Price : Too low to display
WD's My Passport AV allows you to easily transfer and store videos from your compatible camcorder to free up space for more recording. Connect it to a game console, Blu-ray Disc player or media player, like WD TV, to smoothly stream video to your big-screen TV. Optimized for AV devices, this handy little drive is the perfect solution for your video storage and playback needs.
This review is from : Western Digital My Passport AV 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Media Drive (Black)
Nice small package works on a lot of different devices . This external hard drive is smaller than it looks in the pictures. It can even fit in most pockets! It works well as it's marketed: as an AV storage device connected to a device in your home entertainment system such as to a PS3 or Blu-Ray player (check the compatibility list). Naturally, it can be used as a normal external hard drive connected to your laptop or desktop computer as well.
One questions I had was whether or not this can work with a TiVo to add more storage, it unfortunately cannot since the TiVo requires an E-SATA interface and this drive uses USB 2.0.
One thing that's nice about this is that it requires no external power source, it gets power from the USB. It also runs very cool so there is no fear of it overheating or adding additional heat when inside of an entertainment cabinet.
The sleek design makes it nice for traveling as well. It also comes with a stand to hold the drive vertically if you want.
If you need more storage for your media center, and have a supported device that you want to connect this hard drive to, I can recommend this Western Digital.
Nice small package works on a lot of different devices . This external hard drive is smaller than it looks in the pictures. It can even fit in most pockets! It works well as it's marketed: as an AV storage device connected to a device in your home entertainment system such as to a PS3 or Blu-Ray player (check the compatibility list). Naturally, it can be used as a normal external hard drive connected to your laptop or desktop computer as well.
One questions I had was whether or not this can work with a TiVo to add more storage, it unfortunately cannot since the TiVo requires an E-SATA interface and this drive uses USB 2.0.
One thing that's nice about this is that it requires no external power source, it gets power from the USB. It also runs very cool so there is no fear of it overheating or adding additional heat when inside of an entertainment cabinet.
The sleek design makes it nice for traveling as well. It also comes with a stand to hold the drive vertically if you want.
If you need more storage for your media center, and have a supported device that you want to connect this hard drive to, I can recommend this Western Digital.
Western Digital My Passport AV 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Media Drive (Black) Reviews
Small fast and reliable . This drive is small and in a very attractive case. No external power source is needed. The drive is also fast and responsive. It is a first rate piece of equipment you can depend upon.
Small fast and reliable . This drive is small and in a very attractive case. No external power source is needed. The drive is also fast and responsive. It is a first rate piece of equipment you can depend upon.
Western Digital My Passport AV 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Media Drive (Black) Opinions
Perfect With my WD 'Live' Media Player . I loaded up the AV320 with .avi movie files, connected it to my WD Live Media Player and I was good to go in just minutes. Of course, this drive can just be used as a basic, portable external hard drive, but WD has done something to make this unit run much cooler than regular portable drives which is why it's marketed as a "media drive." When you're using an external drive to pass movies through a media player (like the WD Live), game console, etc. the platters are spinning non-stop and these devices can get very hot. That's not the case with this drive as it's specifically designed for the long running times of a movie. It stays amazingly cool.
Other pluses would be the very small size, the fact that it's USB-powered (no need for another electrical outlet) and the streaming optimization which makes for smooth playback. Good job, Western Digital.
Perfect With my WD 'Live' Media Player . I loaded up the AV320 with .avi movie files, connected it to my WD Live Media Player and I was good to go in just minutes. Of course, this drive can just be used as a basic, portable external hard drive, but WD has done something to make this unit run much cooler than regular portable drives which is why it's marketed as a "media drive." When you're using an external drive to pass movies through a media player (like the WD Live), game console, etc. the platters are spinning non-stop and these devices can get very hot. That's not the case with this drive as it's specifically designed for the long running times of a movie. It stays amazingly cool.
Other pluses would be the very small size, the fact that it's USB-powered (no need for another electrical outlet) and the streaming optimization which makes for smooth playback. Good job, Western Digital.
Excellent . A great addition to electronics library. As it makes storing items(musics, pictures or whatever you need) a breeze. Plus it is lightweight and takes up next to no space. It is also easy to take this on the go with you. If you have to travel anywhere. I would recommend this for anyone looking to add a bit of storage capacity to your laptop or desktop. Great choice.
Decent little USB drive . One can never have enough external hard drive storage. They're useful for backups or transferring files among different devices. This drive packaging says it is optimized for video files. So I decided to try it out with my HD camcorder, WD TV, and various computers.
First off, I plugged it into my JVC GZ-HD7 using the supplied cables but it was a no-go. The JVC returned an incompatible device message. Oh, well. This drive says it is compatible with certain Sony camcorders and Blu-ray players so it was worth a shot.
Next, I tried it with a WD TV. The Passport packaging says it works well with it and indeed, it does. No issues and the 320GB size will hold quite a few videos. I did notice a little vibration from the hard drive motor spinning. Depending on what it is sitting on, this could cause a little hum. The drive does spin down after several minutes of non-use.
