Sony Bravia KDL EX 500 USB Video

I finally found it !!!!!

Reading from the USB external hard drive works as long as it is partitioned in FAT32.

On Windows 7, I used the following software to perform the formatting:
https://www.clubic.com/telecharger-fiche189948-fat32formatter.html

I hope this helps some people

Maxime

Hello
I'm recording with my Sony Bravia TV onto a USB hard drive
I would like to be able to transfer my recordings to DVDs so I can keep them and play them back on a PC or a DVD player.
When I connect the hard drive to the PC, it is inaccessible and the files are undetectable
Thank you for your responses.

Hello everyone

While browsing forums and user reviews, I've noticed that many owners of the Sony Bravia 40EX501 or 40EX500 (they're the same except for the casing) are facing difficulties playing movies via the TV's USB port.

I'm just a novice, but after extensive research and encoding with various software, I want to share my results since I can now play all videos on my Sony 40EX501. I also mention that what follows might interest other models from Sony as well.

1/The external source:
First of all, the USB key or external hard drive must be formatted to FAT32, which is the only format recognized by the EX500 and EX501 TVs.
I created an external drive with a laptop hard drive of 80 GB that I power with a USB HUB.
It is crucial not to exceed 4 GB after encoding the video, otherwise, you won't be able to copy it onto your USB key or HDD in FAT32. I make sure that it weighs between 3.5 and 4 GB, which works perfectly for me (See below).

2/The original video:
It may be useful to know the size of the video and the bitrate used through software like GSPOT (for the knowledgeable ones).

3/Encoding:
For this, I use the software XILISOFT VIDEO CONVERTER ULTIMATE with the following steps:

A / add the original video (button at the top left) and it will become visible in the main window of the software with important information about the final size it will be after encoding (indications between profile and status).

B / In the profile (at the bottom), click on the triangle and choose HD VIDEO (left column) and VIDEO HD H264 (*.MP4) (in the right column)

C / In the right part above the preview screen, specify the video size (960X540 or 1280X720), the lowest video quality (yes, the lowest otherwise the video will exceed 4 GB) and the highest audio quality.

D / In destination (at the bottom), specify where the software should save the encoded video.

E / Now click on convert the checked items (red circle) at the top of the window.

Here we go. You will need to wait about 2 hours (depending on the power of your computer).

You will get a video in .MP4 format that will not exceed 4 GB.
Just copy it onto a USB key or your external hard drive and watch it on your Sony via the USB port.

In the end, by strictly following this guide, with an original video of about 800 MB to 1 GB, you will obtain a re-encoded video weighing between 3 and 4 GB (I remind you that 4 GB is the weight not to exceed for FAT32).

Although XILISOFT VIDEO CONVERTER ULTIMATE will cost you around €45, at least you will be able to enjoy your films through the USB port.

Before buying it, I recommend downloading the trial version for free to ensure that this usage method suits you.

You can also turn to free programs like SUPER, but the final result is less good.

I hope my experience helps as many users as possible.
lcm

Everything has been said or almost in the previous exchanges. It is necessary to format the disk to Fat 32 for it to be recognized on the USB port. For this, the free software fat32formatter is perfect. What I want to add is this: you can format disks of several terabytes with fat32formatter but... you should know that this takes a long time. Just over 5 hours for 500 Go, or about 20 hours for 2 To. The worrying thing is that fat32formatter, when formatting, only indicates "Initializing data area" and nothing moves! No progress bar, no percentage of advancement, nothing. One wonders if the computer has crashed or not. Well, no, you just have to be patient. There you go, for those who might be tempted to interrupt the ongoing process which is not necessarily advisable but I am not categorical on this last point. One last detail, formatting in FAT 32 does not allow saving files larger than 8 Go. I mean files, not folders containing files, so there is no limit there.

Sony Bravia can only read devices formatted in FAT32.
Most external drives are formatted in NTFS.
You need to use a drive formatted in FAT32.

Thanks for the tip on formatting my WD Mypassport; it couldn't be formatted in FAT with XP, but now it's done (long, but it's done).
Thanks

Good evening
I have a question regarding Sony Bravia TVs and hard drives
I can get all the videos to work, but do you know if it’s possible to get the subtitles to work? SRT files?

Hello,
I carefully read the answers, and I have a question:
If the Bravia only reads FAT32 (which means a transfer limitation of 8 GB), how can I read an 8 GB MKV file on the USB stick?

A huge thank you to lcm for their contribution! After struggling for so long with video playback on my Bravia!

Now, all of a sudden, it works wonderfully! I can even convert my HD videos taken with my DSLR and watch them with perfect fluidity on the TV.

The Xilisoft converter is very good.

Thanks again to lcm!!!

To respond to zanarkand 8: It's very simple: you can't play an mkv (you need to convert it to mp4), and you need to split the file into several files of less than 4 GB.

Duriv73

J'ai un problème, je veux désactiver le mode démo... ma télécommande ne m'aide pas, je n'arrive pas à trouver la fonction exacte pour le faire... quelqu'un sait comment le réparer ?

Hello
between reading a USB key and reading, and especially exploring the content of a hard drive, your Sony (like other brands, rest assured) has made the difference:
it cannot do it!
That’s the job of a computer! try to understand. Maybe one day manufacturers will add specific components but that increases the cost of a television and it’s not reasonable.....
Out of curiosity, here is what is planned and the TV is just one link in that chain
https://blog.monhomeserver.fr/wikis/reseau-domestique-et-multimedia/votre-reseau-dlna/
Bye