We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The Forum now has a brand new text editor, adding a bunch of handy features to use when creating posts. Read more in our how-to guide

External HDD?

I am looking to buy an external HDD for connecting to a Smart TV so as to record from the TV.

Info from the TV : -

Use only USB storage devices formatted with the Windows FAT32 or NTFS file system, (what does this mean?).

For external USB HDDs, it is recommended that you use devices with a rated voltage of less than 5V and a rated current of less than500mA.


It is recommended to use a USB hub or HDD with power supplied, (if the power supplied is not enough, the USB storage device may not be detected properly).

It is recommended to use USB memory sticks of 32GB or less and USB HDDs of 2TB or less, (this is from the downloaded user guide, but on the TV user guide it states, “It is recommended to use a USB device with a capacity between 40GB and 2 TB”), I tried a 2GB USB stick and the TV would not initialise it, the CS rep I spoke to said it need at least 32 GB.

A storage device on which USB Device initialisation has been performed, (required to use via the TV), will not be detected by a PC, (does this mean ANY of the device, or just the recorded part? i.e. could I still use the device to move stuff from the PC to the empty part of the device?).


So what would I be looking at to purchase? (250GB HDD).

I am thinking Western Digital?
Would I be better of with a powered HDD?


.
Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition


«1

Comments

  • WTFH
    WTFH Posts: 2,266 Forumite
    Get a powered one, that is what is recommended. Also, if he instructions and the customer service say to go for a device which is at least 32GB, then going for one which is less than a tenth of that size is probably not going to work.
    1. Have you tried to Google the answer?
    2. If you were in the other person's shoes, how would you react?
    3. Do you want a quick answer or better understanding?
  • What make of Smart TV? My Samsung formats a USB stick to use a Linux filesystem to record broadcasts.
  • letsbehonest
    letsbehonest Posts: 1,098 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    I bought a 1TB Buffalo mini air station 2.5 usb 3 inch usb powered and it works a treat
    "Imagination is more Important than knowledge"
  • YorkshireBoy
    YorkshireBoy Posts: 31,541 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    derrick wrote: »
    A storage device on which USB Device initialisation has been performed, (required to use via the TV), will not be detected by a PC, (does this mean ANY of the device, or just the recorded part? i.e. could I still use the device to move stuff from the PC to the empty part of the device?).
    I have a Samsung Smart TV and use a HGST Touro 500GB external HDD (USB powered) with no issues observed.


    My Samsung manual says once formatted for TV it can't be shared with a PC.


    To be honest, at £30 it doesn't matter and I bought a second one for the Laptop.
  • WTFH
    WTFH Posts: 2,266 Forumite
    LG TVs use FAT32 or NTFS, I think
    1. Have you tried to Google the answer?
    2. If you were in the other person's shoes, how would you react?
    3. Do you want a quick answer or better understanding?
  • derrick
    derrick Posts: 7,424 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 20 January 2014 at 10:47AM
    .
    What make of Smart TV? My Samsung formats a USB stick to use a Linux filesystem to record broadcasts.

    LG.

    WTFH wrote: »
    LG TVs use FAT32 or NTFS, I think


    Yes that is what I put in my OP, does that mean I have to make absolutely certain that I get one of those?

    Please ignore any reference to 32GB re my OP, turns out there are two apps, It is recommended to use USB memory sticks of 32GB or less and USB HDDs of 2TB or less,is for a storage device I want to play on the TV, and the “It is recommended to use a USB device with a capacity between 40GB and 2 TB”), relates to recording from the TV and needs initialising.

    I am not sure if I want to bother with this now as obviously with the TV only having one tuner it does seem a bit pointless to record from the TV.
    I have a Samsung Smart TV and use a HGST Touro 500GB external HDD (USB powered) with no issues observed.


    My Samsung manual says once formatted for TV it can't be shared with a PC.


    To be honest, at £30 it doesn't matter and I bought a second one for the Laptop.

    The LG says the same, but I have been informed it is possible to "partition" a HDD then the TV will see 2 HDDs attached, is this the case? As if I do buy one ,(and I may anyway for backup), it is unlikely that I will use anything like 100GB on the HDD, so the rest could be used for the computer.

    Where did you get your "HGST Touro 500GB external HDD (USB powered)" and is it as good as WD,(who appear to be the best?), and is it FAT32 or NTFS file system?

    Difference between 2.5 & 3 inch? And does it matter which I buy?
    .
    Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition


  • WTFH
    WTFH Posts: 2,266 Forumite
    FAT32/NTFS is just about how you format the drive. Pretty much any drive can be formatted to one of those two.
    But do not go for one that is USB Powered. You want one that has its own external power supply.

    It doesn't matter whether it is 2.5" or 3.5", that's nothing to worry about in this case.
    1. Have you tried to Google the answer?
    2. If you were in the other person's shoes, how would you react?
    3. Do you want a quick answer or better understanding?
  • derrick
    derrick Posts: 7,424 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    WTFH wrote: »
    FAT32/NTFS is just about how you format the drive. Pretty much any drive can be formatted to one of those two.
    But do not go for one that is USB Powered. You want one that has its own external power supply.

    It doesn't matter whether it is 2.5" or 3.5", that's nothing to worry about in this case.


    Can it be partitioned so that both the computer and the TV can see one each?

    .
    Don`t steal - the Government doesn`t like the competition


  • WTFH
    WTFH Posts: 2,266 Forumite
    1. Have you tried to Google the answer?
    2. If you were in the other person's shoes, how would you react?
    3. Do you want a quick answer or better understanding?
  • closed
    closed Posts: 10,886 Forumite
    edited 20 January 2014 at 12:07PM
    pvr's are usually a much better option, if a little more money

    if you do buy a hd, get a portable 2.5", quieter, smaller, and usually no extra power needed - if tv can't cope use a hub.

    Also quite useful for backups.., but not at the same time.
    !!
    > . !!!! ----> .
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 353.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 254.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 455K Spending & Discounts
  • 246.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 602.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 178.1K Life & Family
  • 260.6K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.