Transferring and viewing files from computer to computer works as expected. I did not time transfer times but this drive appears to move data quickly.
The only other issue I've found is the supplied cable has the USB symbol on the opposite end from most other USB cables. Otherwise, it's a nice little drive.
First off, I plugged it into my JVC GZ-HD7 using the supplied cables but it was a no-go. The JVC returned an incompatible device message. Oh, well. This drive says it is compatible with certain Sony camcorders and Blu-ray players so it was worth a shot.
Next, I tried it with a WD TV. The Passport packaging says it works well with it and indeed, it does. No issues and the 320GB size will hold quite a few videos. I did notice a little vibration from the hard drive motor spinning. Depending on what it is sitting on, this could cause a little hum. The drive does spin down after several minutes of non-use.
Transferring and viewing files from computer to computer works as expected. I did not time transfer times but this drive appears to move data quickly.
The only other issue I've found is the supplied cable has the USB symbol on the opposite end from most other USB cables. Otherwise, it's a nice little drive.
It works as expected . I bougth this item for compatibility with my Xbox 360. It works just the way I wanted! I use it to save all my DVD movies into mp4 and then use the Xbox as a media center.
Things I like about it:
- Standard WD size, standard USB cable and use a standard mini USB serial port so if you lose or damage the cable that comes with the drive (or you simply want a longer one) you can go to any store and buy any usb cable you want (newer WD drives don't come with a standard mini usb port and need a proprietary cable from WD).
- Doesn't need a external power supply.
- Guaranteed to work with any device!
What I didn't like:
- It doesn't come with any applications for backups like other external drives sold these days.
At the time of this review, I've been using it for 4 months so I can't talk much about reliability in the long run but I have no complains so far.
Things I like about it:
- Standard WD size, standard USB cable and use a standard mini USB serial port so if you lose or damage the cable that comes with the drive (or you simply want a longer one) you can go to any store and buy any usb cable you want (newer WD drives don't come with a standard mini usb port and need a proprietary cable from WD).
- Doesn't need a external power supply.
- Guaranteed to work with any device!
What I didn't like:
- It doesn't come with any applications for backups like other external drives sold these days.
At the time of this review, I've been using it for 4 months so I can't talk much about reliability in the long run but I have no complains so far.
Adequate speeds. Low heat. Overpriced. . This drive is supposedly meant for people who are video recording professionals/hobbyists. At first glance that might seem to be the case. WD includes a truly thick USB cable that feels quite durable, and obviously meant for people who would use this drive on the go. There is also the Direct Copy functionality for use with the latest Sony camcorders (there is also an extra cord included to use with these camcorders).
But other than that this is just an ordinary external hard drive. WD claims that this can withstand higher heat levels. While I have no way to properly test this claim, I am assuming that the drive achieves that by running at lower speeds.
According to my tests the drive averages at 19.3 MB/s when writing, and 23.8 MB/s when reading (one single large file transfer). That's a couple of MB/s lower than what I've seen in other 2.5" external hard drive.
However, I think this drive is a little overpriced for what it does (over, say, a WD Elements drive). I don't think the firmware optimizations are worth the extra thirty bucks. However, the price is similar to other My Passport drives. And it comes with a standard mini-USB port, instead of the less popular micro-USB on other My Passport drives.
But other than that this is just an ordinary external hard drive. WD claims that this can withstand higher heat levels. While I have no way to properly test this claim, I am assuming that the drive achieves that by running at lower speeds.
According to my tests the drive averages at 19.3 MB/s when writing, and 23.8 MB/s when reading (one single large file transfer). That's a couple of MB/s lower than what I've seen in other 2.5" external hard drive.
However, I think this drive is a little overpriced for what it does (over, say, a WD Elements drive). I don't think the firmware optimizations are worth the extra thirty bucks. However, the price is similar to other My Passport drives. And it comes with a standard mini-USB port, instead of the less popular micro-USB on other My Passport drives.
Nice portable drive . Easy USB plug and play interface, about a 3 ft cord, has an adaptor cable for Sony camcorders, has a white LED light to show when it's running and comes with a U-shaped stand. It runs pretty quite and I'm happy with it. 320 GB is a good size for media storage like photos and music.
Works Well . This 320 GB external hard drive has an easy USB plug and play interface (even *I* can use it), a white light to show it's on, simple instructions, about a 3 ft cord, and an adaptor cable for Sony camcorders & stuff. The U-shaped stand is cute (but odd, I immediately thought of napkins), it fits easily in my pocket (so I can carry around all my crazy cat lady pictures), it's quiet and it doesn't get hot. I'm happy with it (and so is my husband - I finally got something "good" from Vine).
