Can we just plug external hdd to computer and play?

Michael_Knight

Vu+ Newbie
If I record to an external usb hdd/sdd using Vu+ Uno 4k SE , then after I unplug it can I plug the same external hdd to my Windows pc and can see it's contents,compress the files,play the files... etc? Or do I have to transfer the files from vu+ to pc via ftp? (actually first method would be much easier if it was possible).
 

Mick12334

Moderator
Providing your PC recognises the hard drive, then yes, but you might need to associate the files, with a player like VLC, to get them to play.
You should be able to access the drive, from your PC, via the network conection, and then either play them, or transfer them, but I don't understand why you would want to watch on a PC monitor, rather than your television.
 

AlexWilMac

Moderator
Please note that I am aware of the topic:
http://vuplus-community.net/board/threads/it-is-posible-to-transfer-files-from-hdd-to-pc.39856/

But I just wanted to ask if it is possible to use contents directly by plugging the external hdd to pc,though seems unlikely.

Usually the answer is NO, if you have appropriately formatted the VU+ HDD (internal or external, doesn't matter) in the most suitable file system for a Linux-based image; and this f.s. is ExtFs4.
Windows is not able even to read an ExtFs4 disk: you'll need third party drivers or software.
On the other hand, if you formatted the disk by Windows' proprietary file system, NTFS, you won't probably able to record by VU+.
Surely, there's a plugin that install NTFS drivers for BH or OBH, but I've never tried it. I surely prefer to have the best performances in recording, because recording is important to me, and surely the poor f.s. NTFS is not good at it.
If, finally, your disk is formatted as Fat32... you can read and write it by both systems but... don't even think to use it for recordings, because Fat32 is limited to 2Gb about files size.
 

Michael_Knight

Vu+ Newbie
Thanks for your answers. So if I plug the harddrive to my Windows pc it doesn't recognize if it was formatted in ExtFs4 though some third-party driver-software may help. Can I transfer the files on the harddisk from Vu+ to Windows pc using ftp?(can Windows see the files on the Extfs4 formatted harddisk inside Vu+ this way?)
 

Mick12334

Moderator
Windows should recognize your VU+ receiver, if networked, and so you should be able to access an external hard drive, why not try a USB stick first?
 

AlexWilMac

Moderator
Windows should recognize your VU+ receiver, if networked, and so you should be able to access an external hard drive, why not try a USB stick first?

Windows DOES recognise it for sure, by FTP: why do you use the conditional form "should"?
And, also, USB stick or not it doesn't change the situation: the problem is the file system: he should format it in NTFS to let windows to read easily.
Not only that: he wants to record hours of 4K tv shows, as he wrote in another post. A USB stick wouldn't be appropriate.
 

Michael_Knight

Vu+ Newbie
I want to ask another but similar question, for example let's say I transferred the video data to my Windows pc using ftp.Then I compressed the files using Handbrake app on Windows.But I want to be able to play the compressed files using both Windows Pc and Vu+.Which video formats does a Vu+ Uno 4k SE support? Also will the external hdd which I will put the compressed files on , need to be formatted in ExtFs4 format again?(I am not sure if I can format in ExtFs4 using Windows 7 though).If I need to do it then seems like I can't play the compressed video files on the ext. hdd by plugging into my Windows Pc again.Is it true?

If it is true, then I should use Ftp and transfer the file(which I want to play on my Pc) from Vu+ to my Windows pc again and play...
 

Michael_Knight

Vu+ Newbie
I thought about it more and I am really confused about this point: I will transfer the .ts files in the hdd inside vu+ to Windows pc via ftp,then I will compress the files using Handbrake, after that point what should I do?If I save the compressed files to the (external) hdd only Windows will see it, how will Vu+ be able to play the files on that hdd when I plugged the hdd to vu+ for playing the compressed media files on it?
 

AlexWilMac

Moderator
As I wrote you, win is NOT able to even read (imagine to write) linux formatted disks, that means ExtFs (3 or 4).
Said (again) also that you may try the NTFS plugin, as you have this need of win:
1) Once you compress a file you can put it on the VU+ in exactly the same way you copied from it: by FTP!
2) The "format" is not important in itself but it is more important the codecs used. Video files are not excel or word ones: it's the codec that makes them different, not the extension.
I made many tries with HB and I then decided I'll use always the x264 codec instead of the newer H265 because for VLC is not important (it plays everything) but if I use H265 I cannot play it also on the Duo2 but only in the Solo4K.
And, as the H265 compressed files (with all the other HB video parameters identical) are, surprisingly, not of smaller size than the correspondent x264, I have no reason to use H265.
Then I use mkv as a container but it doesn't make any difference if you use other containers. Only, mkv are the most spread nowadays.
 
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