Page 2 - Accessing Online Support; Downloads; Contacting WD Technical Support
WD ® Service and Support Should you encounter any problem, please give us an opportunity to address it before returning this product. Most technical support questions can be answered through our knowledge base or e-mail support service at http://support.wdc.com . If the answer is not available or, i...
Page 3 - Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS – i Table of Contents 1 Important User Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Important Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Recording Your WD Product Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Registering Your ...
Page 5 - Important User Information; Important Safety Instructions
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL IMPORTANT USER INFORMATION – 1 Important User Information Important Safety Instructions This device is designed and manufactured to assure personal safety. Improper use can result in electric shock or fire hazard. The safeguards incorporated into this un...
Page 6 - Recording Your WD Product Information; to view additional accessories available
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL IMPORTANT USER INFORMATION – 2 Recording Your WD Product Information In the following table, write the serial and model numbers of your new WD product. You can find this information on the label on the bottom of the device. You should also note the date ...
Page 7 - Product Overview
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL PRODUCT OVERVIEW – 3 Product Overview The WD Elements Play multimedia drive is an easy, affordable way to supersize your movies and photos on your big-screen TV and play your music collection on your home entertainment center. Save your media collection ...
Page 8 - Features and Functions; Features; Audio/Video Interface; Photo Viewing
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS – 4 Features and Functions Features Audio/Video Interface HDMI interface for digital audio and high-definition video Composite interface (RCA yellow/white/red) for analog AV connection S/PDIF (optical) audio for high-fidelity...
Page 9 - Additional Features
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS – 5 Additional Features Real Media (RMVB) playback DTS 2.0 Dolby Digital (combo w/ DD+ and Dolby TrueHD) Plug-and-play convenience Popular media format support Metadata support Thumbnail support Aggregated music/pho...
Page 10 - Connections
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS – 6 Connections Item Component Description 1 USB port Supports connection of removable storage devices, portable multimedia drives, and digital cameras with USB connectors 2 Power jack Connects the power adapter 3 Mini USB port Sup...
Page 11 - LED Indicator
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS – 7 LED Indicator Item Component Description 1 Infrared receiver Receives signals from the remote control. Point the tip of the remote control toward the infrared receiver and ensure that the path between the two is unobstructed....
Page 12 - Remote Control; Do not expose the batteries or the remote control with batteries
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS – 8 Remote Control CAUTION: Do not expose the batteries or the remote control with batteries installed to excessive heat (direct sunlight, fire, etc.). 1. Infrared transmitter 2. HOME 3. POWER 4. Navigation buttons 5. ENTER 6. STOP...
Page 13 - Getting Started; Package Contents; Start
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL GETTING STARTED – 9 Getting Started Package Contents Installation Requirements Standard or HD TV with an HDMI or composite audio/video input Computer with a USB 2.0 connector Optional: Stereo or AV receiver with a digital optical (S/PDIF) cable. Oper...
Page 14 - Multimedia Drive Reformatting; Installation Procedure
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL GETTING STARTED – 10 Multimedia Drive Reformatting The multimedia drive is preformatted as a single NTFS partition for compatibility with all updated Windows operating systems. Go to http://support.wdc.com and refer to Knowledge Base Answer ID 3865 for r...
Page 15 - Step 1 - Connecting the Power Cable; Connect the power clip to the power cable plug.
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL GETTING STARTED – 11 Step 1 - Connecting the Power Cable 1. Connect the power clip to the power cable plug. The AC power adapter will vary, depending on your location. Some locations do not require a power plug clip. Units sold in those locations will ha...
Page 16 - Step 2 - Loading Content On Your Multimedia Drive
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL GETTING STARTED – 12 Step 2 - Loading Content On Your Multimedia Drive Transfer your favorite content from your computer to your multimedia drive. You can also transfer files from your multimedia drive to your computer. Windows 1. Turn on your computer. ...
Page 17 - Step 3 - Connecting the Multimedia Drive; Choosing the Best Connection
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL GETTING STARTED – 13 Step 3 - Connecting the Multimedia Drive The following figures illustrate the cable connections supported by the multimedia drive. Note: Composite, HDMI, and S/PDIF (optical) cables are sold separately. Choosing the Best Connection T...
Page 18 - Composite AV Connection (Standard Definition); To use a composite connection (composite cable sold separately):
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL GETTING STARTED – 14 Composite AV Connection (Standard Definition) To use a composite connection (composite cable sold separately): 1. Plug the composite connectors into the input ports on your multimedia drive, yellow to yellow, red to red, and white to...
Page 19 - To connect your multimedia drive using an HDMI cable:
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL GETTING STARTED – 15 HDMI Video and Audio (High Definition) HDMI combines high-definition video, multi-channel audio, and inter-component control in a single digital cable. This interface provides video quality resolution of up to 1080p. To connect your ...
