Freestyle connectivity

[catflap]

How do I physically connect my Samsung 3D Blu-ray player as well as external USB drives to my freestyle projection TV? Not wirelessly. Not with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. But actually physically.

[catflap]

Thanks again for replying. I really don't understand your mains Powerline extenders set up. I don't want my laptop to have to do anything. Having it hardwired for internet is enough for me.

And if there is a separate HDMI hub or cable that I can use for the Blu-ray player and the separate USB hub which can connect to the freestyle that would also be fine. I can only use one device at a time anyway. Of course the ultimate would be having a hub that has USB and HDMI.

[PaulC59]

Are you trying to create a home network or do you want to plug everything into the same device via the cables e.g USB HDMI etc. This page might give you some useful info https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00090555/#:~:text=Plug%20one%20end%20of%20the,and%20the....

[catflap]

Thank you for replying. No, I'm not trying to make a network because I don't need one.

But that link was 50% helpful anyway. I will need a micro HDMI adapter or cable to connect my Blu-ray player. But it doesn't have any information that I can find about connecting an external drive. I suppose if I'm able to get an HDMI micro adapter I could try that. In the past I have physically connected an external drive to my tablet, but it uses a lot of battery power to keep it going. So that's why I've had to resort to transferring films to my tablet in order to stream them.

So I would still like to know from anybody whether it is actually possible to connect an external drive with an HDMI micro adapter directly to the freestyle, either singularly or with a hub with several USB ports.

[PaulC59]

It all depends what is compatible with the freestyle and what software it has built in i.e will it recognise and open files from the external device you wish to play media from. I don't have a freestyle so I haven't tried it myself. However if it will output your disk player or TV, laptop etc you could connect your drives and other devices to the laptop, blueray player or TV and run them through the external device so that would mean just one connection to the freestyle device. If you use your laptop you can buy usb hubs or docking stations that enable a multitude of devices to be connected to the laptop so it works like a chain I.e devices connect and run on the laptop and the laptop outputs to the freestyle device. There are several ways to do it so it's a case of trying different methods to see which way works best for you. Hope this helps

[catflap]

Thanks again for your ideas.

I have tried to connect my laptop with Smart Things, Bluetooth, and wi-fi and the only thing I can manage to do is mirror the computer screen and the freestyle remote is not usable. I have the Samsung trio 500 Bluetooth keyboard but that is not paired with my laptop as the trio 500 only allows up to 3 device pairings, and all slots have been taken by my phone, tablet and the Freestyle.

But it's weird I can't use the freestyle remote when I can use it when streaming from my phone or tablet.

Having to keep my laptop in the same room as the freestyle and not be able to use the remote isn't worth the trouble. I'd also have to get another bluetooth/wireless mouse. And as far as physically connecting to the laptop with HDMI, it's possible but I would need an expensive HDMI cable that is 50-60 feet long to reach from the office to the lounge.

So I think I will have to look for micro HDMI adapters/cables/hubs to try and connect external drives directly to the freestyle.

I will definitely get an adapter or cable to connect my bluray player. Except for my current laptop (Acer) I have an older Samsung laptop that doesn't run very well anymore. My BD player, phone, tablet are all Samsung.

I appreciate all of the help and ideas I've received, and I would really like to hear from anyone who has has practical experience physically  connecting an external drive(s) directly to the freestyle.

EDIT: I have been able to cast from the laptop-ext drive to the freestyle and use the remote. But cannot access the file/folder tree without going to the computer.

[PaulC59]

Ok no problem. Just for your info if your running media from an external device you would normally use a different remote for the external device as the freestyle remote won't usually work e.g blueray player would have its own remote etc a bit like if you plug a device into your TV, you would usually use a different remote for the device, which is because the media is running from your external device and your freestyle is just a display for the device. You can sometimes use a universal remote for multiple devices but a lot of the functions don't always work. To me a freestyle device is similar to an LCD display panel i.e a screen but with no built in tuner so it relies on either built in apps, running across network or external devices. I'm surprised there aren't port expansion hubs available as an accessory for it and you could put in an internal or external battery which would then free up the USB-C port for devices. It might be worth googling if people have ran into similar issues with a display panel as I suspect the solutions will be very similar. I hope you get sorted best wishes

[catflap]

I don't think Samsung completely thought out the needs of the consumer on this one. There are lots of other projection TVs which have multiple HDMI and USB ports. This one has One USB port which is only for power, either mains or battery pack, and one micro HDMI port for external devices. They should at least have an adapter or hub for the HDMI port available, even as a separate purchase. Or else they're planning to include more connections in the Next Generation which will force many first generation owners to upgrade.

[PaulC59]

Have you checked whether you can use one of these? https://www.samsung.com/uk/computer-accessories/multiport-adapter-ee-p5400usegww/

[PaulC59]

Click chat with an expert to see if the USB c port is data compatible too as a power pass through will allow you to plug your power supply into one of the ports and devices in the others if it's compatible

[catflap]

That one doesn't seem to have a micro HDMI plug to connect to the freestyle. I do have a USB port with four USB sockets. The Hub itself has a USB plug which I have to put a USB C adapter on to connect it to my tablet. But as I said earlier connecting a drive to the tablet uses a lot of battery and so I don't do that anymore. I will have to try to find a hub with the micro HDMA connection or at least a micro HDMI adapter to put on a hub.