How to Watch Video Files Stored on Your Portable Hard Drive

External hard drives have grown in popularity as people have started to use their computers to acquire and watch more large-file media. Movies, television shows, and other video items account for some of the largest files on many people’s computers. After downloading a few movies, a computer’s hard drive can begin to slow down and available storage is greatly reduced. External storage gadgets are an excellent solution to this problem, but a hassle arises when the user then wants to watch the video on their television. Historically, users would have to transfer the file from the external storage drive back to the computer’s main storage drive and then attach the computer to the television using cables. Fortunately, new technology has enabled users to watch files stored on their external units without moving the files.
1. Copy files onto an external drive or storage device.
2. Attach a portable video player (PVP) to your television. These gadgets are still being developed, but the current market leader is the Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player. Various connection options are available, including standard composite AV cables or high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI).
3. Plug in your external storage device. This can be a thumb drive, an external hard drive, or anything that connects via a USB port.
4. Select the video file you would like to watch. Once the external drive is attached to the PVP, the video, audio, and image contents will show up in a menu on the screen.
After identifying the file you want to watch, hit play and enjoy. When you have finished watching, there is no need to disconnect your external drive unless you wish to use it for something else. Supported video files include MPEG, AVI, WMV9, MKV, and MOV.