Freeview with USB

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Maxcat

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#115954 13-Apr-2013 10:14

I'm keen to store and playback my ripped Blu-Rays as AVI/MKV files through USB and Freeview.

I've enjoyed some great image quality via my Freeview box but only small size film Trailers.

I tried my reformatted NTFS USB drive to accommodate bigger files and the Freeview box stalled.

I assume it must prefer the FAT format but that restricts file size.

So - how big can I go with a USB powered drive (500gb?) and will it work as an NTFS device on most Freeview with USB drives allowing large Blu-Ray rips to play back?

Anyone with any experienced with Freeview and USB and Blu-Ray?

PimpMyMagic

267 posts

Ultimate Geek

#798725 13-Apr-2013 11:03

Yes, you can easily go that large with a USB powered drive, but most boxes will support only Fat32 formatted drives. These have a file size limitation of 2 GB, much too small for for most HD recordings.

One solution is to break the programme into smaller pieces and play back the files sequentially.

Maxcat

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#798726 13-Apr-2013 11:06

Thanks for the reply. It's what I suspected and it's a real shame as my Blu-Rays are up to 32GB, so that's a lot of breaks!

I'll keep looking for an NTFS compatible USB player.

JimmyH

2886 posts

Uber Geek

#798729 13-Apr-2013 11:10

Get a proper media player.

Ones like the WD Live are reasonably prices (circa $100 in sales) and will do this.

Most TVs, Blu Ray Players and Freeview boxes etc that have such a feature graft it on as an afterthought to entice buyers with a wider feature set, and implement it poorly. A dedicated box that is designed for the purpose (WD Live, Oplay!, or Popcorn Hour etc) will almost always do a better job.

Maxcat

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#798752 13-Apr-2013 12:21

I own a WDTV Live Hub.

But it is the viewing application here that is the issue.

I am running a Slingbox to stream my TV to mobile devices and my PC in the Office.

But there is only ONE component input on the Slingbox. That is reserved for the Freeview device.

What would be great is to be able to play stored Blu-Rays (currently located on my Hub) on a USB into the Freeview. Then I could play both.

This gets around the Bottle neck of one component input and two devices needed Freeview AND WDTV.

So the solution is a Freeview with Blu-Ray playback compatibility.

Sadly it looks like this won't work.

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

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#798874 13-Apr-2013 18:21

You'll need to follow the instructions that come with your box. Most STB's only support FAT or FAT32, not NTFS.

JimmyH

2886 posts

Uber Geek

#798879 13-Apr-2013 18:28

4-Port Component video switches can be had on Monoprice for $US 20. Since you already have the FV box and the media player, that's could be a cheap option to achieve what you want?

Maxcat

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#798926 13-Apr-2013 20:20

No because they must be remote controlled through the Slingbox, that is why the Freeview on-board with Blu-Ray via USB is so useful.

It's remote controlled and allows either off-air Freeview or stored media via USB to be played.

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richms

28168 posts

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#798928 13-Apr-2013 20:39

Why are you streaming thru the slingbox instead of just playing the file?

Richard rich.ms

JimmyH

2886 posts

Uber Geek

#799202 14-Apr-2013 16:45

richms: Why are you streaming thru the slingbox instead of just playing the file?

That's what I was thinking. If they are networked your office PC and mobile devices should all be able to "see" the files on the Hub as either a straight network share or a DLNA media server, and play the files that way. Putting the slingbox in the mix seems an unnecessary step that will make things better rather than worse. The extra digital->analog->digital conversion step certainly won't do anything to improve picture quality!

My phone, tablet and PC can all see and play the files on my Hub. Why are you wanting to route through the slingbox?

Maxcat

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

#799397 15-Apr-2013 08:25

Freeview streaming is the priority.

The Hub isn't the priority.

I can use the Hub on the Slingbox's composite input and do so with full remote control of all files.

The Slingbox at my place offers the simplest way to control all media either live or recorded (on Tivo) or streamed and stored on WDTV.

YMMV.

However, a USB drive on a Freeview box makes it simpler still, allowing switching from live-to-air Freeview TV to stored Blu-Ray while all are streamed on the same device and therefore same resolution.

My choice is this way because the Slingplayer App works quickly, Freeview looks great streamed at HD and it allows for full control of the Hub if required.