Many are used to the fact that the HDD is only in the computer. It cannot be used as a portable device and connected to other equipment. Therefore, they do not know how to connect a hard drive to a TV. In fact, an external drive is used, which for many has become a lifesaver. It allows you to hold information and transfer it from device to device.
For what?
Why figure out how to connect a hard drive to a TV? Most often, such a need arises among fans of video content. To begin with, not all users have smart TVs that can be connected to the Internet and enjoy any movie from there. And not everyone has such high-quality Internet to quickly download video content.
If you used a USB flash drive to watch a movie on a TV, now it has become much easier to use an external drive. Firstly, it has a larger volume. Secondly, it reads information faster. And failures rarely occur with it.
An external drive is also used when the smart TV does not have enough memory to handle the loading of content. Especially when it comes to recording live broadcasts. Then, knowledge of whether it is possible to connect a hard drive to a TV will come in handy.
The choice
But before connecting you will have to deal with the choice of railway. There are some nuances that you need to know for the correct operation of the device with a TV.
Naturally, the fact that it is now possible to connect the hard drive to the TV was reflected in the production. Some TV models are designed so that you can use the disc using various means of communication. Therefore, the buyer should consider:
- Compatibility Current To connect, you need a drive that has a current that is one third less than the indicator that is available for TV via a USB port. When you use your own power supply to connect, this option is not important when choosing.
- Memory size. An important parameter that should be immediately identified. It is better to immediately buy the option that is the most affordable for you in terms of characteristics and cost, so that you do not have to acquire dozens of less voluminous models afterwards. But here it is worth considering the compatibility of smart TV with mass storage devices.
- Performance. When choosing a hard drive for a PC, the user must check the performance of the device. After all, its speed and durability depend on this. The same situation with an external drive. If you save on HDD, you can get a device that transmits video content with braking.
- File systems. There should be support for existing file systems with which the hard drive works.
Connection
How to connect an external hard drive to the TV? After choosing a high-quality hard drive, you need to understand how to connect it to a TV. This point is unlikely to be described in the hardware manual, so you will have to act either intuitively or by the way other users did it before you.
Connection may vary slightly depending on the TV model. But in general, the process itself is practically no different from installing a flash drive.
To connect, you will need a USB cable, which should come with the HDD. For starters, you can take only the wire, so that it is more convenient to connect it.
How to connect an external hard drive to the TV? There are few ways. If this is a 2.5-inch device, it will be enough to find the HDD IN connector (with the corresponding marking) on the back of the TV and install a cable in it.
Next, it will be necessary for the TV to recognize the hard drive. Usually this happens automatically, so if everything is OK, everything will pass without your help. The TV will begin to load the necessary information, will be ready to run data from the disk.
Note
Many recommend purchasing a drive that works with USB 3.0. Since this connection is now the fastest for transferring media files, it is ideal. Particularly noticeable speed when playing large files.
If you have an old TV model, then connecting a USB 3.0 HDD will be completely pointless in the 2.0 connector. In this case, there is no point in overpaying for a faster interface, since it will not work.
Railway from computer
But not only an external hard drive can be used for a TV. How to connect a PC hard drive? It's no secret that computer HDDs are equipped with a special SATA interface that works with compatible connectors on the motherboard. Therefore, previously it was possible to connect the device only to a laptop or PC.
But now a large number of adapters and adapters are available for connection, which allow you to connect the computer's hard drive to the TV.
But it is worth considering some points. For example, if the hard drive works with a volume of more than 2 TB, then you need to think about a separate power source. You should also carefully study the issue with adapters. It is advisable to choose one that can power the drive either through a wall outlet or through another USB interface.
Connectivity issues
Dealing with how to connect a hard drive to a TV is half the battle. But some face problems that need to be addressed.
As mentioned earlier, if the connection was successful, the TV will display the HDD and will be ready for further work with it. But it happens that the device does not see the HDD. What to do in this case?
First you should try to use an additional USB-plug. Most often it is red. But if this is not the case, you will have to take it from someone or purchase it. It will help determine if the device has enough power.
After you need to check, in principle, the correct connection of the hard drive. There are many connectors on the back of the TV. They are similar to each other, so you need to read the markings above them. A special HDD IN connector is required for connection.
You should also check if the hard drive works in principle. To do this, you can use it on any other device. For example, connect it to a PC. So it will be clear what is wrong with the disk.
In parallel, it is better to check the correct operation of the TV connector. To do this, it will be enough to install any other device. You can also format the disk on the computer. Sometimes a mistake on it can lead to the forced deletion of personal files. It is best to immediately format the device in the appropriate NTFS or FAT32 file system.
Benefit
In certain cases, connecting a hard drive to a TV becomes a necessity. For example, for recording live broadcasts, this is the best option both in terms of the amount of information stored and the speed of writing and reading. Also, the hard drive is useful for viewing media content, because it is not always necessary for this to have the necessary connectors or cables.