USB stick unreadable after plugging into TV

[andyodell]

USB stick with a video file worked fine on the TV. Took it out a couple of days later to copy the file over onto a MacBook. But the drive is now unreadable. Any ideas why this would happen so I can avoid it happening again?

Thanks

[Joe_Dohn]

The entire drive is unreadable or just the video files?

Also, did you format the drive using the TV or just accessed it?

- JD

[andyodell]

The entire drive. 

We just watched the video on the TV, nothing else.

[royabrown2]

@andyodell @Joe_Dohn 

See this link:-

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00173821

which applies equally to USB sticks, although they have no handy flashing light.

And explains that unless you power the TV right off, pulling the USB device out is liable to leave it corrupted.

As any TV is likely to do if you pull a USB stick that is in use.

Other makes of TV will though, variously, let go of the stick when you stop actually watching it, or when you switch to another input, or when you use the Eject USB option they provide.

But not Sonys, which offer none of these things.

I normally try to reserve my very low opinion of Sony TVs for other Communities, but when they do stuff like this…..

[rooobb]

---

@royabrown2  ha scritto:

Other makes of TV will though, variously, let go of the stick when you stop actually watching it, or when you switch to another input, or when you use the Eject USB option they provide.

But not Sonys, which offer none of these things.

You can (and should) eject the USB memory on any Sony Android TV

[royabrown2]

Hi @rooobb 

Is this 2018 article superseded or wrong then?

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/articles/00173821

[rooobb]

Hi @royabrown2  I don't know, I don't manage Sony documentation

https://www.sony-asia.com/microsite/support/interactive/pie/full/index.html#usb_eject

[royabrown2]

@rooobb 

Well found, but we are repeatedly told not to rely on information about Sony TVs in other regions. So what about information on this in EMEA? There’s lots telling you about using USB storage devices, but the reference above is the only EMEA link I can find about ejecting them.

So, three questions:-

(i) If you follow the recipe your link gives on an EMEA model (doesn’t have to be a UK model, as you are in Italy I believe) does it lead to an Eject option?

(ii) that documentation is for Android 9 (Pie). Does the documentation for previous versions of Android say the same?
(iii) if this is so all-fired important to avoid data loss (and from the experiences of the OP it certainly is) don’t you think Sony should be giving it a little more prominence than a document apparently specific to Sony TVs manufactured for a whole different area of the world?

[rooobb]

@royabrown2 i put that link only because is the only available step by step guide on Android TV around the world. But my own A1 has this option if I remember well since android Oreo at least. And in any case I didn't use it all the times for playback only and never got a flash disk damaged. But it may occurs so you may want to use it to be on the safe side.

[royabrown2]

@rooobb 

Here is nearly the same thing from Google themselves:-

https://support.google.com/androidtv/answer/6299083?hl=en-GB

Eject your drive.

But they do say:-

Note: The steps below may not work for all TVs that run Android TV.