You copy a film or a home video onto a USB stick, plug it into the TV, and get "Unsupported file", nothing at all, a picture with no sound, or a stuttering mess. A computer would play the same file without complaint. The difference is that TVs decode video with fixed chips and a fixed list of formats, and unlike a computer, you can't install anything to extend it. The fix is to hand the TV a file that's already on its list.

The recipe

A file almost every TV plays

Plays nearly everywhere TVs, streaming sticks, most car screens
MP4 file H.264 video 1080p, 30 fps or less AAC audio FAT32 or exFAT stick

4K TVs also handle 4K HEVC. Older and cheaper screens are happiest with the list above.

Common trouble the usual reasons a file is refused
DTS audio Files over 4 GB on FAT32 10-bit H.264 4K 60 fps on older TVs Old formats (WMV, FLV, RMVB)

Each one is covered below, with its fix.

#1. The stick isn't readable, or the file won't fit

TVs read USB sticks formatted as FAT32 almost universally, and many also read exFAT and NTFS - your TV's manual lists which. FAT32 has a catch: it can't hold any single file bigger than 4 GB. A full-length HD film often is, and Windows won't even copy it, saying the file is too large for the destination file system. The fix is to reformat the stick as exFAT, if your TV supports it, or to make the file smaller. Formatting erases the stick, so copy anything you need off it first. Some TVs also ignore very large drives or drives split into several partitions; a plain, single-partition stick is the safest bet.

#2. The video codec isn't on the TV's list

H.264 is supported by essentially every TV made in the last fifteen years. HEVC (H.265) is supported by most 4K TVs. AV1 is only on fairly recent models. Older formats - DivX and Xvid, WMV, RealVideo, Flash video - are hit-and-miss, and newer TVs keep dropping them.

One special case catches out a lot of anime fans: 10-bit H.264, often labelled "Hi10P" in file names. It became popular for fan encodes because it squeezes animation well, but no TV, phone or streaming stick has hardware to decode it. Those files play on a computer and nowhere else, and they need re-encoding to standard 8-bit H.264 (HandBrake does it) before a TV will touch them.

For old formats, convert the file to an MP4 with H.264 video. Wave does this in your browser - see WMV, AVI, FLV, RMVB and every other format. By default Wave copies H.264 and HEVC video as it is; for 10-bit H.264, or HEVC on a TV that doesn't support it, turn on Make it play everywhere, which re-encodes to standard 8-bit H.264.

#3. The audio is DTS: picture, but no sound

If the picture plays and the sound doesn't, look at the audio format. Many films in MKV files carry DTS surround sound, and TV makers have been dropping DTS to save on licensing. Samsung removed it from its 2018 TVs onward. LG dropped it in 2020, brought it back in 2023, and dropped it again for its 2025 models. On those TVs, a DTS soundtrack plays as silence or makes the TV refuse the file. Dolby's TrueHD and DTS-HD tracks from Blu-ray rips have the same problem on most TVs.

The fix is to convert just the audio to AAC, which every TV plays. Wave does exactly that: drop the MKV or MP4 onto MKV to MP4, and it copies the video untouched and converts the soundtrack to AAC - keeping 5.1 surround as 5.1. MP4 has no sound covers silent videos in more detail.

#4. The resolution, frame rate or bitrate is too high

Every TV has limits for each format, and they're in the manual - for example, 4K at 60 fps for HEVC but less for H.264 on some models. A 1080p TV can't play a 4K file at all. Video from modern phones, drones and action cameras often goes past an older TV's limits: 4K at 60 fps, 120 fps slow motion, or bitrates of 100 Mbps and more. Those files stutter, freeze or get refused. The fix is to re-encode at a lower resolution or frame rate. In Wave, choose 1080p under Resolution in the Options panel; it keeps the original frame rate, so for 120 fps slow motion or a TV that can't manage 60 fps, HandBrake's "Fast 1080p30" preset, which also brings the frame rate down to 30, produces a file practically every TV plays.

#5. The file type or subtitles aren't supported

MP4 and MKV are widely supported. MOV, AVI and WebM depend on the brand and model, and less common types like .ts or .m2ts are often missing from the list. If a TV shows the file but won't play it, converting to MP4 is the quickest test. For subtitles, most TVs read a separate .srt file if it has exactly the same name as the video, sitting next to it on the stick.

#6. The file is protected or incomplete

Purchased or rented videos from iTunes, and downloads from streaming apps, are copy-protected and only play in their own apps, never from a USB stick. And a file that was still copying when the stick was pulled out can be missing its end. Use "Eject" (or "Safely remove") on the computer before unplugging, and copy the file again if it's smaller than the original.

#Car stereos and in-car screens

Car head units are even pickier than TVs. Many only play video while the car is parked - a safety interlock, not a fault. Their supported list is often short: MP4 or AVI, H.264 at 720p or 1080p, AAC or MP3 audio, on a FAT32 stick, and some only read sticks of 32 GB or less. The manual will say. When in doubt, the TV recipe above at 720p is the safest choice.

#The short version

  • The safest file is an MP4 with H.264 video at 1080p or less and AAC audio, on a FAT32 or exFAT stick.
  • Files over 4 GB don't fit on FAT32 - reformat as exFAT if the TV supports it.
  • Picture but no sound usually means DTS audio. Convert the audio to AAC; Wave keeps the video untouched while it does.
  • Old formats: convert to H.264 MP4 with Wave. Too-high resolution, frame rate or 10-bit H.264: re-encode with HandBrake.