What's the file format Sony uses for recording from Bravia onto USB drives?

[dvdsmpsn]

After using my USB drive to record programmes from my TV, it's no longer readable on my Mac

In fact 5 "Linux" partitions were created on my 120GB Toshiba USB drive:

• The Mac seems to think that the filesystem is Linux based. Is this true?
• What format are the video files?
• Is it some Sony-only file format based on vendor lock-in? Or are Sony more open these days?

Message was edited by: dvdsmpsn

Message was edited by: dvdsmpsn

[deebeeargh]

I have been able to read my HDD by booting into Parted Magic OS (Linux)

http://partedmagic.com/doku.php

You boot from CD so you should be able to fire this up on your Mac with no OS change.

This allows you to mount the HDD and see the contents - you can also drag things from your HDD to your Mac/Windows hard disk and vice-versa. The actual files that constitute the recordings are useless if you do so (I was keen to have a small USB stick for recording on to and then archiving to standard HDD to use for playback on my media player - no good)

Would be nice if it warned you your HDD would be pretty much bricked for other use once formatted with the Sony TV - I suspect this can also be undone with Parted Magic by reformatting to FAT or NTFS once the USB HDD is mounted.

[faseeffe]

Hello, just to add my experience using a Bravia W6 series and a 1 TBytes HDD from Western Digital connected via USB port and NTFS preformatted.

I was able to access all files on filesystem via my iMac, but I unsuccessfully tried to view .m2ts files with VLC and all video viewers available for OSX.

VLC responded that "undf" codec is not supported.

I'm fully aware of copyright rules (justifiable for commercial reasons, not for family usage) and I consciously selected Sony for its quality and performance, but I'd say that, together with the absence of Flash player on Opera embedded browser on this TV set, it becomes a great disadvantage for family entertainment.

Hope Sony may soon change this approach.  

Regards

[ArferDaley]

thanks to you guys for the info here in a way i am glad i have failed to get my drive to be reconized by my tv its a

 sony bravia KDL43W809CBU all the advice i have been given to get this thing sorted has  failed and now glad it has failed as if it renders the drive useless for anything else bonus too me but its very disapointing as sony used too be one of the great products now it seems not

[Mick_J]

As others have mentioned the files themselves are encrypted by Sony, there is something about it in the FAQs that Quinnicus linked to recently. Ignoring that, getting the files to another device to mess with can be done using a filemanager app available from google play called X-Plore, this can copy between USB devices on the TV and to devices on the network. Also has a WiFi-Direct option.

Obviously this does not help with the viewing of the recorded files 😞 but could be useful in other regards. I use it to to copy video and music files from windows shares to the TV for playing later.

[Garymjh]

So just to check before I buy a usb stick or drive. Whatever format Sony uses, there's none of the idiotic 4gb restrictions you get with fat 32 on a pc etc when recording from the tv? Ie there's no limit on the recorded file size? Thanks very much. 

[rooobb]

If there was such 4GB limit you could record only 1 hour in HD... The only limit you have is the size of the partition to 2TB.

[oodles2do]

I'm currently attempting to get the video files off my Sony registered HDD as I've got another TV that's LG and it lets you record TV shows onto any storage device and it doesn't need to register it and format it.

I'm running Linux on my laptop and I plugged the hard drive in, I can see all the files on there and there's a folder called stream where all the recordings are kept. The recording seem to be stored as binary files, obviously these will be HUGE text files of 1's and 0's.

[ArferDaley]

sony is about one of the last companys left to do this and encrypt there stuff i think its a feel good factor for them gives them a little street cred shame really which is why i am selling my new sony bravio and moving to a tv that allows you to move your recordings to a pc harddrive i men its not too hard these days to expect too beable too do this keep it up sony your diggin a nice hole in sales for yourselves

[Anonymous]

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@ArferDaley wrote:

sony is about one of the last companys left to do this and encrypt there stuff i think its a feel good factor for them gives them a little street cred shame really which is why i am selling my new sony bravio and moving to a tv that allows you to move your recordings to a pc harddrive i men its not too hard these days to expect too beable too do this keep it up sony your diggin a nice hole in sales for yourselves

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Encryption for recording HD channels is part of the Dbook standard and is mandatory.  SD channels doesnt need to be encrypted, but many do however.

See:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeview_(UK)#Copy_protection

http://dtg.org.uk/dtg/press_releases/dtg_whatsat_20091200.pdf

[oodles2do]

@Anonymous

I was about to reply and say my new LG TV doesn't encryt, but looking at the files on my laptop, it does. What it doesn't do though, is require you to register a device to it, effectively comondeering the entire device and meaning you can't use it for anything else. It simply creates a new folder on the drive and records to the available space.