TCL Optical connection from factory

[ajg617]

Playing around with the TCL (I have a USB hard drive I'm going to mount behind the TV - plenty of shows archived) and noticed an optical cable connected to the TV. Followed that up to a small box with what looks like RCA outputs. The power cord that feeds the box was pinched between the TV and the mounting bracket and pulled out of the converter. Everything seems to work, so I'm wondering what the optical device does and where the other output wires go? Saw some prior posts about connecting to a sound bar which we don't have - so leave it disconnected?
Thanks,
John


***NEVER MIND - FIGURED IT OUT***

[Captcolour]

What was the answer?

[ajg617]

What was the answer?

Audio input to the Rockford system. Without power, no audio from TV to Rockford - just TV speakers on. Should have guessed with red and white RCA output jacks.

[dryfly]

Playing around with the TCL (I have a USB hard drive I'm going to mount behind the TV - plenty of shows archived) and noticed an optical cable connected to the TV. Followed that up to a small box with what looks like RCA outputs. The power cord that feeds the box was pinched between the TV and the mounting bracket and pulled out of the converter. Everything seems to work, so I'm wondering what the optical device does and where the other output wires go? Saw some prior posts about connecting to a sound bar which we don't have - so leave it disconnected?
Thanks,
John


***NEVER MIND - FIGURED IT OUT***

Please tell me about the hardware/software you are using to store and playback content on your TV? I currently use a Directv receiver but always looking for an alternative.

[ajg617]

Please tell me about the hardware/software you are using to store and playback content on your TV? I currently use a Directv receiver but always looking for an alternative.

One of my boys gave me a 4TB Western Digital Black Gaming Drive for Christmas - I have a lot of movies and TV shows that I've recorded over the years plus shows from the Hallmark channel (don't know if the better half could survive) loaded. TCL has a USB port on the back and I just plug it in there. $142.64 pretty inexpensive. The Roku app will find it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

If you have stuff on your Windows 10 laptop and a wifi router with both connected, you can turn on DLNA for a video or music folder on your PC and the TCL should find that also. I do that at home, but the 310 is connected to my home wifi while in the driveway and the TV in it didn't pick it up yet - still playing.

[dryfly]

One of my boys gave me a 4TB Western Digital Black Gaming Drive for Christmas - I have a lot of movies and TV shows that I've recorded over the years plus shows from the Hallmark channel (don't know if the better half could survive) loaded. TCL has a USB port on the back and I just plug it in there. $142.64 pretty inexpensive. The Roku app will find it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

If you have stuff on your Windows 10 laptop and a wifi router with both connected, you can turn on DLNA for a video or music folder on your PC and the TCL should find that also. I do that at home, but the 310 is connected to my home wifi while in the driveway and the TV in it didn't pick it up yet - still playing.

Sounds good and HD storage is pretty cheap. What I'm really interested in is the method and format used to record the content to the HD? Does the Roku app require the programs to be in a specific file format?

[Soundsailor]

I do that at home, but the 310 is connected to my home wifi while in the driveway and the TV in it didn't pick it up yet - still playing.

Get yourself a small travel router that is powered by USB (like this one). That way every device in your coach can be connected to the same wifi network. If you set it up in your driveway, you can have the router repeat the signal from your home wifi. Having a router like this is also more secure in a campground where it can repeat the wifi signal there.

[Soundsailor]

Sounds good and HD storage is pretty cheap. What I'm really interested in is the method and format used to record the content to the HD? Does the Roku app require the programs to be in a specific file format?

Yes, any USB device would work. Roku plays a wide variety of formats (see https://support.roku.com/article/208754908). If you have DVDs of your source material, there is a wide range of software that can "rip" the content to a digital file format.

[ajg617]

Sounds good and HD storage is pretty cheap. What I'm really interested in is the method and format used to record the content to the HD? Does the Roku app require the programs to be in a specific file format?

I just copied MP4 and MP3 files from my desktop HD to the portable - plays them. Link below with supported file types.
https://support.roku.com/article/208754908

[ajg617]

Get yourself a small travel router that is powered by USB

Ordered it tonite - $24. I was not looking to pick up a router assuming they would be a couple hundred. TY for the link.