The USB port on your TV often goes unnoticed, but it’s actually a surprisingly flexible feature with a range of uses you might not expect.
Once installed, most people barely interact with their smart TV. Thanks to wireless connections, phone apps and remote controls, it often feels unnecessary. Nestled next to the all-important HDMI ports, you may have completely overlooked the fact that your TV has at least one USB 2.0 port on the back or side panel.
USB ports are often forgotten or ignored, yet they are a standard feature in most TVs. They offer more functionality than you might realize. Here are five smart ways to start using your TV’s USB ports that you may not have thought of.
1. Turn your TV into a slideshow or media player
Most new TV models come with a pair of USB 2.0 ports, and often a 3.0 port for faster data transfer. Your TV screen is likely to be bigger than your computer screen, so why not use it to display a picture gallery or play videos?
I recently attended a family gathering, and the host used a 65-inch TV to do just that. The scanned images and videos looked and sounded great – all accessible by simply plugging in a USB flash drive.
Pretty much any type of external hard drive, USB flash drive or data stick will work as if you had plugged it into a laptop. Your TV immediately recognizes a connected device and offers you a way to access and navigate your media files.
If you want to program your TV to play a slideshow when it’s idle, there’s a big advantage to having a USB stick connected to it for just that purpose. That advantage? Your media won’t automatically be transferred to the TV’s cache or internal storage because it will read files directly from the flash drive.
By storing the files only on the USB flash drive, you won’t have to spend time copying and uploading them to the TV. What’s more, your TV will thank you for performing better because you won’t clog its cache.
2. Turn your TV into a workstation
Have you ever experienced spreadsheets, documents, vector graphics, videos and web pages crowding your computer screen? Then there are two of us.
The most common monitor size for creative and professional users is 27 inches. Buying multiple high-quality monitors (or large 32-inch panels) can get extremely expensive. But if you’re willing to sacrifice some color accuracy and resolution to get more space on, say, a 55-inch TV screen, you can use a Bluetooth adapter to connect wireless peripherals like a mouse and keyboard.
A larger screen provides more space for multitasking, working with complex designs and viewing an unmanageable number of open windows simultaneously. You’ll need to connect these peripherals via USB to get the job done.
3. Make your aging TV stream-worthy
The seven-year-old TCL TV in my bedroom requires a streaming device to access Prime Video, HBO Max and other platforms. Many streaming devices, especially newer ones, require a connection to an A/C outlet for power. But some, such as previous-generation Amazon Fire Sticks and Google Chromecasts, can be powered by the TV while making it smarter.
All streaming devices connect directly toTVs via HDMI ports to work, but some can be powered by USB. My TCL, for example, has a Roku Streaming Stick connected with a short HDMI cable for data transfer and a short USB 2.0 cable for power. The streaming gadget that allows me to access the internet and watch Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone at night is not connected to the wall at all. It’s being fed by – and feeding – the TV at the same time.
I’d like to point out that this is not an ideal scenario because a device with its own CPU and quad-core processor can lead to problems such as overheating, outages and underperformance. But it works.
4. Charge USB devices if you’re in a pinch
In fact, you can charge almost any device through the TV’s USB port with the appropriate cable. Have you ever had to charge your phone by plugging it into a USB port on your laptop? I’ve been there too. You can do the same with your TV.
The downside is that most TV USB ports are designed for data transfer and powering low-energy devices, so they don’t draw much juice. This means that using a TV as a charging hub, even for something like a console game controller, is relatively slow. But again, if you’re in a real bind, it’s an option.
So try to remember that your TV’s USB ports are there for a reason. You might as well use them to access media, increase the usability of your TV, and supply power to external devices.
5. bonus: software updates
It doesn’t sound as flashy as the other benefits on this list, but if your smart TV doesn’t have internet or you’re using a non-smart TV, it’s important that you keep the software updated via a USB upload. Manufacturers often introduce upgraded features and functions, improved performance and bug fixes with occasional updates, and you can download the latest software via dedicated support pages.
Search for your model or product name, download the latest software file to your USB device and connect the device to your TV to upload it. You may need to restart your TV when all is said and done.
