Topic: Smart TVs, smart devices, and TV apps
By pastelten
#6583
At present I have an Samsung HD TV and record programs using a Humax HD PVR which allows me to watch one program and record another at the same time (or record 2 programs).
In a few days I will have a new Samsung UE46ES8000 smart tv that has a Freeview HD and a Freesat HD tuner incorporated. Apparently I would be able to record programs via a USB socket. I cannot seem to find much reference to recording either online or by online manuals, so my questions are:

Can I replicate the functions on my HUMAX PVR eg: pause, record etc?
Can I record a program via the FREESAT souce whilst watching a different program on the FREEVIEW source? (or the other way round)
Does the recorder have to be an external HDD or could it be a USB flash drive?
#6584
The recording functions are covered in our Samsung reviews - most throughly in the 2010 and 2011 Samsung reviews.

The short answer: no unfirtunately not. You can only record one program at a time. But yes you will be able to pause, rewind etc.

You need to use an external HDD. It is not included. I have tried with many flash drives but they don't seem to work.
By pastelten
#6585
Thank you Rasmus for your prompt reply. The short answer is informative but looking through your wide range of subjects, I seem unable to pin down the more 'in-depth' item about recordings. Could you point me in the right direction or suggest a link? Sorry to be a pain
By pastelten
#6595
I still haven't found any items about recording from the TV. I have, however, found and bought an excellent external HDD for the Samsung smart TV. It is:

LACIE Rikiki TV, 500gb usb external HDD. Please note, it is important to purchase the model 9000313. The non-TV Rikiki model appears to be slightly different.

This unit costs about £59 from Amazon and is specifically designed for recording from your TV and comes with a special bracket to fix to the back of the TV and a usb cable. It is very small, lightweight but could be used without the bracket if the TV is fixed to the wall. There is a compatibility list on the LACIE site but if the TV is not listed, it is still possible for compatibility if the your TV remote control has the record,pause, FFD buttons.
#6600
Rasmus Larsen wrote:The recording functions are covered in our Samsung reviews - most throughly in the 2010 and 2011 Samsung reviews.

The short answer: no unfirtunately not. You can only record one program at a time. But yes you will be able to pause, rewind etc.

You need to use an external HDD. It is not included. I have tried with many flash drives but they don't seem to work.
It is on the page 2 of the review section here:
http://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php? ... 1277374551

There is also some information in some of the Panasonic reviews from that time. The recording functions are almost identical in all the different TVs today.
#6601
pastelten wrote:There is a compatibility list on the LACIE site but if the TV is not listed, it is still possible for compatibility if the your TV remote control has the record,pause, FFD buttons.
Glad you found a solution :)

Just a quick note. This is true for all HDDs. No matter which HDD you connect you can use the remote buttons. The HDD just has to be formatted but the TV will take care of that.
By pastelten
#7463
Yes, you should, if you have the 'pause, record, play' buttons on your TV remote control.

The LACIE HDD mentioned previously was obviously designed for use with a TV but I don't think that they produce it anymore. I bought another smart TV for another room and as the LACIE was not available, I used another HDD and it works well. Actually, the HDD used was from a laptop that I scrapped and it was placed into an 'enclosure' ( a specially produced empty container) bought for a few pounds from Amazon. The enclosure came with a short length of USB cable that just plugged into the appropriate socket on the back of the TV. The TV recognised it and job done..!!
By RichardW
#7552
As suggested earlier you need memory faster than most flash drives. Pretty much any HDD (hard disc) drive in a suitable USB connected caddy will work. I'm using an SSD (solid state disc) in a hard drive caddy successfully.
By Kallapser
#11564
I always found the whole recording thing so boring. The waiting time did my head in.

But some great points there. thanks for sharing.