> Should I stick to a powered external drive or is a simple bus-powered one actually okay for these newer sets? Honestly, the whole power draw concern is mostly a relic from way older TVs. Ive been using Bravias for years and the newer ones like your A80K have a dedicated port usually labeled HDD REC that puts out plenty of juice. I personally use the Seagate One Touch 2TB External HDD and it has never skipped a beat. It is super slim and bus-powered so no extra power brick cluttering up your stand. If you want something tough, the Silicon Power 1TB Armor A60 is a solid bet because it handles the constant writing well and is really affordable. Dont overthink the SSD speed thing, it is mostly marketing for this specific use case. Stick with a reliable HDD and save your cash... you wont notice a difference in recording quality anyway.

^ This. Also, ive been super satisfied with the Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable HDD.

• Low power draw
• Costs around 50 bucks Works well without a power brick on my A80J.

Congrats on the A80K, its a killer TV. The recording thing is actually pretty simple once you know the hardware limits. You really dont need an SSD for this because the write speeds for 4K or HD broadcasts are way lower than what even a basic mechanical drive can handle. Plus, some SSDs go into sleep modes that the TV doesnt know how to wake up, which leads to failed recordings. Stick to these rules for the best results:

• Use the blue USB 3.0 port labeled HDD REC. It provides 900mA of power whereas the other ports are usually 500mA.
• Keep the drive size between 250GB and 2TB. Anything larger often requires GPT partition tables that these TVs struggle to format correctly.
• If you are worried about power drops, a desktop drive with its own wall plug is the gold standard for reliability. Using a Western Digital My Passport 1TB Portable External HDD has worked for me for over a year on a similar Bravia model without any power issues. If you want to be extra safe and dont mind the extra cables, the Seagate Expansion Desktop 2TB External HDD is a solid choice because it uses its own power supply, taking the load off the TV. Just keep in mind that the TV will format the drive to its own proprietary system, so you wont be able to plug it into your PC to watch those games later without wiping the whole thing.

Building on the earlier suggestion, its honestly ridiculous how manufacturers make recording so stressful. Spending thousands on a TV just to worry about hardware failing mid-game is a total scam.