Playing files from External Hard Drive

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Playing files from External Hard Drive

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handymann

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I had a Humax HDR-Fox T2, then a HDR-2000T and saved some non-HD files from both Humaxs on a Seagate externally powered 2TB Storage drive. Both Humax recorders have given up and I would like to be able to watch the recordings from the Seagate drive, but without playing them via another Humax. I've tried plugging the Seagate directly into the USB ports on a TV and a laptop, but neither device will play them. I'm thinking about getting a DVD player with a USB port now. Does anybody know if I will be able to play the recordings from the Seagate if I plug it into the USB socket on a DVD player please?

| Mon 13 Nov 2023 15:46:19 #1 |
FenderBender

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Welcome to the forum. Can you see the files on the drive from a PC and what is/are the file extensions?

| Mon 13 Nov 2023 16:42:26 #2 |
Martin Liddle

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handymann - 53 mins ago »
I had a Humax HDR-Fox T2, then a HDR-2000T and saved some non-HD files from both Humaxs on a Seagate externally powered 2TB Storage drive. Both Humax recorders have given up and I would like to be able to watch the recordings from the Seagate drive, but without playing them via another Humax. I've tried plugging the Seagate directly into the USB ports on a TV and a laptop, but neither device will play them.

I assume you copied the files by plugging the hard drive into the Humax so that encryption has been removed? You might try installing the free VLC player on your laptop and that should play them. Otherwise you would probably need to do something to the recordings to make them playable which might be as simple as changing the file extension or might involve transcoding the recordings.

| Mon 13 Nov 2023 16:44:34 #3 |
handymann

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Thank you both for your replies. I plugged the Seagate box in to my laptop, running Windows. In the File Explorer screen, I can see 'Technicolor DLNA Server' as a file location (it appears in the 'Network' section), but when I click on it, nothing happens. But when the Seagate isn't connected, I can't see 'Technicolor DLNA Server' at all. The Seagate has a light on it, which comes on when it is connected to the mains and USB. The light does come on, so it 'knows' that it is connected.
I did copy the files directly by plugging the Seagate in to the Humax. I know that some of the same files (and all of the ones that I have tried) have worked when played through other Humax devices. I'm not sure what I can do if I can't even see the files on my laptop, but I know that some of people are far more technical than me, so hope someone might have some idea(s) that will work! Thank you!

| Tue 14 Nov 2023 8:59:59 #4 |
Martin Liddle

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handymann - 48 mins ago »
I plugged the Seagate box in to my laptop, running Windows. In the File Explorer screen, I can see 'Technicolor DLNA Server' as a file location

But can you see the contents of the Seagate drive with File Explorer? If not that suggests to me that the drive has been formatted by the Humax and is using a Linux ext3 file system which complicates things. There are solutions if you want to get into technicalities. From a manual for a Techicolour router:

"access your media files:

On Windows 10, right-click OpenWrt DLNA Server and then click Open Media Player.

Another Windows version, double-click OpenWrt DLNA Server".

Does that show anything? I am guessing it won't but worth a try.

| Tue 14 Nov 2023 10:38:48 #5 |