PS3 isn't only a game console, but a media player as well for it has a hard drive that allows you to store large media files, such as photos, music, TV shows, videos, movies and even save games on the system. Want to know how to stream or sync media files from PC/Mac to your PS3 easily? This article provides three methods.
When video game consoles first became popular they were for just that - video games. Today consoles are multimedia machines with massive storage space and the ability to grab content from the internet, and if set up correctly from other computers on your home network. The PlayStation 3 can be connected to your home network via the Ethernet port, and while you'll definitely want to do this for online play, you may not fancy the hassle of setting up access to your computer.
If you want to watch a movie or TV show on your PS3 that you've downloaded on to your computer then there are some simple alternative: use a USB flash drive, Windows and Windows Media Player can set your computer up to be a media sharing server. You could also use an external hard drive, as long as it has a USB cable it will work just as well. You may also want to transfer music and photos onto your PS3 or perhaps even a downloaded save game. They can all be transferred in the same way.
Once everything is ready it'll be nice and easy to sync content across. This being said though, if you run into problem it can be infuriating to try and diagnose, which we'll come onto later.
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PlayStation 3 Supported Formats
One of the great things about the PS3 is the fact that it supports a wide variety of files. Here's a complete list of supported file formats on the PS3:
Images
- JPEG
- TIFF
- BMP
- GIF
- PNG
Music
- MP3
- ATRAC (Memory Stick Format)
- MP4
- WAV
- WMA
Video
- MPEG-1
- MPEG-2
- MPEG-4 (H.264)
- AVI
- AVCHD
- WMV
- DivX Codec
Method 1: Copy videos to PS3 Use a USB Flash Drive
Watching Movies on the PS3 via USB
Here is a simple step by step guide for watching or transferring movie files onto your PS3 using a USB flash drive or an external hard drive.
Copying Save Games to your PS3 via USB
The process for downloading a save game and then copying it onto your PS3 using a USB flash drive or external hard drive is slightly different. Here is a step by step guide for copying a save game to your PS3.
Troubleshooting USB to PS3
If the PS3 can't see your device it may be due to the formatting. The device you connect must be formatted to FAT32. There are various ways to do this but the simplest is to plug in your device and check what letter the drive is. Then select Run from the menu in Windows and type cmd to bring up the command window. Type the following line in the window format (Drive Letter): /FS:FAT32
Just to be clear if your drive was K then you'd type format K: /FS:FAT32
There is a specific problem I encountered with the SanDisk Cruzer Flash Drive. If you have one of these USB drives you'll need to uninstall the U3 Launchpad software which automatically runs. Before you do this make sure that you back up all data on the USB device because this tool will wipe it completely. You can download the U3 Launchpad Removal Tool here.
Once that's gone you should find it works perfectly and instead of going through the eject process in the software you'll need to do it via the icon in your toolbar which says Safely Remove Hardware.
Hopefully this guide has allowed you to stream media contents to your PS3.
Method 2: Transfer media to PS3 via Windows Media Player
So you don't want to download any extra software? Windows Media Player is all you need. First thing we're going to set is the sharing settings on your computer. If your computer isn't set to share files, no matter how hard you try the PS3 will never see your computer, and if it does it probably won't be able to play what it finds. To get things running, follow the steps below, starting with the Network and Sharing Centre.
In Windows 8: Open your start screen and type 'Network and Sharing'. Click on 'Settings' on the right hand side, and finally click 'Network and Sharing Centre'.
In Windows 7: Click on your start button, and click 'Control Panel'. 'Network and Sharing Centre' should be listed here, if not, click Network and Internet and then you'll see the option.
Along the left hand side of Network and Sharing Centre, there will be a title saying 'Change Advanced Sharing Settings'
For the profile you are using, first make sure Network Discovery is turned ON. Without this, your computer won't show up on networked devices, such as your PS3.
