NAS and USB
January 27th, 2020
To be sure I understand, you want to know whether other devices on your network can see and use the USB that is plugged into the TV?
If I got that right, the answer is no. TV firmwares that I know of, do not have a server side. They can only read files from a network or a USB device and play them provided the encoding is one that is supported.
If you want, you can get a router that has a USB port (or several of them) that you plug the USB device into, and the router acts as the server, allowing multiple devices to use the USB.
Yes that will work,If you are looking for big storage don’t get a nas though its cheaper (and better) to just get a server raid card off ebay for 20$ and build a low end pc.
I run two 4TB NAS setup with DLNA server built in which is compatible with most smart TVs, only problem is not all so I could not use any security and had to use a “public” account. I have a media server (Plex) that runs on my Windows Server 2012 machine (Simply easier to setup than messing with IIS8 settings.) This then has My NAS Mapped as if it were a local folder, the Plex is then ran to my other devices with no problems. For non-smart TVs I ended up using a medium such as a ROKU (best choice by far even if made by Apple… yes it really is read the fine print.) Another option I used was an Android based Netgear Google TV box, which requires a reboot every 48-72hrs. This would also allow for USB connection. The only problem with going from NAS-USB-TV is the insane load time for even a 1TB of media, and codec issues. Simply put yes it can be done. Also my NAS has itself bought as a business grade NAS has ran non-stop for the last year 1/2 other then when I ended up getting new equipment and had to turn them off.