# Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question



## PegaSus2k9 (May 25, 2009)

Hello guys/girls. 

My first post here, and i'm hoping i didn't ask something which been asked a milion times before. Did a quick search, and didnt find a match  

So my parents recently bought a new LCD TV [Sony KDL-26V4500] which apparently got an USB input. My question is: Is it possible to plug an external HDD to this USB input and play movies [divx] from it? Or isn't this possible at all? The only thing i found searching the manual was, that it only supports 'photos' via USB. That seems pretty mediocre though. 

I hope someone could help me out with this one. :smile:
Greetings from The Netherlands.


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Welcome to TSF. :wave:

To play a movie from a HD, the device must have the necessary decoding software. Since Sony most probably didn't build it into the electronics of the TV (and all other mfgr's too) then you're not going to be able to play directly from the HD. Your best option would be a computer/laptop with HDMI out to feed the TV. You could then download the necessary codec (Code/decode) from the various sites.


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## PegaSus2k9 (May 25, 2009)

Hi yustr! 

Thanks a lot for your quick reply. I knew i was at the right place  
Hmm there is a Western Digital Theatre external HDD as another solution right? 

"http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/TV_theater/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212000204" 

Not owning a laptop with HDMI output nor DVI to HDMI ability unfortunatly. 
Thanks again for the solid answer!


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## blah789 (Aug 25, 2008)

That's an option. The other is to use a DivX-certified DVD player. They, too, can have USB inputs. From what I've read, the Western Digital item is much more powerful though. It's been a big hit as of late, and a great innovative product.


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## PegaSus2k9 (May 25, 2009)

Nice one blah789,, read some good reviews about that WDD. Thinking about purchasing that one. Very innovative product indeed.


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## PegaSus2k9 (May 25, 2009)

Call me crazy, but i've just ordered this one:


*Belkin HDMI Kabel F8V3311AEA 1,5m €8.90
Western Digital Externe Harddisk 320GB USB2.0, WDMEA3200AE €75.50
Western Digital TV HD Media Player (zwart) €88.50*

Inclusive shipping: €181.40 which is $254,- 
Just want to experience the Full HD theatre ray: 

Thanks a lot for the answers! I will update this topic with my feedback on the new toy.


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## yustr (Sep 27, 2004)

Nice. Let us know how it works. I have a feeling that you'll fill that HD up pretty fast. I might have sprung for a TB or 2.


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## PegaSus2k9 (May 25, 2009)

Well the main problem i thought to read with TB disks is the load-time is pretty longer, which is a big let-down for me. Will keep you guys updated when i got the set running tomorrow


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## PegaSus2k9 (May 25, 2009)

Ok received it today. Installed it, works like a charm with normal DivX movies ".avi". BUT i got chopped images while playing 1080p MKV files. Anybody could help me with that? I downloaded a 1080p .divx file and that one got no chops what-so-ever. Reformatting my external HDD now, hope that would fix it. Any solutions would be welcome though.


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## PegaSus2k9 (May 25, 2009)

Downloaded a Divx sample file just to make sure u won't accuse me with pirating.


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## blah789 (Aug 25, 2008)

I'm looking at the manual here:
http://www.wdc.com/en/library/wdtv/
And on page 67 it lists the supported formats. On page 68 at the top in fine prints it lists restrictions.
With H.264, I notice notice 1080p (1920x1080) only goes up to 24 fps. 1080i (1920x1080, interlaced) goes up to 30 fps, and 720p (1280x720) up to 60fps.
With MPEG-4 ASP (DivX, Xvid, 3ivx, etc...) it only goes up to 720p at 30fps! And it does not support global motion compensation (very few hardware players do).
It'd be good to check the specs of the file that's choppy on your PC. If you use VLC Media Player, go to tools, codec information. If your file were an avi, you could have used MPEG-4 modifier to find out which features your file uses if it's MPEG-4 (like QPel, GMC, etc...). http://www.moitah.net/ I don't know of such a tool for mkv files.

More info: on a computer, you have a software decoder for your videos, combined with a general-purpose CPU (your AMD or Intel or whatever). Those are pretty flexible and you can throw just about anything at them. Not so with a hardware player. That's why they create standardized levels and profiles. A certified hardware device will list which resolutions and frame rates it can support, and possibly additional features of the codec (B-frames, QPel (quarter pixel), global motion compensation, packed bitstream, etc...). A handheld player may only play very small resolutions. A bigger player with more powerful hardware may be able to handle more features. The reason for the restrictions is it's much harder to design something in hardware (think chips, transistors, silicon), than to do so in software (just change some lines of codes if you need to update or patch).


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## PegaSus2k9 (May 25, 2009)

Thanks a lot blah789! Using http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MediaInfo for the mkv information:

__

Encoded date : UTC 2008-11-26 21:07:00
Writing application : mkvmerge v2.0.2 ('You're My Flame') built on Feb 21 2007 23:40:55
Writing library : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1
Cover : Yes / Yes / Yes

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : [email protected]
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 8 frames
Muxing mode : Container [email protected]
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 2h 32mn
Bit rate : 11.3 Mbps
Nominal bit rate : 11.6 Mbps
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Resolution : 24 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.228
Stream size : 12.0 GiB (86%)
Writing library : x264 core 65 r1016M dbc5ef0
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=8 / deblock=1:-3:-3 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=9 / psy_rd=0.8:0.8 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=24 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=2 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=3 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / mbaff=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / wpredb=1 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40(pre) / rc=2pass / bitrate=11580 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=29 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / pb_ratio=1.30 / aq=1:0.65
Language : English

Audio
ID : 2
Format : DTS
Format/Info : Digital Theater Systems
Codec ID : A_DTS
Duration : 2h 32mn
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 1 510 Kbps
Channel(s) : 6 channels
Channel positions : Front: L C R, Surround: L R, LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Resolution : 24 bits
Stream size : 1.61 GiB (12%)
Language : English

____


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## blah789 (Aug 25, 2008)

It seems to fall within specs. I don't know if it's using any peculiar features (see encoding settings... there's a bazillion) that aren't supported by the player.
I don't know what to suggest. Maybe cut a 30-second sample and send it to Western Digital support for analysis. http://matroska.org/downloads/windows.html has some editors listed.


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