Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question

PegaSus2k9 · 05-25-2009, 11:12 AM

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 :p

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.

Greetings from The Netherlands.

yustr · 05-25-2009, 11:24 AM

Welcome to TSF.

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.

PegaSus2k9 · 05-25-2009, 11:43 AM

Hi yustr!

Thanks a lot for your quick reply. I knew i was at the right place :p
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!

**blah789** · 05-25-2009, 11:57 AM

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.

PegaSus2k9 · 05-25-2009, 01:08 PM

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

PegaSus2k9 · 05-25-2009, 02:59 PM

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

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

yustr · 05-25-2009, 05:18 PM

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.

PegaSus2k9 · 05-26-2009, 03:01 AM

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 :)

PegaSus2k9 · 05-29-2009, 09:29 AM

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. :)

PegaSus2k9 · 05-29-2009, 10:48 AM

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

**blah789** · 05-29-2009, 03:50 PM

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).

PegaSus2k9 · 05-30-2009, 02:49 AM

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 : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 8 frames
Muxing mode : Container profile=Unknown@4.1
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

____

**blah789** · 05-30-2009, 07:18 AM

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.

05-25-2009, 11:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
PegaSus2k9 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Beilen/Drenthe/The Netherlands Posts: 8 OS: Vista 32 SP1	Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question 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 :p 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. Greetings from The Netherlands.

05-25-2009, 11:24 AM	#2 (permalink)
yustr Asst. Manager, The Conversation Pit Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Connecticut shore Posts: 5,982 OS: XP Pro My System	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question Welcome to TSF. 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. __________________ If there are lawyers or politicians involved, logic may be a very poor tool for reaching a conclusion.

05-25-2009, 11:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
PegaSus2k9 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Beilen/Drenthe/The Netherlands Posts: 8 OS: Vista 32 SP1	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question Hi yustr! Thanks a lot for your quick reply. I knew i was at the right place :p 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!

05-25-2009, 11:57 AM	#4 (permalink)
blah789 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 2,234 OS: Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP3	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question 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.

05-25-2009, 01:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
PegaSus2k9 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Beilen/Drenthe/The Netherlands Posts: 8 OS: Vista 32 SP1	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question Nice one blah789,, read some good reviews about that WDD. Thinking about purchasing that one. Very innovative product indeed.

05-25-2009, 02:59 PM	#6 (permalink)
PegaSus2k9 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Beilen/Drenthe/The Netherlands Posts: 8 OS: Vista 32 SP1	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question 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 Thanks a lot for the answers! I will update this topic with my feedback on the new toy.

05-25-2009, 05:18 PM	#7 (permalink)
yustr Asst. Manager, The Conversation Pit Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Connecticut shore Posts: 5,982 OS: XP Pro My System	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question 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. __________________ If there are lawyers or politicians involved, logic may be a very poor tool for reaching a conclusion.

05-26-2009, 03:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
PegaSus2k9 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Beilen/Drenthe/The Netherlands Posts: 8 OS: Vista 32 SP1	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question 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 :)

05-29-2009, 09:29 AM	#9 (permalink)
PegaSus2k9 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Beilen/Drenthe/The Netherlands Posts: 8 OS: Vista 32 SP1	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question 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. :)

05-29-2009, 10:48 AM	#10 (permalink)
PegaSus2k9 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Beilen/Drenthe/The Netherlands Posts: 8 OS: Vista 32 SP1	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question Downloaded a Divx sample file just to make sure u won't accuse me with pirating. :)

05-29-2009, 03:50 PM	#11 (permalink)
blah789 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 2,234 OS: Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP3	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question 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).

05-30-2009, 02:49 AM	#12 (permalink)
PegaSus2k9 Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Location: Beilen/Drenthe/The Netherlands Posts: 8 OS: Vista 32 SP1	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question 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 : High@L4.1 Format settings, CABAC : Yes Format settings, ReFrames : 8 frames Muxing mode : Container profile=Unknown@4.1 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 ____

05-30-2009, 07:18 AM	#13 (permalink)
blah789 TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 2,234 OS: Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP3	Re: Sony KDL-26V4500 USB / HDD Question 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.