Page 20 - Select the appropriate audio source on your AV receiver.
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL GETTING STARTED – 16 S/PDIF Digital Audio An S/PDIF connection can send digital audio to a receiver capable of decoding multi-channel audio through an AV receiver. 1. Complete the composite or HDMI video connection as described in “Composite AV Connectio...
Page 21 - STOP
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL GETTING STARTED – 17 Step 4 (Optional)- Connecting a USB Device Transfer your favorite content from your computer to your external USB drive, such as My Passport ® or My Book ® (external USB drive not included). The multimedia drive has one USB port that...
Page 22 - Operating the Multimedia Drive; Using the Remote Control; Make sure there are no obstructions between the remote
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL OPERATING THE MULTIMEDIA DRIVE – 18 Operating the Multimedia Drive Using the Remote Control The multimedia drive remote control lets you navigate the Home screen, browse for media files, enable playback options, and customize the system settings. The inf...
Page 23 - Using the Multimedia Drive Menu; HOME; Home Screen Options
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL OPERATING THE MULTIMEDIA DRIVE – 19 Using the Multimedia Drive Menu The multimedia drive Home screen menu is displayed when you press HOME on the remote control. The icons on this screen let you browse your media library and configure the multimedia driv...
Page 24 - Operations; Copying Files; File Manager
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL FILE MANAGER – 20 File Manager Operations Copying Files Follow the steps listed below to copy a file to or from an attached USB memory device. The procedure is the same for all types of media files, movies, photos or music. 1. Connect a USB storage devic...
Page 26 - Moving and Deleting Files
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL FILE MANAGER – 22 9. Press ENTER to finish the copy operation. Moving and Deleting Files To move a file on the multimedia drive or USB storage device, follow the steps above for copying files, substituting Move for Copy in steps 5 and 6. The procedure is...
Page 27 - Accept the default playlist name by selecting; Save & Edit Photo Album; and
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL FILE MANAGER – 23 2. Accept the default playlist name by selecting OK , then press ENTER . To rename the playlist, select Rename , press ENTER , then enter the new playlist name using the on-screen keyboard. When finished, select OK , then press ENTER . ...
Page 28 - Options; View Options
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL FILE MANAGER – 24 Options Navigate to a location on the HDD internal drive or attached USB storage then press OPTION to bring up the options menu. View Options Set your preferred view option by selecting Thumbnails , List , or Preview . Sort & Filter...
Page 29 - Watching Video; You can watch videos on your TV using the multimedia drive.; Supported Video Formats; Video Playback; Browse to the Videos category, then press; and select; Preview; to see a preview of the video on the
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL WATCHING VIDEO – 25 Watching Video You can watch videos on your TV using the multimedia drive. Supported Video Formats The following video file formats are supported. See “Supported Media File Formats” on page 59 for the complete list of supported file f...
Page 30 - Locate the video file you want to play.; Resuming Playback; in
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL WATCHING VIDEO – 26 3. Locate the video file you want to play. To begin playback of a single video file, highlight the file, and then press ENTER . Resuming Playback If you try to open a video file that has been partially played before, the following s...
Page 31 - Video Playback Controls; Use these buttons on the remote control to control video playback:; Video Information Panel; Press
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL WATCHING VIDEO – 27 Video Playback Controls Use these buttons on the remote control to control video playback: Video Information Panel Press ENTER during playback to display the Video Information Panel. This panel shows the information about the current ...
Page 32 - Video Menu Options
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL WATCHING VIDEO – 28 Video Menu Options The video menu options allow you to search, sort, and filter your videos. To display the video options, press OPTION in a directory containing videos. Press ENTER to select an option. To hide options, press BA...
Page 33 - Video Playback Options; OPTION; Subtitle
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL WATCHING VIDEO – 29 Video Playback Options Video playback options allow you to customize the way you watch your videos. To display the video options, press OPTION during playback. Press ENTER to select an option. To hide options, press BACK or OPTI...
Page 34 - Audio
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL WATCHING VIDEO – 30 Audio Use this option to select the audio language used in the video playback. This option is only available if the current video has more than one audio track. Make sure the audio tracks are located in the same folder as the current ...
Page 35 - Video Setting; to confirm your settings.; Video Zoom; repeatedly to cycle through the available zoom options. Press; or; BACK; to revert to the default viewing scale.
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL WATCHING VIDEO – 31 Video Setting Use the navigation buttons to set brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue of the currently playing video. Press ENTER to confirm your settings. Video Zoom Use these options to change the viewing scale of the video play...
Page 36 - Playing Music; Music Playback
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL PLAYING MUSIC – 32 Playing Music With the multimedia drive you can copy your music library to a USB device and listen to it from your entertainment unit. The following audio file and audio codec formats are supported. Audio MP3 WAV/PCM/LPCM WMA A...
