When What I Really Need Is Just A Player (And Not Storage).. WD TV HD Player

When I first read about the WD TV HD Player about 2 months back in lowyat.net, I was completely psyched. At last, someone was considerate enough to think about the masses. For most of us, we already have our own external hard disk packed with photos, music and videos downloaded from the net. To buy a standalone media player that requires us to buy an additional external hard disk would definitely make the hole in the pocket bigger.

The 2 main criterias that makes me drooling over this stuff are:

1. It has HDMI and Optical outputs, which means I can connect the HDMI directly to my LCD TV and the Optical to my Home Theatre.
2. It has 2 USB ports, which means I can just connect anything with USB (with mass storage driver) to the player. No internal memory required.

After I read about this player in T3 last week, I decided to search at LYN forum and I found out that many people have already purchased this unit. Local pricing is around RM400 which I think is quite acceptable. I remember looking for a hard disk player with HDMI output a few months back and if i was not mistaken it was around RM600 without the hard disk. But, maybe the price has gone down now because obselete is such and understatement in the gadget world. A gadget you buy today may cost 20-30% less in a months time making you feel like pulling all the hair on your head for being an early adopter. Sigh.. I really am speaking from experience hehe..

Eventhough there is an HDMI output from this media player, I don't think I will be enjoying any HD content streaming to my LCD TV because I don't have any. All my TV Series and movies are not of HD format. Some are so bad that it gets pixelated whenever I played from the DVD on my home theatre but who cares. As long as I can just sit back and relax on the couch using the supplied remote control (and do not have to sort the DVD disk ever again), I am a happy man.

I don't think I will be requiring this player anytime soon. The Jakarta trip and the new house have really taken it's toll on me I think haha. But, when the time comes (and hopefully the price goes away down), I will surely get this player or any other hard disk player from other manufacturer. Hey, it's a cruel world in the gadget world out there..

What I Love Most About... Indonesia

I've always been ready to answer this question once the Jakarta and Bandung trip ended. The 10 days trip from Christmas evening to 3rd January is the longest trip I ever had. We spent 2 days in Bandung for some serious shopping and continued the frenzy in Jakarta until the very last minutes at the airport to finish off the Rupiah we had in hand.

Back to the question again, my firm answer will be the musical culture of the people of Indonesia. Full stop.

I just love it there. Being an avid fan of Indonesia music, I thought that my trip to Jakarta would be incomplete if I were not able to attend any gig by any of the big names like Dewa, Ungu, Peterpan, Nidji, Kerispatih etc etc. It turned out that almost every Indonesian can sing, and they sing really well too.

The duo who performed at The Peak in Bandung was the best gig I've ever been to. Not that I've been to many gigs, but this duo consisting of a singer, with voice comparable to the vocalist of Letto, and a guitarist can play accoustic really well. It was there when I first heard the song Demi Cinta from Kerispatih and I immediately fell in love with the song. It is sad that the singer could only remember the song Isabella by Search when he knew we were from Malaysia. What the... that song was from the 90s or was it late 80s I can't remember. Another embarassing moment was that the Malaysian team (my table) failed the sing-along task badly. We really did bad as compared to the Indonesia team consisting of the cigar roller and the waiter. Haha.. they got all the time to practice because the work there at the restaurant :p

Have you ever been to a Kelantanese stall by the road side where you can enjoy almost free live music? I guess not. Back there in Indonesia, live performances are everywhere and they expect you minimal cover charge for as low as Rph 2000 (RM 0.60). Seriously, I enjoyed the live music while having my bebek goreng (fried duck) and nasgor bhakti/nasi goreng . The songs they played are sometimes alien to my ears, reminding me that the Indonesian music scene are much bigger than what managed to find it's way to our shores.

Other than that, the original CD prices for Indonesian artist are also very cheap as compared to Malaysia. I managed to grab the OST of Laskar Pelangi for as low as Rph 35000 (RM 11) and another compilation by Ari Lasso consisting of 1 CD and 1 DVD for only Rph 50000 (about RM 16). The low prices are due to the vast market for the Indonesian artist as the population of Jakarta itself is more than 8 million people. However, the low prices of the CD could not deter the production of pirated item. The latest home made compilation of hit songs would cost you Rph 15000 (about RM 5) a piece. This is a bit more expensive than the direct copy of original album which would usually cost around Rph 10000 (about RM 3). I came back home with 5 original CDs and 5 ahem CDs, I can't help myself.

It would be unfair if I say that the music culture are all good to the ears. I am thankful that the sing-along-karaoke performer are no where to be found in Malaysia. I was having my roti bakar at Warung Pak Eddy (a must when you're in Jakarta) when the performer equipped with a small radio strapped across his chest sung his heart out to the latest tunes by Ungu. Actually he was not singing, it was more mumbling lazily if I can recall and it was not a delightful performance. So I only tipped him Rph 1000 (RM 0.30) hehe.

Now that I am back in Malaysia, I'm gonna miss the live performance while mengopi at the mamak stall. How I wish I can go back there hehe..