Next, make sure File and printer sharing is ON. Without this, won't be able to access any of the media on another device.
Next, let's turn on the Media Streaming Sever. There will be an option further down for Media streaming, click Choose Media Streaming Options. When you click this, if you get a button saying 'Turn on Media Streaming' click it! This needs to be on for the whole thing to work.
If you have followed up to this point, Congratulations! You can now leave your PC and go to your PS3. Turn on your PS3, and go to either the Audio, Video or Music section, and your PC should be listed there as a media source. Select it, and all available media will be there to use.
Huzzah! You now have a media stream set-up. Results with Windows Media Player have been inconsistent however. Whilst this originally worked fine for me, after a few uses the computer and PS3 wouldn't see each other without of the settings described above changing. This is a major drawback to using Windows Media Player as it seems to be temperamental and doesn't provide much information about why it's not working. There are also limitations and certain file types will never be able to stream using this method. Time for a plan B I hear you cry...
Method 3: Stream media to PS3 via PS3 Media Server
After the inconsistent results I experienced with Windows Media Player, I found my way to a piece of software called 'PS3 Media Server'.
If you're using Windows, just visit their site, click on the Windows logo, and then click pms-setup-windows.exe (there will be a number there too, which is just its version number).
Once the file has been downloaded, open it up and follow the next couple of steps on screen to install the program, open it up and you should see this:
The thing I love about this software most is… That's it! We're all set-up!
Go to your PS3 and you should see the PS3 Media Server Listed in a similar position to the screen shot of the PS3 above.
To access your media, you click on the icon, and the folders you now get on the PS3 are the same as on your computer. So to get to My Documents you will have to go into C:\Users, click on your username, and then My Documents, Music, Videos, and Pictures should be listed here. You can change this if you wanted, so only certain folders are shared in case you didn't want everything on your PC on show, but this is how it is set up as standard.
To make it so only certain folders are shown on the PS3 follow the instructions below:
The other really good thing about PS3 Media Server, is that it converts while you watch. This means that files which normally wouldn't play on a PS3 because it's not a file type the PS3 can usually play are changed into files that will play, as you're still watching them! This is done automatically, and it usually doesn't require any additional loading time too so just select the file you want to play.
Notes:
Alternatives
There are other programs out there which will do the same thing, so don't feel like this is the only answer. I personally love PS3 Media Server as it is so easy to set up and use, while other software such as Plex work just as well after being set up. It has to be said, both PS3 Media server & Plex can stream to more than just videos to your PS3 so this guide is really only scratching the surface.
After this simple set up, you will be able to stream content to your PS3 without hassle, just keep your PC turned on, but don't forget the most important step: relax in front of your TV with the popcorn and drinks! Bring on Baseketball.
Knowledge extension:
According Sony PS3 can only play MP4, AVI, AVCHD, WMV video. If you want to move MKV, VOB, Tivo, DAT, XviD, M4V, TS, M2TS, MXF, RM, RMVB, ASF, 3GP, 3G2, F4V, FLV, SWF, MPV, MOD, TOD, QT, MOV, DV, DIF, MJPG, MJPEG, TP, TRP, WebM, etc. video files to PS3, what you should do first is download an app on your PC that will change the format of the videos to match the format that the PS3 accepts. You could easily find something if you Google it. Otherwise, after you have changed the format just insert the memory card, go to the card on the XMB under the videos section and then press triangle and display all, the copy them to your HDD and you should be good to go.
If you haven't install any video convert app on your computer, you can try the Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate. It can help you do the any Video to PS3 conversion task effortlessly. The try before you buy aspect of this product makes it an easy purchase decision. What impressed me the most about my experience is that this video converter provides the built-in output profiles for PS3 and PS Vita as well, making the conversion much easier and efficient. If you are on Mac OS X(including Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan), Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate for Mac is the alternative to aid you batch convert any videos to PS3 video format on Mac.