Cons Review
Nifty Device and Small too . (+) Great size (fits in my front pocket)
(+) Very easy to use
(+) Very portable
(+) Pretty low energy usage
(-) only on choice of connecting: USB 2.0 (but this is only a slight negative)
(-) it's just a regular HD (as opposed to being solid state)
I didn't have the opportunity to check out the instant d/l using one of the approved devices (namely, because I don't own one), but I did use this as a back up for some of the pictures I took on a recent family trip to Yellowstone National Park. As an aside, I forgot my charger for my MacBook Pro, so I was very concerned about the amount of battery power I'd be using (we brought it along to have a place to d/l our pics and videos, the HD was used as a back up jic something happened to the laptop). I was very pleased with the low amount of energy consumed by the HD when I plugged it into my Mac. The speed was what I would have expected for the amount of data I was moving from my computer to the HD, but I think that there would definitely be a great potential in affording additional types of connections. The HD itself was easy to carry along and I even kept it in my shirt pocket at times.
I think the biggest drawback for this HD is the fact that it's main component is a moving part. It was definitely hard to tell at first, but when I started transferring more files, I could tell that there was a disk in the box (all to say, it's very quiet). I haven't read anything on whether or not this thing has drop sensors, but my inclination is to doubt that it does. So while the size is generally a plus, it also worries me to think of how easy it would be to drop and how this might affect whatever I'm transferring as well as the device I'm transferring from (i.e. - might it corrupt the data, etc.?).
So, chalk it up to my threat of clumsiness to drop this from what might otherwise be a 5 star review to a four.
Altogether, this is a super portable HD that works great for folks who are (maybe) traveling and need a place to back up their files. The only wire you'll need is the USB 2.0 cable it comes with (no additional power source is required). You might want to bring something to carry it in too.
***Update***
I downgraded from a four to a two; this device has some sort of difficulty in receiving any batch of files over 10GB. Again, I know that my use may have been contrary to what was specified, but it's still an external HD and should be able to take the files fine. I ran into this issue in trying to copy HD video as well as still digitals.
In addition, the construction is pretty flimsy - I haven't been roughing it around or anything, but the external shell is not of what one might consider a superior quality.
(+) Very easy to use
(+) Very portable
(+) Pretty low energy usage
(-) only on choice of connecting: USB 2.0 (but this is only a slight negative)
(-) it's just a regular HD (as opposed to being solid state)
I didn't have the opportunity to check out the instant d/l using one of the approved devices (namely, because I don't own one), but I did use this as a back up for some of the pictures I took on a recent family trip to Yellowstone National Park. As an aside, I forgot my charger for my MacBook Pro, so I was very concerned about the amount of battery power I'd be using (we brought it along to have a place to d/l our pics and videos, the HD was used as a back up jic something happened to the laptop). I was very pleased with the low amount of energy consumed by the HD when I plugged it into my Mac. The speed was what I would have expected for the amount of data I was moving from my computer to the HD, but I think that there would definitely be a great potential in affording additional types of connections. The HD itself was easy to carry along and I even kept it in my shirt pocket at times.
I think the biggest drawback for this HD is the fact that it's main component is a moving part. It was definitely hard to tell at first, but when I started transferring more files, I could tell that there was a disk in the box (all to say, it's very quiet). I haven't read anything on whether or not this thing has drop sensors, but my inclination is to doubt that it does. So while the size is generally a plus, it also worries me to think of how easy it would be to drop and how this might affect whatever I'm transferring as well as the device I'm transferring from (i.e. - might it corrupt the data, etc.?).
So, chalk it up to my threat of clumsiness to drop this from what might otherwise be a 5 star review to a four.
Altogether, this is a super portable HD that works great for folks who are (maybe) traveling and need a place to back up their files. The only wire you'll need is the USB 2.0 cable it comes with (no additional power source is required). You might want to bring something to carry it in too.
***Update***
I downgraded from a four to a two; this device has some sort of difficulty in receiving any batch of files over 10GB. Again, I know that my use may have been contrary to what was specified, but it's still an external HD and should be able to take the files fine. I ran into this issue in trying to copy HD video as well as still digitals.
In addition, the construction is pretty flimsy - I haven't been roughing it around or anything, but the external shell is not of what one might consider a superior quality.
Product Image
Feature Western Digital My Passport AV 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Media Drive (Black)
- A light-weight storage companion for your camcorder - Instantly add more recording hours to your compatible camcorder
- Optimized for video storage and playback - Stays cool even in a hot entertainment center, Delivers optimized streaming for smooth video playback
- Play videos, music, and photos on your TV -Connect this AV-optimized drive to a WD TV media player, a game console
- USB 2.0 powered My Passport AV is USB powered and requires no separate power supply.
- Blu-ray Disc player to enjoy your media on your big screen TV.
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Product Details
EAN : 0718037763040UPC : 718037763040
MPN : WDBABS3200ABK-NESN
Brand : Western Digital
Color : Black
Weight : 1 pounds
Height : 2 inches
Length : 8 inches
Width : 7 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Hardware Platform : PC
Manufacturer : Western Digital
Model : WDBABS3200ABK-NESN
Publisher : Western Digital
SKU : 0718037763040MCR
Studio : Western Digital
Where To Buy
You can buy Western Digital My Passport AV 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Media Drive (Black) on Amazon . Click here to Read More
