EXTERNAL HD AND SONY BRAVIA HELP PLEASE

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ButterflyXXX

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Hi guys

Firstly, I am by no means a tech-head, so bear with me m'kay...

I bought a 1.5TB Samsung G3 External HD today, so that I could put ma tv series from ma dvd recorder onto ma laptop and onto the ext. HD and plug it into my tv and watch that way, and free up some space on me lap top by putting some of my other crap on it too and it's better than having all them dvds running around. I've been watching some few series I've put onto my li'l 2G flash drive and it worked fine (which I now know why after my visit to Matrix).

Anyhoo, when I went to Matrix today and explained what I wanted to do, the gent said to me an external HD wouldn't work 'cos it was too big to be read by the tv and I'd need to get a media player too (yeah, less yadah yadah too much ching ching :)), so I accepted that my idea wouldn't work and moved on. Then I walked passed Hi-Fi Corruption and decided to go in. One of the dudes there told me that an HD should work on my tv, depending on which model it was. So off I go home, get the model number and phone the HFC dude and he says it will work.

Now I don't fancy buying from HFC, so I went to Incredible Corruption and told them the same schpiel and they also said it would work on my tv model - well guess what - it so doesn't! And I'm not happy. I haven't put anything on the HD yet in case I need to take it back. I plugged the thing into my tv and it doesn't even pick it up. The 2G flashdrive, no problem.

Oh, another thing, on the way home to get the TV model number, I had a brain wave. I thought what if I could plug the external HD into my PS3 i.s.o. buying a media player. So I phoned another branch of Matrix (the one I went to wasn't in the phone book) and the kindly gentlemen "said yes it would work, no problem", so cool, I had a back up, if the TV thing didn't work, I could use my PS3. Well, I tried that, and that doesn't work either :mad: Although IC, which Matrix guy didn't mention over the phone, did say I'd need to upgrade the firmware on my PS3 or something... (also tried it in my Xbox, and doesn't work either).

Can someone please help a poor damsel in distress? :o My TV is a Sony Bravia KDL-40EX400. Spanks B3X
 
Also, when I plug my 2G into the PS3 it says it's empty, but when I plug it into the Xbox, it reads the files *rolls eyes*
 
Reformat to FAT32.

4gig limitation on individual files. It sucks yes.

The Bravia can also do DLNA, so you can stream bigger files over the LAN connection from a PC to get around the limitation. The PC needs to transcode it on the fly though so you need a moderately powerful PC.
 
Thanks Havoc, but, um, yeah...didn't understand a word of what you just said after "..convert to FAT32" :). I've heard of FAT32, dunno what it is, but heard of it. Heard of DLNA, I think it came up some time when I was hooking up my old xbox to the intrawebs a couple of years ago? - pfft, got that right a whole ONE time and never again! Pleeease don't be asking me to upgrade my PS3 firmware online, it scares me, I've tried hooking that beeyatch online too a few years ago and couldn't get it right. P'raps I should have also specified: could you guys/gals help the way you would explain to your mammas or grandmammas how to operate the VCR over the phone ;). I don't know all this stuff.
 
The structure (filesystem) in which the data is arranged on the harddisk is likely to be the problem. They come in two flavours: FAT32 and NTFS. Computers can read both. Sony Bravias can only read FAT32. Your 2gb stick is likely to be FAT32 formatted while the hdd is likely to be NTFS.

You can check by plugging them both into the PC, right clikc -> properties:
T6Jgh.png

(http://i.imgur.com/T6Jgh.png)

To change it to FAT32 you need to format. Formatting will delete everything on the harddisk. So copy everything off it first & make sure you format the correct drive.

Google a bit for step by step instructions.
 
Thanks Hav, hmmm yes, I see what you mean. Flash and HDD are as you say (well of course they are, you would know :D). I don't have anything on the HDD yet, so it'd be safe to format it. But won't changing the, uh, flavour flave to FAT32 void my whatever if I want to return it tomorrow if I still have no joy even after the conversion. Or what, must I just format it back to NTFS if FAT32 doesn't work?

That is to say, I format it to FAT32, copy a few test vids, check if they play on the tv, if not, reformat to NTFS, which will delete whatever I've put on there any way, restoring it to how I bought it and then return it? :o (What else could I possible use a HDD for?) Well such a beeg one anyway. I know I need to clear some crap off my laptop, but I wouldn't know what to move to the HDD. D'you see what happens when computer stores sell to the public? And by public, I mean noobs like me ;)

I found this forum, but am I going in over my pip here?
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1321569

EDIT: 'k, I just read a bit further down in the above forum link and they also tune that you must format to FAT32, I was just reading up to "Andy Dufresne and his ps3mediaserver bit" and got scared again :cry:.

Sorry, I know you guys wouldn't post something that would hurt another poster's equipment 'n such, but that (formatting to FAT32) won't "hurt" the HDD, with any other stuff I'll be copying over to it, will it? Why do they make it NTFS in the first place? Oy vey, so much to learn, so little time.
 
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ButterflyXXX said:
That is to say, I format it to FAT32, copy a few test vids, check if they play on the tv, if not, reformat to NTFS, which will delete whatever I've put on there any way, restoring it to how I bought it and then return it? :o (What else could I possible use a HDD for?)
Click to expand...

yes
& probably start researching - mede8tor - to make your life easier:)
 
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Hi - Depends what formats the PS3 will read i guess.....mede8tor will read most anything + you can use NTFS formated Hard drive on it.....PS3 i know nothing about sorry
 
WEEEEE! I'm happy to report, I formatted the li'l big sucker to FAT32 (the user manual on the HDD says you can EVEN :)) You can even download the necessary from Samsung's website for freeee, took a minute!! I copied a video to the HDD, plugged it into the TV and ET VOILA! IT WORKS!! At first, nothing happened, but at least this time it picked up the HDD, but no files, so I was :( Then I gave it a sec and YAY!!!!! I also tried it in the PS3 and Xbox for interest sake, works on the Xbox and not the PS3. Odd, 'cos when I have a dvd that won't play on the Xbox, I know it will on the PS3. And I just know there's a whole techie reason for that too. But at least my problem is sorted. Not bad for a n00b ;)

Thanks again guys!!! You pointed me in the right direction aaaaannnnndddd I learnt a few things! I'm so grateful XXX

Now I must just keep the HDD tidy, unlike my laptop with files all over the show heh heh :D

only 'cos it's Vista and I dunno where all the stuff ends up half the time...*sigh*
 
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Glad it worked out.

Remember not all file formats work though...the Bravia can only read some of them. .mkv 264 def works though and thats the important one. I think running a firmware update on the TV adds a few formats...you can do that via the ethernet or flash stick. Updating firmware is a bit more technically advanced though so maybe leave it unless you really need to.

If you need to split mkv files to fit into the 4gig limitation you can download a tool called mkvmerge. For series & low res stuff this won't be necessary though.
 
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