I'm having some trouble playing video files from a flash drive on my TVs (Vizio and LG). My USB drive is formatted to ExFAT, and I'm trying to play MPEG-4 files encoded with H.264 for video and AAC for audio. Both TVs can recognize the flash drive, but they don't seem to find any playable files. I want to enjoy some home videos with my Dad, especially since he was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I'm feeling lost with this troubleshooting and any help would be appreciated.
5 Answers
File format support can vary a lot. While MPEG-4 should be fine generally, the real issue here might be the USB formatting. LG doesn’t support ExFAT, so try reformatting your USB drive to FAT32 or NTFS.
You might want to check the LG support page. It mentions that for files with H.264 and AAC codecs, using formats like MP4, M4V, or MOV is best. MPEG might not work, so be cautious of that.
Modern TVs can be quite picky with video formats! I'd suggest checking the specific model of your TV to see if there's any need for a media player app from their app store, especially if they are smart TVs. Otherwise, using a laptop with an HDMI cable might be a simpler option if you have one handy.
If all else fails, see if your router has a USB port; you could use a file viewer app on your TV instead. But honestly, sometimes the old-school method with an HDMI cable is just easier!
Installing the VLC Player app on your TV could do the trick! It supports almost any video file format, which can really help since playing directly may be a hassle. I've had great luck with it on my devices.
Thanks for the tip! VLC sounds like a lifesaver.