Connecting a hard drive to a TV

• 

  imaximax1 on 03/04/2012 - 09:08

  +1

  Is there anything on the drive to watch?

  you said the computer formatted it, that may have removed anything on it.

  Not sure if your tv does allow playback from a USB, but a WD live would make things easier (much simpler interface to tv's in my experience).

  Also i here apple tv is popular. (Never seen it, but i assume its made easier for less tech-savy people).

  • 

    steviee on 03/04/2012 - 09:50

    there was stuff on the drive until the TV formatted it (not the computer)

    the TV does allow playback from usb sticks fine

    thankyou very much for your help, seems to confirm what i was thinking

• 

  imaximax1 on 03/04/2012 - 09:09

  Also lol:

  view pictures of my computer?

  (should it be off)?

  • 

    steviee on 03/04/2012 - 10:17

    Have reworded original text, thanks for the English lesson

• 

  scrimshaw on 03/04/2012 - 09:19

  +1

  but when connected to the tv, the tv formats and registers the drive,

  Format? — there goes the hard drive's contents.

  The simplest method is to just buy a media player however this may not be neccessary at all if the television already has a built in one.

  Try reading the user's manual and see if it supports video / mp3 and JPEG playback. Some TV's have rather rudimentary media players and don't support a lot of codecs, so you might end up buying a media player anyway.

  • 

    imaximax1 on 03/04/2012 - 09:26

    Exactly what i was thinking, but they only mention Pictures

    • 

      steviee on 03/04/2012 - 10:19

      thanks for your response,

• 

  anawth on 03/04/2012 - 10:01

  +1

  Reading about the panasonic tv's (viera and other models) it seems you're not alone with this issue, as it requires a specific format for files (video and otherwise).
  Save yourself some heart-ache and get a wd media player

  • 

    steviee on 03/04/2012 - 10:19

    Cheers, looks like everyone is giving the same advice

• 

  grog on 03/04/2012 - 10:02

  Check the owners manual for the TV to find out exactly what the USB socket is designed to do.

  Also what is the maximum size USB device it will accept and process etc

  2tb may be way over the maximum size

  • 

    steviee on 03/04/2012 - 10:20

    good point, 2TB is the Max so i am safe there.

• 

  BrettRocks on 03/04/2012 - 15:32

  -1

  From your original post if the tv has formatted it that means everything that was on it is gone.

  Try putting some pics and movies on it again and see how you go.

  • 

    steviee on 03/04/2012 - 15:53

    thanks Brett, turns out it does'nt work that way, once you connect a external HD to a usb port on a Panasonic Viera plasma, it won't connect to it until it registers and formats it, then it can only be used to record and pause live TV, this can only be done on the one TV, (as in you cannot then connect it to another tv and watched the recorded content)
    to rectify need to un-partion the HD, and then connect via a media player to one of the AV ports. will come back nad let you guys know how i go.