5 causes I linked an exterior laborious drive to my TV

Carrying round an

external hard drive
continues to be a sensible transfer for lots of people. It is a easy method to retailer your recordsdata and have them readily available wherever you go. In some circumstances, it may truly really feel

more secure than a laptop
— particularly in terms of non-public or delicate information. Plus, they arrive in all types of sizes, relying on how a lot space for storing you want.

You are not simply restricted to saving spreadsheets and Phrase docs on an external hard drive, though these are most likely essentially the most generally saved recordsdata. They typically have sufficient storage capability for bigger audio and video recordsdata as properly. Simply plug it in, and you have immediate entry to no matter you’ve got saved — no web required.

What you are on the lookout for is a tool that

offers a USB-C port
, as most exterior laborious drives have that as their connectivity possibility. However have you considered utilizing it along with your TV? It is essential to keep in mind that that is A) potential to do, B) one thing it’s best to take into account doing, and C) a believable method to get extra out of your TV. It is not tough, however there are some parameters that it’s a must to observe. Listed below are 5 methods you should use your exterior laborious drive along with your TV.

Western Digital 2TB Parts Transportable Exterior Onerous Drive

At the moment, the Western Digital 2 TB Parts SE is the very best finances SSD possibility. Historically, SSD storage is rather more costly than HDD, however at the moment costing £/$90, this difficult drive gives unbelievable worth for cash. This difficult drive is all about efficiency and with 2 TB of storage with speeds able to 400 MB/s, it may each retailer your huge tasks and cargo them in a short time. It’s extremely compact, has a drop resistance of as much as 2 metres and is ‘plug-in-and-play’ for Home windows customers. Mac customers must format the laborious drive earlier than use.  

1

Use it to retailer motion pictures and TV collection

Take note of what your system can deal with

WD

Exterior laborious drives are available in all styles and sizes — mostly providing anyplace from 500GB to 5TB of storage. Naturally, the more room you want, the extra you may need to spend. In case you’re storing giant film recordsdata or total seasons of a TV collection, that house can refill quick. So positively try how a lot room you may want earlier than diving in.

Earlier than you go making an attempt to observe motion pictures and TVs out of your exterior laborious drive in your TV, it’s a must to be certain that your TV has a USB port. Most fashionable good TVs do, but it surely’s at all times good to double-check. As soon as it is plugged in, simply change over to the right enter or supply, and it’s best to be capable to browse your recordsdata. Your TV’s handbook will let if there are any dimension limitations it has, so you possibly can know what file system your laborious drive must be.

Utilizing an exterior laborious drive like it is a nice method to convey older or non-streamable content material to your TV display screen. It means that you would be able to take some further leisure and tote it round. This might be a great way to retailer your film assortment for those who do not wish to hold your DVDs round.

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2

Retailer video video games in your exterior laborious drive

It is a great method to hold tabs of previous video games

Sony / Pocket-lint

Exterior laborious drives can retailer all types of recordsdata, together with online game recordsdata. And contemplating how a lot house fashionable video games can eat up, a tough drive is definitely one of many smartest methods to maintain your total library in a single place. It is constructed to deal with giant recordsdata, so why not let it?

That mentioned, you possibly can’t simply plug your exterior laborious drive into your good TV and begin gaming. TVs aren’t designed to run PC or console video games on their very own. You may want to attach the drive to a gaming PC or a Raspberry Pi, which you’ll be able to then hook as much as your TV. If you do not have a gaming console, it is a workaround for enjoying your video games on the TV. Plus, an exterior laborious drive makes it simpler to switch video games between techniques for those who do have a number of setups.

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3

Save and document TV exhibits and flicks

That is an possibility for some TVs

Tech has positively developed for the reason that days of popping a VHS into your VCR and holding down two buttons simply to document your favourite present. Now, most cable and streaming suppliers allow you to retailer content material digitally, so you possibly can watch by yourself schedule. But when you do not have a DVR setup, there’s nonetheless a workaround: some good TVs allow you to use an exterior laborious drive to document exhibits.

This solely works for choose TVs, although. Not each producer gives this feature, so you may have to test your TV’s handbook to see if it is an possibility on your mannequin. Whether it is, simply plug your exterior laborious drive into the USB port in your TV. Some TVs even allow you to schedule recordings — Samsung, as an example, has options like Schedule Supervisor that you would be able to entry via the 123 button on the distant. Simply be sure to’re on Reside TV, and also you’re good to go.

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4

Play music recordsdata in your TV

Present everybody these recent tracks you’re keen on

Just like how one can watch exhibits and flicks, enjoying music out of your exterior laborious drive provides one other aspect to your leisure functions. In case you plug the drive into your TV and your music recordsdata are in a suitable format, most good TVs will allow you to play them immediately via the built-in audio system. It is a easy setup, however simply double-check that your TV helps the file varieties first.

After all, most good TVs can run music apps like Spotify or Apple Music, so that you won’t have to go this route. However for those who’ve bought unique tracks you wish to share — say you are a musician debuting a brand new set at a get-together — plugging in and enjoying out of your laborious drive is a simple method to exhibit your work to the room.

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5

Again up your TV

Use the exterior laborious drive for its essential objective

Samsung / Pocket-lint

An exterior laborious drive is not only for bringing recordsdata to your TV — it is also nice for backing up content material from it. In case you’ve downloaded motion pictures, images, or different recordsdata to your good TV, you possibly can switch them to an exterior laborious drive for safekeeping. That means, in case your TV ever crashes or resets, you will not lose something essential.

This turns out to be useful particularly as streaming platforms rotate content material out and in. Backing up recordsdata places you in management, so you are not on the mercy of licensing offers — what a nightmare. It is also a sensible method to save recordsdata from different gadgets you’ve got linked to your TV (like good residence setups or USB drives) multi functional place.