Perhaps one of the coolest features of LG smart TVs is the ability for it to record live programs, and also entire series if you’ve got the necessary storage space. What’s more interesting is that the feature is very accessible as the TV remote comes with a dedicated record button to handle everything.
However, it’s not all simple as you could face some issues when trying to use this feature especially if it’s your first time. In this article, we will be outlining some problems you can encounter when trying to record with your LG smart TV, and also how they can be solved.
LG Smart TV Recording Problems & How to Fix
In truth, the main issue that may occur while trying to record on your LG smart TV is the inability of the TV to read and/or write into the storage device you have connected to it. This can be caused by several issues, which we have outlined, and equally provided their solutions below.
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Incompatible USB Storage File System
Whether you’re using a card reader and attaching an SD card, or using a hard drive, or SSD, you want to make sure that you’re working with the right storage file system. If it’s not formatted to FAT32 or NTFS, you may have an issue trying to record shows from your smart TV. On some shows and LG smart TV models, even FAT32 poses a problem, you’ll need to take it to NTFS to have the issue sorted.
To do this, simply connect your storage device to your PC, right-click to pop out the options, and then click on format. Just before formatting, change the File system preference to NTFS, then make sure
“Quick Format” is unchecked. Formatting your storage space will take a while depending on the type of storage, and PC processing power.
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Insufficient Space on your Storage Device.
When you’re looking to record very long videos/content like an entire TV series, you may need a storage device of at least 500GB, which could even be more depending on the extent of recording, and what’s already in the storage device.
Ensure that you’ve got sufficient space before proceeding with any recording, at the same time, especially if you’re recording a series, look to delete already watched episodes so your scheduled recording sequence isn’t stopped.
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Storage Size Not Supported by Smart TV
The maximum storage size supported by LG Smart TVs is 2TB. However, some older models may only support up to 1TB. You can check the maximum storage size supported by your TV in the owner’s manual or on LG’s support website.
In the case where you’re using a storage device that’s larger than 2TB, you may need to partition it into multiple volumes as your TV only recognizes up to 2TB. To partition your storage space, you’ll want to follow the step-by-step guide below.
How to Partition Hard Drive or SSD with Windows
- Open Disk Management. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box, then type “diskmgmt.msc” and press Enter.
- Locate the disk you want to partition. All of your disks will be listed in the bottom pane of the Disk Management window.
- Right-click on the unallocated space on the disk and select New Simple Volume. If there is no unallocated space on the disk, you can create some by shrinking an existing partition. To do this, right-click on the partition you want to shrink and select Shrink Volume.
- Follow the steps in the New Simple Volume Wizard to create your new partition. You will need to specify the size of the partition, assign it a drive letter, and format it.
- Click Finish to create the new partition.
How to Partition Hard Drive or SSD with a Mac PC
- Open Disk Utility. Click the Finder icon in the Dock, then navigate through the Finder sidebar >> Favorites >> Applications >> Utilities >> Disk Utility
- Select the disk you want to partition. In the Disk Utility sidebar, select the disk you want to partition. If you have multiple storage devices connected to your Mac, make sure you select the correct one.
- Click the Partition tab. The Partition tab will show you the current partition layout of the selected disk. Now click the + button below the partition layout to add a new partition. You can also use this interface to resize existing partitions by dragging the borders between them.
- Specify the size and format of the new partition. In the Name field, type a name for the new partition, in the Size field, enter the size of the partition in megabytes (MB), in the Format pop-up menu, select the file system that you want to use for the new partition.
- Click Apply. Disk Utility will create the new partition and format it.
- Click Done.
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Software Bug
Oftentimes, especially if you’ve been using your TV for a while, it could develop a software bug that can prevent the recording feature from working properly. To correct this, you’ll need to first check for a firmware update, if there’s none, resetting your device will be your next best option. Before we give a step-by-step guide on how to check and update the firmware of your LG smart TV, you first want to be able to confirm from your device specs that it’s capable of recording videos into a storage device.
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How to Check and Update LG Smart TV Firmware
To update your LG Smart, all you need to do is press the Settings button on your remote control, and navigate through All Settings >> General >> About this TV >> Software Update >> Check for Updates. If you have a firmware update available and your device is connected to the internet, it should automatically download and install the update.
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How to Reset your LG Smart TV
To reset your LG Smart TV, all you need do is press the settings button on your remote control, and navigate through All settings >> General >> Reset to Initial Settings >> then press OK to confirm.