[madgitty]

Hi
Just got the PI 2 with kodi, trying to learn and apologies if this has been asked before but I have been checking every where to answer these questions.

1 I want to run an external (powered) 8tb drive off the Pi directly into the usb, I can play movies ect but I want to have my collection brought in via the " files . add video ect so I can set it up with thumbnails and looking pretty, but it never sees any usb drive I plugged in at this point so I cannot set up my movies and tv series, do not want to go via the network.

2 How do I get 5.1 out of the pi, there is a add on board that has a digital out but not sure if that works, any ideas

many thanks

No one know an answer to this problem

[jaspreet]

As for the HD You need to power it externally if its not showing . Use a Y cable and power it that way.

As for 5.1 I think if you have a Receiver Just set the pi to passthrough the audio and select channels you have.

[DarrenHill]

From what the OP said, it's a self-powered drive so no need for cables etc. That's only if you have a drive that would normally be powered from the USB port.

To add its content to the library you just need to go to the top level of the structure on the drive that you want to add in the files menu (be it the root of the drive or somewhere lower down) and then select set content. Choose whatever it that the folder structure contains (movies, tv shows, music etc) and it should then offer you the opportunity to scan and add to the library. Or else later on you can just scan for new content in the same fashion if you add new stuff etc.

USB drives generally can't be selected as sources as they are not permanent media, although if they are mounted you may be able to do so via the normal method and going through the root file system to the mount point and then add that (or sub-sections of it as desired).

[trogggy]

What's on the pi? ie openelec / osmc / raspbian / something else?
In openelec I've never had a usb drive not mount. When it mounts in openelec a drive will show up automatically in the videos list, and you can treat it as any other source. I'd guess osmc is the same.

[DarrenHill]

If my understanding is correct, it's not that the USB drive doesn't mount, it's that it doesn't show up under "add sources" as a simple named source. In my experience that's true always, as it's a removable drive (you don't get a source magically appearing under the name of the mounted drive).

You have to use one of the two methods I mentioned above to get stuff from it into the library (via the files menu and context menu scanning or via navigating to the mount point from the root of the OS and using that as the source folder).

But I may be misunderstanding and wrong - it would hardly be the first time

[trogggy]

You made me doubt myself Darren, so I've just flicked my openelec box (pc) on, navigated to video files and plugged a usb drive in. About 3 seconds later 'WD1TB' appeared at the bottom of the list (my naming's not very imaginative).
Openelec on the pi does the same thing (can't check one right now, but honest guv).

In openelec you could find it anyway (if you had to) by going root / media / <here be usb drives>.

[madgitty]

cheers, as I'm new to this I, a little confused, I have a POWERED 8tb hard drive plugged into the PI (openlec) and this will be my media drive, it is seen in video - files ect and I can play movies but if I goto ADD Drive it does not show up as a drive which is what I want so it can catalogue everthing. Running kodi on a PC it shows up

thanks

OK guys I have gone to root media and there it is, thanks a lot.

Any ideas on 5.1 board, I have a pioneer amp

[trogggy]

'Add drive' where?
If it shows up in videos > files you don't need to add anything. You can if you want to though - it makes setting content easier (at least for me).

From the bottom of the videos screen...

Add videos > browse > root filesystem > media > yourusbdrive > keep going until you get to the folder you want (eg 1 with films in) and hit okay.
Repeat as often as you like for different folders on the drive.
Set the contents of the folders you've added, scan, done.

[madgitty]

Trogggy I have sorted it out by your last comment thanks,

[popcornmix]

I assume you want optical for 5.1?
A HDMI->optical splitter is one option.
Otherwise you can use an I2S board like hifiberry.

The HDMI/optical splitter is better in some regards - everything on Pi supports HDMI output, but the I2S boards have some restrictions.
e.g. omxplayer, one of the supported kodi players is not supported by ALSA/I2S audio.

[DarrenHill]

@trogggy - for completeness I just tried it again on my Pi Zero running OE6.0.0 and Amber skin using a WD My Passport and a powered hub.

If I plug in the drive/hub with the Pi on it tends to cause it to reboot, but if I boot the Pi with everything connected it can be seen under the files menu. If I go to add video sources it doesn't show in the initial list, but browsing via root filesystem then media shows the mount points which can be used. It doesn't show up under add video sources (unless you go looking for the mount point) but it does a step before you get there in the files menu as we both said above.

So reading through your post again I think we were actually talking about the same two ways to get the external drive to mount and be useable as a library media source

[muya]

had the same USB device troubles, didnt know it but i was able to manage it now :-D
very helpful information.

[general79]

Get a USB portable hard drive. I have on with TB size with movies and TV Shows and it works on the Pi