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Resolved Question

HOW T0 - EXTERNAL DRIVE- HOME VIDEO

Dec 29, 2014 1:18AM PST

Help with A-V Issues, please!

I have an external storage drive that I connect to my laptop,
and then connect my laptop via vga cable and sound cord to my led hdtv,
so I can watch the movies and other videos stored on the eternal drive.
* I tried connecting an HDMI cable from my laptop to the tv and I got picture, but no sound (QUESTION #1).

QUESTION #2
- IS THERE A BETTER WAY TO CONNECT MY EXTERNAL STORAGE DRIVE?
- TO THE TV (HDMI/VGA?)?
- TO THE CABLE TV/INTERNET ROUTER (USB)?

QUESTION #3
- MOST OF THE MOVIES AND OTHER VIDEOS ARE WATCHABLE WITH WINDOWS,
HOWEVER A FEW REQUIRE VLC MEDIA PLAYER-
-IF I DO CONNECT MY EXTERNAL DRIVE TO THE ROUTER OR TV DIRECTLY (IF POSSIBLE),
HOW WILL ANY OF THOSE VIDEOS PLAY-
-DOES THE TV HAVE ITS OWN SOFTWARE?

THANKS!!

Discussion is locked

mpac165 has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Since TVs are not PCs
Dec 29, 2014 1:22AM PST
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Help with these issues, please
Dec 29, 2014 1:35AM PST

I have an external storage drive that I connect to my laptop,
and then connect my laptop via vga cable and sound cord to my led hdtv,
so I can watch the movies and other videos stored on the eternal drive.
* I tried connecting an HDMI cable from my laptop to the tv and I got picture, but no sound (QUESTION #1).

QUESTION #2
- IS THERE A BETTER WAY TO CONNECT MY EXTERNAL STORAGE DRIVE?
- TO THE TV (HDMI/VGA?)?
- TO THE CABLE TV/INTERNET ROUTER (USB)?

QUESTION #3
- MOST OF THE MOVIES AND OTHER VIDEOS ARE WATCHABLE WITH WINDOWS,
HOWEVER A FEW REQUIRE VLC MEDIA PLAYER-
-IF I DO CONNECT MY EXTERNAL DRIVE TO THE ROUTER OR TV DIRECTLY (IF POSSIBLE),
HOW WILL ANY OF THOSE VIDEOS PLAY-
-DOES THE TV HAVE ITS OWN SOFTWARE?

THANKS!!

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@2
Dec 29, 2014 1:38AM PST

I think the WDTV would be much better.

@3
The WDTV is about as good as it gets for avoiding having to re-encode content.
Bob

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please stop with the wdtv---if you can't answer my questions
Dec 29, 2014 4:26AM PST

please stop with the wdtv---it's lame of you --- if you can't answer my questions, shut the hell up.

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Since you are asking for what many have before
Dec 29, 2014 4:46AM PST

And I can't tell which TV the awful truth is out there. Even Smart TVs fill forums with folk griping about limited decoders, awful user interfaces and hit or miss support for you putting the HDD on your network.

I can't guess which TV this is so why not go with one of the better players today?

---> The no sound issue is caused by two recurring things.
1. You didn't tell the PC to send sound over HDMI.
2. You send some sound that isn't supported.
Bob

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Answers
Dec 29, 2014 4:46AM PST

#1
That's usually a setting. To activate sound via HDMI on an older Dell netbook I had to update the video driver to get that setting in my sound options, but it might be available right now on your laptop. See the manual of the laptop.

#2.
Depends on the TV. If the TV supports reading files from a disk connected via USB, it can be connected. See the manual of the TV.
Depends on the TV and the router. If the TV supports reading files from network drives and the router supports connecting an external drive as network drive, that's possible. See the manual of the TV and the manual of the router.

#3.
Depends on the TV. Don't expect too much. TV's support less formats then PC's. See the manual of the TV.

Kees

PS. People that hate diving into manuals usually buy a blu-ray player and blu-ray discs or subscribe to Netflix or Amazon. That's easier and better supported.

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THANK YOU--VERY HELPFUL:)
Dec 29, 2014 7:38AM PST

HAPPY NEW YEAR!