RECORD TV TO A USB STICK
In Issue 598 (page 53) we revealed the best TV set-top boxes for recording live TV. While these offer some great features, they come with a hefty price tag (starting at £166). There is a cheaper alternative. Depending on the model of TV you have, you might be able to record programmes using nothing more than a USB stick.
First, check that your TV has one or more USB ports. This won’t necessarily mean you can record to a USB stick – some TV sets will only let you play media from a USB stick (see our following tip) or install firmware updates. Refer to your TV’S manual or manufacturer website to check whether it supports recording to a USB stick.
Alternatively, just grab an old USB stick and test it out for yourself. This is what we did with our Sony Bravia KDL-55HX853 (a relative dinosaur in TV terms, dating back to 2012). Bear in mind that video requires plenty of storage space. With our Sony TV, we used a 32GB stick, which is enough storage for around 20 hour-long programmes.
Most TVS will need to format USB sticks before they can record video to them, so make sure you back up any files from your stick before proceeding because this process will delete them.
Our Sony TV has two USB ports, but only one can be used for recording (labelled HDD REC - pictured left). If your TV doesn’t indicate which port you need to use, you should be able to insert your USB stick into any of them.
Next, turn on your TV. What you need to do now will depend on your TV make and model. On our Sony Bravia we had to open the main menu then go to Settings, System Settings, Recording Set-up, HDD Registration (see screenshot above) and follow the instructions to format the USB stick (this took just under two minutes).
Once complete, we were able to record live programmes to our USB stick and use the TV’S Live Pause feature, which lets us pause and rewind live TV. As you might expect, it doesn’t have as many features as a set-top recorder. For example, because the TV has only one tuner, we couldn’t record one programme while watching another. But you are adding a handy new feature simply by making use of an old USB stick.