You Can Update Your TV’s Firmware Using a USB Stick
You probably update devices like your smartphone or laptop quite often. (You may have put off the latest version a little longer than you should have.) But how often do you update other types of devices, like your TV?
Despite how routine and simple using your TV may be, it can be important to keep your handset, like other devices, updated to the latest software and firmware. And while many smart TVs regularly check for the latest updates, yours may not. For example, I don’t connect my TV to the Internet, so I have no way to check for updates over Wi-Fi.
However, you don’t need to connect your TV to the network to update it, and you don’t need the TV to search for updates on its own. In fact, as ZDNet’s Chris Bayer explains , one of your TV’s missing ports could help keep it up to date.
How to update your TV via USB
To get started, you’ll need three items: a TV (for the update), a computer (for downloading the update), and a USB drive (for storing the update).
First, find out what kind of TV you actually have. Just knowing the brand isn’t necessarily enough, as that company can make many different types of TVs. You will need to obtain the model number of your specific TV to ensure you are using the latest update available for that model.
If your TV is wall mounted or mounted, it can be a little difficult to find as the model number is usually found on a sticker on the back of the TV. If you can, pull the TV out as far as possible and use a flashlight or smartphone camera to locate the ID sticker. You can also find out if your TV has a model number in the settings menu. This could be the “About” or “General” menu.
Once you know your TV’s model number, go to the manufacturer’s website and find the downloads section. For example, for an LG TV, you’ll find this under “Support” under “Software and Drivers to Download.” When prompted, enter your model number and the site will redirect you to a list of available software to download. You need to make sure that you choose the latest download available, as well as the version for your region, as you don’t want to install the wrong software on your TV.
Once you find the version of the software you want, download it to your computer. If you received it as a ZIP file, you can either click it to unzip it (Mac) or right-click and select Extract All (Windows). Once you have access to the files (which should look like .bin or .img files), connect the USB drive to your computer and move the files to the drive, making sure that the files are added to the main drive and not to any folders that may be on it. Choose to eject the drive from your Mac or PC before physically removing it from your computer.
Finally, connect the USB drive to your TV. If your TV doesn’t automatically register the update file on the flash drive, go into your TV’s settings and look for the “update” language, such as “Software Update” or “Firmware Update.” Your TV should guide you through the necessary steps.
If the update does not help, format the disk.
One possible problem with this method concerns the USB drive itself. If it is not formatted correctly (FAT32), your TV may not recognize it.
You can format a drive in both Windows and Mac, but note that formatting requires you to erase everything on the drive. If you have important data on your drive, first back it up to another location or choose a different drive to work with.
If the drive is small enough, you can format it through Windows Explorer . Right-click the drive and select Format . Here, select FAT32 under File System, then check the Quick Format option. Click Start , click OK on the pop-up warning you that you will lose all data on the drive, and you’re done.
On a Mac, connect the drive and open Disk Utility. Select Erase , then select MS-DOS (FAT) from the Format drop-down list. Now click “Erase” and then select “Done” when you’re done.