Page 37 - Music Playback Controls; Use these buttons on the remote control to control music playback:
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL PLAYING MUSIC – 33 The music playback screen displays information about the currently playing audio file including file, album, artist, and genre name, year, and playback progress bar showing elapsed and total time. Music Playback Controls Use these butt...
Page 38 - Music Menu Options
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL PLAYING MUSIC – 34 Music Menu Options The music menu options allow you to search, set view modes, sort, and filter your music files. To display the music options, press OPTION in a directory containing music files. Press ENTER to select an option. ...
Page 39 - Music Playback Options; Playing Music From Your iPod
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL PLAYING MUSIC – 35 Music Playback Options To set the music repeat mode: 1. During music playback, press OPTION . 2. Repeat Off is selected by default. You can also choose one of the following options: Repeat One – The current audio track is played repe...
Page 40 - Viewing Photos; Photo Display; to see the photo and info such as resolution and
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL VIEWING PHOTOS – 36 Viewing Photos With the multimedia drive you can view your digital photo album in the comfort of your living room. It’s perfect for sharing fun times with your friends and family. The following image file formats are supported: GIF ...
Page 41 - Photo Menu Options
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL VIEWING PHOTOS – 37 To view the next picture file in the photo folder, press NEXT (photo). To view the previous picture file in the photo folder, press PREV (previous). Photo Menu Options The music menu options allow you to search, set view modes, so...
Page 42 - Photo Playback Options; Photo Slideshow
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL VIEWING PHOTOS – 38 Photo Playback Options Photo playback options allow you to customize the way you watch your videos. To display the photo options, press OPTION during playback. Press ENTER to select an option. To hide options, press BACK or OPTI...
Page 43 - Slide Transition
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL VIEWING PHOTOS – 39 Slide Transition Use this option to select from a wide variety of slideshow transition effects. Repeat and Shuffle Options Use these options to set the slideshow to Repeat All , Repeat Off , or Shuffle . Zoom & Pan Use this option...
Page 44 - Photo Info Panel; Info about the photo, slideshow, and photo equipment used displays.
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL VIEWING PHOTOS – 40 Photo Info Panel Press ENTER while displaying a photo or slideshow to bring up the photo info panel. Info about the photo, slideshow, and photo equipment used displays.
Page 45 - Setup and Advanced Features; Setup; To select a Setup category:; There are four Setup categories, including
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 41 Setup and Advanced Features Setup The Setup menu lets you customize the way you use the multimedia drive and set preferences for media playback. To select a Setup category: 1. Press HOME , then select the Setup icon. 2. P...
Page 46 - Setup Navigation Buttons; Menu Language
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 42 Setup Navigation Buttons Use these buttons on the remote control to navigate within and between the Settings screens. System Setup The following system setup options are available: Menu Language Use this menu to select th...
Page 47 - Autoplay USB Storage; Screen Saver
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 43 Autoplay DVD-ROM Note: Autoplay does not support USB hubs. Use this menu to turn Autoplay On or Off for a DVD ROM device connected to the USB port. After it is set, and the multimedia drive restarted, Autoplay starts each...
Page 48 - Auto Scan Storage
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 44 ENTER . The Unlock External HDD menu is grayed out after the external drive has been unlocked or when a password is not being used. Auto Scan Storage When set to Auto Scan On (default setting), auto scan builds/updates a ...
Page 49 - Audio Setup; Set Maximum Volume Limit
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 45 Audio Setup The following audio settings are available: Set Maximum Volume Limit Use this menu to set the dynamic range control, which reduces or increases sound levels. Options are Off , Medium , and High . HDMI Output S...
Page 50 - Video Setup; The following video settings are available:; Aspect Ratio; TV System; Use this menu to select a video signal. Default setting is; HDMI Auto; with your TV). Highest resolution setting is
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 46 Video Setup The following video settings are available: Aspect Ratio Use this menu to select the way videos are displayed. Options include: Normal ( Pan Scan 4:3 , Letter Box 4:3 ) Widescreen ( 16:9 , 16:10 ) Note: Th...
Page 51 - Scale Video Output to 90%; Setting this menu to; shrinks the video output to 90% for better viewing on legacy; On; , the option is applied only when the video content is 24Hz and the TV; Others Setup; The following additional settings are available:; Firmware Upgrade
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 47 Scale Video Output to 90% Setting this menu to On shrinks the video output to 90% for better viewing on legacy TVs that have a problem showing full resolution. Also, see “Video Zoom” on page 31. 1080P 24Hz 1080P 24Hz impr...
Page 52 - Locating Media Content
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 48 Locating Media Content To perform a media search: 1. If you want to search for particular type of media (for example, video files only), go to the Home screen for that media type (i.e., select Videos in the main screen th...
