32" TV with USB recording, but doesn't need internet

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This topic has 15 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 4 years ago by AlexSimon.

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32″ TV with USB recording, but doesn’t need internet
AlexSimon
Full Member

I need to get a TV for my mum who is bedridden.
We’re going to get a swing-out arm to go over her hospital-type bed.

There is no internet, but they would like to be able to record.

If I get a standard ‘Smart TV’ (e.g. this one), will it work without an internet connection?

(we can give it internet during setup using our phones as hotspots)

Posted 4 years ago

phil5556
Full Member

I would say yes, nearly definitely it will be fine and record with no internet. Only issue would be if it needs to use an internet enabled programme guide for it to set the recording schedule.

We have an older Sony and that just uses the standard Freeview guide to set the timer, and hasn’t been plugged in to internet for a couple of years now.

Posted 4 years ago

AlexSimon
Full Member

Oh and a follow-up question – will a normal usb pen-drive type disk work ok (thinking of permanently mounting one), or will it have to be a USB disk with it’s own power source?

Cheers!

Posted 4 years ago

tthew
Full Member

Our few years old Sony uses a USB external hard drive to record with no external power.

Posted 4 years ago

AlexSimon
Full Member

Thanks @phil5556 and @tthew
Hopefully the manufacturers have catered for this type of user.

Difficult to find reassurances on the manufacturer’s websites though

Posted 4 years ago

phil5556
Full Member

The manual is here I think if this link works http://kr.eguide.lgappstv.com/manual/w19_mr/dvb/Apps/w4.5_mr_e06/e_eng/livetv.html?iFrameLink=../../../Contents/livetv/rec_e/eng/w45__livetv__rec_e__eng.html

There’s a bit of info in there about recording. Looks like John Lewis do the same TV might have one you can play with if you’re close to a store?

Posted 4 years ago

fossy
Full Member

You should still be able to get a ‘non-smart’ TV – we bought a samsung 32″ a couple of years ago for our caravan as the site had crap internet – then we upgraded the data on our phones, and used an Amazon Stick.

Could be an advantage with less ‘buttons’. We got MIL a SMART Toshiba TV, but didn’t enter the WIFI details and it worked fine (we’d have been in a right nightmare if she tried ITV player).

She did have SKY, but we noticed she wasn’t using the ‘remote’ – I asked her, so what you watching on SKY, and she was using the TV remote. I said, well that’s your SKY one, and it’s costing you over £50 a month and you aren’t using it. She’d not really noticed with the new TV how many more channels it had and thought it was SKY. She couldn’t record r stuff as she didn’t know how.

The recording is quite simple on SMART TV’s, but we popped a HD in the back – cheap enough for 1TB, and easy to use.

Go try a few.

Posted 4 years ago

AlexSimon
Full Member

we popped a HD in the back

So you ran another power lead to the HDD and how did you connect it physically to the TV?

The LG website says that if I use a non-powered HDD it should only be 32GB 🙁
So now I’m thinking it’ll have to be powered.

Posted 4 years ago

fossy
Full Member

No need for power with most 2.5″ portable HD’s – take power from USB – We regularly use one of 2 portable 2.5″ HDD’s with our caravan TV, and the SMART TV at home – we can copy movies over from the laptop (again no more power than USB) to the portable drive.

They aren’t expensive now.

Posted 4 years ago

Cougar
Full Member

will it have to be a USB disk with it’s own power source?

Typically external 2.5″ disks are powered via USB, 3.5″ drives require external power. (I don’t doubt that there may be exceptions to this but I’ve never come across it if so.)

EDIT: Gah, what fossy just said!

Posted 4 years ago

AlexSimon
Full Member

Thanks guys – it seems some of these 2.5″ drives take less power than a thumbdisk, so I’ll look at using a sticky pad to connect it

Posted 4 years ago

phil5556
Full Member

^^ that’s what we’ve got velcroed to the back of the TV.

Posted 4 years ago

AlexSimon
Full Member

Velcro – good idea!

Posted 4 years ago

pocpoc
Free Member

We’ve got a 32gb USB stick in the back of an LG smart TV for recording on. Used it a few times but haven’t bothered for the last year or so. The interface for recording is shocking and really not set up for it. It’s like they’ve added the funtionality as an afterthough just so they can say it’s there in the specs.
I still have no idea how to stop a series link recording and we not have a USB stick full of random kids TV that my daughter somehow managed to set to series record.
Other TV brands may be better. They couldn’t be much worse.

Posted 4 years ago

phil5556
Full Member

Other TV brands may be better.

Our Sonys sound much better then. You just find what you want in the normal programme guide, click OK on it and you’re given option to record, record series or set reminder. It works really well.

Posted 4 years ago

AlexSimon
Full Member

Thanks for the help everyone!
Went for that LG listed in the OP from Currys and a WD portable 1TB disk from Argos – all working great above my mum’s bed on a swing-out arm.
Picture was surprisingly good (I used ISF Bright Room). The sound was a little shrill, but manageable.
Remote control isn’t the friendliest to find buttons on, but it’ll do.

I thought the TV was good value at £200.
Managed the whole lot (TV, mount, HDD under £290)

I originally planned to use my phone as a hotspot to download latest firmware, but as everything worked, decided against it (I know from experience that firmware doesn’t necessarily get better with each release!)

Thanks again.

Posted 4 years ago

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