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Got a new TV, what's the deal with USB?
Posts
They do
I'm trying to be able to play home-movies and video files as data from a USB stick. I'm talking about .avis, .mkvs, etc... It's easy to burn a cd/dvd of said video but I'm looking for something quicker. I'd also simply hook my PC up to the new TV, alas it's on a different floor.
Does the XBOX really read media off a USB? I should try that.
What would be cool is if I can deposit videos onto a HD and feed it to my TV, are there DVD players that hold media on a HD that also has this capability?
PS3 and 360 are very open on file formats, I was plesently surprised that the 360 will even connect to the net to install file format supports automatically.
EDIT: My only regret is that because the stick is formatted to FAT32 it can't handle files over 4 gigs. So I'm still interested in an alternative that takes an NTFS format, if anyone has any ideas.
That's what I use...kinda pricey though
The PS3 can as well, using WMP or a variety of freeware programs.
The only thing that sucks with USB support on the PS3 and 360 is that neither support NTFS, which sucks because that 4GB file limit means you're pretty much boned out of most 1080p movies.
Have you checked to see if your TV has a firmware update? You should have an option in the menu to tell you which firmware version you're running, and then you can hit the Vizio website to see if they have an update (which is installed via USB). Occasionally TVs will be updated to support additional formats.
Use PS3 Media Server (download) (forums) to stream your files. Don't let the name fool you, it works with any UPnP device (PS3, Xbox360, etc.). The best part is that it does transcoding on the fly (and only when necessary), so you shouldn't have to worry about whether it'll play whatever you've got. I've done HD video over completely wireless networks (i.e. both host computer and 360 are wireless, vastly different parts of house) without issue. It's also completely free, unlike many of the other solutions, and cross-platform.