Page 53 - If no media files match the search, press; then select the search
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 49 All files with filenames that begin with the characters entered in the search field are included in the search results. For example, searching for ‘glo’ could result in these matches: Global party.jpgGlow of the Field.j...
Page 54 - MediaInfo - Examining Your Files
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SETUP AND ADVANCED FEATURES – 50 MediaInfo - Examining Your Files MediaInfo (free software) can provide technical and tag information about your video or audio files. MediaInfo provides the following kinds of information: General—title, author, directo...
Page 55 - System Maintenance; System Firmware Upgrade; Make sure the multimedia drive’s AC power adapter remains; Upgrade Firmware Using the Internal Drive; Copy the firmware update file to a location on your computer.
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE – 51 System Maintenance The system firmware of your multimedia drive can be upgraded to the latest release, which can improve support for media file playback and includes bug fixes and product enhancements. To ensure that you receive t...
Page 56 - Upgrade Firmware Using USB Storage; Automatic firmware upgrade
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE – 52 7. The firmware upgrade screen displays. Select OK , then press ENTER . This restarts the system. 8. After restarting, the system automatically enters firmware upgrade mode. 9. Once the update process finishes, the multimedia driv...
Page 57 - Troubleshooting; Problem
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE – 53 Troubleshooting Problem Solution DISPLAY The TV screen is blank and the multimedia drive power LED remains off. Make sure the TV is turned on. Make sure that the power adapter and power outlet are okay. Make sure that the in...
Page 59 - Common Error Messages
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE – 55 Common Error Messages Installing, Partitioning, and Formatting the Drive * The FAT32 file system has a maximum individual file size of 4 GB and cannot create partitions larger than 32 GB in Windows; however, Windows users can over...
Page 60 - Frequently Asked Questions; Import; Rip
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE – 56 Frequently Asked Questions Q: How do I play or modify media on my computer? A: Several multimedia drive applications are currently available, such as Winamp and iTunes, that let you play, arrange, and edit media files. These multi...
Page 62 - Appendix; Product Specifications
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL APPENDIX – 58 Appendix Product Specifications Environmental Specifications Note: Specifications are subject to change without notice. Weight info varies based on hard drive capacity. Model Name WD Elements Play Multimedia Drive Description USB 2.0 Extern...
Page 63 - Supported Media File Formats
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL APPENDIX – 59 Supported Media File Formats Audio Format Supported? Supported file extensions Supported in video container MP3 (CBR, VBR 32~320kbps) Yes .mp3 Yes MP2 Yes .mp2 Yes WAV/PCM/LPCM/ADPCM Yes .wav/.wave/.adpcm Yes AAC (Mpeg 2/4) Yes .aac/.m4a/.m...
Page 64 - Audio Containers/Codec
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL APPENDIX – 60 Audio Containers/Codec Playlist (for Audio) Photo Video Format Supported? Supported file extensions Supported in video container AIFF Yes .aiff/.aif/.aifc Yes Ogg Vorbis Yes .ogg Yes MKA Yes .mka Yes Real Audio Yes .ra Yes Format Supported?...
Page 65 - Video Containers/Codec
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL APPENDIX – 61 Video Containers/Codec Subtitle Format Supported? Supported file extensions Supported in video container AVI Yes .avi N/A M2TS/VOB/ISO/IFO (DVD format) Yes .m2ts/.vob/.iso/.ifo N/A Xvid Yes .avi/.xvid N/A MKV (Native chapter and subtitle su...
Page 67 - Regulatory Compliance; FCC Class B Information; Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.; Safety Compliance
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL APPENDIX – 63 Regulatory Compliance FCC Class B Information This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection a...
Page 68 - CE
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL APPENDIX – 64 Die Markierung mit dem CE-Symbol zeigt an, dass dieses Gerät mit den anwendbaren Richtlinien der Europäischen Union übereinstimmt. Hierzu zählen auch die EMV-Richtlinie (2004/108/EG) sowie die Niederspannungsrichtlinie (2006/95/EG). Eine &#...
Page 69 - Warranty Information; Obtaining Service; Limited Warranty
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL APPENDIX – 65 KC Notice (Republic of Korea only) Environmental Compliance (China) Warranty Information Obtaining Service WD values your business and always attempts to provide you the very best of service. If this Product requiresmaintenance, either cont...
Page 71 - Index; Numerics
WD ELEMENTS PLAY MULTIMEDIA DRIVE USER MANUAL INDEX – 67 Index Numerics 1080P 24Hz 47 A accessories 2 Apple users 17 aspect ratio 46 normal 46 troubleshooting 53 widescreen 46 audio HDMI output 45 lip sync 45 S/PDIF output 45 surround sound 45 sync 45 audio setup 45 audio/video supported interfaces ...
