for the Live HD/Live/Streaming models:

Download the firmware ZIP file and extract .BIN (and .VER / .FFF files if applicable) onto a USB drive, root directory.

Insert the USB drive into the WD TV player’s front USB port.

On the device: Press HOME → Settings → New Firmware / Update Device. Choose “Update device”, confirm. The unit will restart and automatically enter firmware upgrade mode.

After completion, the device restarts again and loads the updated firmware.

Important: Do not power down the device or remove the USB drive during the update—loss of power or interruption can corrupt the firmware and brick the unit.

Things to watch / caveats

Model-specific firmware: As one user noted, “No. The Firmwares are not interchangeable. They are different hardware generations with different SoC.”

If you install the wrong firmware version for your model, you risk a bricked unit.

Older firmware archive missing: For many users wanting to roll back to an earlier firmware (because newer ones introduced bugs), WD no longer keeps older versions posted, making rollback harder.

Legacy device: These WD TV models are long discontinued (the WD TV line was discontinued as of August 2016) so long-term support is limited.

Community issues: One earlier update (version 1.01.12) reportedly caused bricking of units—users reported the firmware timed out with large USB drives.

USB drive preparation: Sometimes large capacity USB drives cause the update process to hang (firmware timed out building media directory). Using a small capacity, blank USB drive helps.

Summary & recommendation

If you own a WD TV Live HD Media Player and wish to update or rollback firmware:

First identify your exact model number and current firmware version (Settings → System Info).

Then determine which firmware series applies to your hardware generation (e.g., Gen 1 Live HD uses 1.xx.x_V, Live Plus uses _B series, Streaming uses 2.xx.x).

Download the correct firmware version—if the official site no longer hosts older versions, you may use reputable archives.

Prepare a USB drive (preferably low capacity, blank) and copy the extracted firmware files to the root.

Follow the manual update steps; avoid interruption.

If you are experiencing issues with the latest firmware, consider rolling back to a stable earlier version (if available).

Keep in mind that support is limited because this is a legacy product line.

If you like, I can check for direct download links for all major firmware versions (including older/rollback versions) for your exact model number—would you like me to fetch that?