The 2 TB Limit: Evolve

[Tom Saurus]

I have a media player that has the 2 TB limit. Can someone explain to me why several devices can't get beyond that 2 TB limit and why are they not evolving to get past it? Thanks in advance for your responses and perhaps I am not the only one that wonders about these kind of things.

[isapc]

It is a guess,But could be a 32 bit limit.Its A bit like the 32 bit version of win xp had a probllem over 2 gig.

[butterw]

FAT32 partition size limit ?

[jagabo]

FAT32 partition size limit ?

There's also a 2 TB BIOS MBR limit on boot partitions with older motherboards, regardless of format.

[flashandpan007]

It is MBR vs GPT, isn't it.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/backup-and-storage/suppor...exceeding-2-tb

[usually_quiet]

The problem could be related to the media player's hardware, its operating system, or the file system used for formatting storage.

Android-based media players use an SoC and an operating system that was originally used for smartphones. How many people use more than 2TB of storage for their smartphones?

[Clockwork]

It is MBR vs GPT, isn't it.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/backup-and-storage/suppor...exceeding-2-tb

Yes, drives larger than 2TB need to have GPT partitioning.

[Tom Saurus]

It seems if you hook a USB hub up to a media player you can hook up several hard drives to it and you just select which one you want to play videos from. This doesn't get you past the 2 TB limit but it may be of useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18M4WsdFmjM

This is the media player I bought it about three years ago. It has been a wonderful way of watching videos.

https://www.amazon.ca/AGPtek-Full-HD-Digital-Player-Drives/dp/B00TOAAHG4/ref=pd_day0_5...XSA4G6YACTD2FF

[Tom Saurus]

There are some reports on the internet that usb hubs can damage hard drives so maybe they are not a good idea after all.

[lordsmurf]

There are some reports on the internet that usb hubs can damage hard drives so maybe they are not a good idea after all.

Just bad/cheap hubs.
USB ports on computer cases are just hubs.

[flashandpan007]

There are some reports on the internet that usb hubs can damage hard drives so maybe they are not a good idea after all.

Just bad/cheap hubs.
USB ports on computer cases are just hubs.

Yes, just look up some mainboard and you will find USB Hub Chips in the shematics.
for example: page 7 on this high end x570 motherboard
https://download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_x570-aorus-xtreme_1001_190708_e.pdf

[jagabo]

I think the bigger issue is that USB hard drives are susceptible to being knocked around while they're running. And USB powered drives may not get enough power to work reliably from some ports. Cheap USB cables can cause a significant drop in voltage. Many devices can't supply the specified minimum of 0.5 amps. And the connectors aren't all that reliable with devices that are moved around a lot.

[Clockwork]

I think the bigger issue is that USB hard drives are susceptible to being knocked around while they're running. And USB powered drives may not get enough power to work reliably from some ports. Cheap USB cables can cause a significant drop in voltage. Many devices can't supply the specified minimum of 0.5 amps. And the connectors aren't all that reliable with devices that are moved around a lot.

...and generally a lack of adequate cooling.

[jagabo]

I think the bigger issue is that USB hard drives are susceptible to being knocked around while they're running. And USB powered drives may not get enough power to work reliably from some ports. Cheap USB cables can cause a significant drop in voltage. Many devices can't supply the specified minimum of 0.5 amps. And the connectors aren't all that reliable with devices that are moved around a lot.

...and generally a lack of adequate cooling.

Yes, I forgot about that one.

[Tom Saurus]

https://www.amazon.ca/Player-Digital-Coaxial-Control-Keyboard/dp/B07WPY8VKL/ref=pd_sbs...7WPY8VKL&psc=1

This seems to be an evolution in the media player field. However after reading certain things in the comment section I would be worried about hooking an hard drive up to it. I like though that is can play .h265 files and that it will accept up to an 8 TB hard drive. But unless I win the lottery I don't have the money to experiment with this device. So I will stay away from this device but perhaps more devices will show up in the marketplace.

[jagabo]

If you can access your video collection via a WiFi network share the new Chromecast with Google TV is a good option at US$50. I have one now and it's a pretty impressive device, especially at that price point. The UI is fast, it plays almost everything up to 4K at 60Hz h.264 and h.265, and only consumes 2 or 3 watts when active. The only negatives are the lack of AV1 support and a somewhat anemic remote (no dedicated pause/play button, for example). And one other negative...

It's less attractive if you plan to move a hard drive around from device to device -- because it has only one I/O port (USB C) and it's used by default to power the device. If you wish to use the USB-C port for I/O you need to connect a powered USB-C hub and a more powerful power supply. That brings the cost up and leaves you with a Frankenstein mess of cables and devices. But with the hub it's possible to connect a keyboard, mouse, external drives, game controllers, etc.

[usually_quiet]

If TomSaurus prefers to keep using Ethernet, there is an adapter for the Chromecast with Google TV that supplies both Ethernet and power https://store.google.com/us/product/chromecast_ethernet_adapter_gen_2 Some routers allow attaching a USB HDD or USB Flash Drive to share with other devices on the network. To supplement the remote, I am using an Android-compatible Bluetooth keyboard + touchpad which I have paired with the Chromecast.

[blimey]

This is the media player I bought it about three years ago. It has been a wonderful way of watching videos.

https://www.amazon.ca/AGPtek-Full-HD-Digital-Player-Drives/dp/B00TOAAHG4/ref=pd_day0_5...XSA4G6YACTD2FF

You can use a USB enclosure that contains a bridge chipset which supports 4k sector re-emulation in order to access a 2.19TB+ hard drive using MBR.

I use just such an enclosure with an old media player that only supports MBR, with a 12TB drive.

Bridge chipsets supporting this feature were very common towards the end of the XP era. Even WD used them in their external hard drives to support 2.19TB+ on XP.

They are much less common now. The StarTech SAT3510BU3 supported this feature for years, and was very popular so you may be able to find a used one. Last year I purchased a Sabrent enclosure that supported this feature, but it may be shipping with a different version of the firmware now.

Buslink still actively markets external USB drives that are formatted with 4k sector re-emulation, as "XP Compliant" drives. For example; this one.

If using this type of solution, note that the drive must be formatted in the device (that contains the bridge chipset supporting 4k sector re-emulation), and then can only be accessed in that device (or another enclosure that supports 4k sector re-emulation). It can't be accessed directly through the sata port again unless reformatted with standard sectors.

If you choose this solution to use with your particular media player, you should use an enclosure that is externally powered.

[jagabo]

If TomSaurus prefers to keep using Ethernet, there is an adapter for the Chromecast with Google TV that supplies both Ethernet and power https://store.google.com/us/product/chromecast_ethernet_adapter_gen_2

Yes, I should have mentioned that. I wanted the option of connecting other devices so I bought a hub with power delivery, multiple USB 3 ports, Ethernet, etc.