Samsung Smart TV PVR

atlantis187

Just bought the Samsung UE8000 TV which apparently has USB recording from the built in freesat.
I tried hooking my 500 hard drive onto this to try but it's asking me to reformat the drive before using I didn't go ahead as I didn't want to lose all my stuff from the drive.
Has anyone used this feature and how good is it can I replace my freesat box?

beater

I think it works ok, I use a usb memory stick to record the odd program, but you will have to reformat the device that you want to use to record. As to whether it's better than a dedicated freesat recorder...it will do the job, but I think the software bundled with the tv is a bit clunky by comparison. If you've got a spare usb stick, just use that and try it for yourself.

hanwellmike

I also have a similar Samsung tv. If you go ahead with the reformat then you will lose all the data on that drive. You will not be able to view what you have recorded on any other tv or PC, so that hard drive will work only with that tv. I assume that if you want to use the drive for other purposes then you could reformat with a pc (and lose the tv recordings).
I think a pvr is a bit better for setting recordings and for retrieving recordings.

atlantis187

I've tried an 8gb USB stick into it and it doesn't accept this it's saying USB not compatible.
Can u only use by external hard drives with it 500gb etc..

beater

I've got a 64gb usb stick plugged in which works ok, not sure how it can tell the difference to be honest. I think I've read that the tv's can be a bit fussy about what you plug in to them. Some drives work, some don't.

LucianH

I've been using the PVR/Timeshift function on a 7000 series Samsung since May and, on the whole, it works really well. Just the odd hiccup (about three times in the last six months) when the TV screws up the file system and the TV refuses to register the HDD. Also, I had problems when I first tried to use an old spare WD HDD I had - but the WD My Passport Essential Portable HDD that I'm currently using is a lot more robust.

The Samsung use the XFS file system (Linux) and can be read on a PC with, say, Ubuntu. You can use this to archive off recorded programs if you want to. I've also had to use Ubuntu to repair the file system when the TV screwed it up. When I've done this, I've not lost any recorded programs. If you're interested in all the gory details of the problems I initially had, and the way to repair the file system (which I would not have been able to do without help from this forum!) see the following threads:

09-03-2012: Does the PVR work on Samsung SMART TVs?
04-05-2012: Ubuntu help - changing external HDD permissions
29-04-2012: Samsung Smart TV - USB HDD PVR function
19-05-2012: Can't read Linux formatted External HDD

atlantis187

Do u think this drive will work with the TV

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Passport-Portable-Drive/dp/B007UOW818/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

LucianH

atlantis187 wrote: »

Do u think this drive will work with the TV

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Passport-Portable-Drive/dp/B007UOW818/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

The one that I have is the "WD - My Passport Essential External Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive - 320 GB, Black"

Before I bought this I asked the following question to Samsung Support:

"Please can you confirm that it is possible to use an external HDD that is powered via the USB port (as opposed to having a separate power supply) for the PVR function of the UE46D7000LUXXU Smart TV. Can you also confirm that a drive that is USB 3.0 and is backward compatible with USB 2.0 is also compatible."

The response I had was:

"The extended PVR functionality of this television will allow both requirements that you have set out. We recommend keeping the external HDD smaller that 500GB, with at least 5,400 rpm, but a USB HDD of RAID type is not supported.

The USB device must go through the Device Format and Device Performance Test again before you record with the Guide or Channel. "

Hope this helps

atlantis187

have u got a link for the drive that u use mate.
Where did u buy it from?
I dont want to buy the wrong one and then realise it doesnt work.

bod1467

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=WD+-+My+Passport+Essential+External+Portable+USB+3.0+Hard+Drive+-+320+GB%2C+Black

LucianH

atlantis187 wrote: »

I dont want to buy the wrong one and then realise it doesnt work.

Don't forget what I said previously that there's been a few times on the last six months where I've had a problem with the drive not being recognised by the TV:

LucianH wrote: »

I've been using the PVR/Timeshift function on a 7000 series Samsung since May and, on the whole, it works really well. Just the odd hiccup (about three times in the last six months) when the TV screws up the file system and the TV refuses to register the HDD.

When this happens you have only two options:

1) Have a go at repairing the XFS file system using Linux (eg, Ubuntu) as was detailed in the previous posts I referenced. (If you're computer savvy and have Linux or an Ubuntu Live Boot disk then this is relatively straight forward.)

2) Have the TV reformat the drive so it mounts correctly - BUT, you'll obviously loose all recorded programs.

It may be worth Googling Samsung Smart TV PVR and look for discussions on other forums to see what other recommendations there are.