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Watching Movies on the PS3 via USB
Here is a simple step by step guide for watching or transferring movie files onto your PS3 using a USB flash drive or an external hard drive.
- First of all you'll need a USB flash drive or an external hard drive.
- Plug it into your computer and copy over the movie files that you want to watch on your PS3.
- Plug the USB drive or external hard drive into one of the USB ports on the PS3.
- Navigate to Video on the PS3 XMB menu and find your device.
- Hit triangle to view all contents.
- Select the file you want and either copy it to the PS3 hard drive or just play it directly from the connected device.
- The process for copying music and photo files is exactly the same.
Copying Save Games to your PS3 via USB
The process for downloading a save game and then copying it onto your PS3 using a USB flash drive or external hard drive is slightly different. Here is a step by step guide for copying a save game to your PS3.
- Download the save game file onto your computer and unzip it.
- Create a folder called PS3 and a folder inside that called SAVEDATA.
- Place the downloaded save files in SAVEDATA (they'll often already come inside a SAVEDATA and PS3 folder in which case you obviously don't need to do this).
- Copy the PS3 folder onto your USB device (don't place it inside another folder on the flash drive or external hard drive).
- Plug your device into one of the PS3 USB ports.
- Navigate to Game on the PS3 XMB menu and then select Saved Data Utility and find your USB device.
- Hit triangle to explore and select the save game and then choose Copy.
- You'll often have to copy individual files one by one.
- You should also note that copying some saved games will invalidate your ability to earn Trophies on that game. Just be careful about what kind of files you are copying. For example you can copy Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 Edit Data in order to get up to date names but you can't copy Saved Data or you'll lose the ability to earn trophies.
Troubleshooting USB to PS3
If the PS3 can't see your device it may be due to the formatting. The device you connect must be formatted to FAT32. There are various ways to do this but the simplest is to plug in your device and check what letter the drive is. Then select Run from the menu in Windows and type cmd to bring up the command window. Type the following line in the window format (Drive Letter): /FS:FAT32
Just to be clear if your drive was K then you'd type format K: /FS:FAT32
There is a specific problem I encountered with the SanDisk Cruzer Flash Drive. If you have one of these USB drives you'll need to uninstall the U3 Launchpad software which automatically runs. Before you do this make sure that you back up all data on the USB device because this tool will wipe it completely. You can download the U3 Launchpad Removal Tool here.
Once that's gone you should find it works perfectly and instead of going through the eject process in the software you'll need to do it via the icon in your toolbar which says Safely Remove Hardware.
Hopefully this guide has allowed you to stream media contents to your PS3.
Method 2: Transfer media to PS3 via Windows Media Player
So you don't want to download any extra software? Windows Media Player is all you need. First thing we're going to set is the sharing settings on your computer. If your computer isn't set to share files, no matter how hard you try the PS3 will never see your computer, and if it does it probably won't be able to play what it finds. To get things running, follow the steps below, starting with the Network and Sharing Centre.
In Windows 8: Open your start screen and type 'Network and Sharing'. Click on 'Settings' on the right hand side, and finally click 'Network and Sharing Centre'.
In Windows 7: Click on your start button, and click 'Control Panel'. 'Network and Sharing Centre' should be listed here, if not, click Network and Internet and then you'll see the option.
Along the left hand side of Network and Sharing Centre, there will be a title saying 'Change Advanced Sharing Settings'
For the profile you are using, first make sure Network Discovery is turned ON. Without this, your computer won't show up on networked devices, such as your PS3.
Next, make sure File and printer sharing is ON. Without this, won't be able to access any of the media on another device.
Next, let's turn on the Media Streaming Sever. There will be an option further down for Media streaming, click Choose Media Streaming Options. When you click this, if you get a button saying 'Turn on Media Streaming' click it! This needs to be on for the whole thing to work.
If you have followed up to this point, Congratulations! You can now leave your PC and go to your PS3. Turn on your PS3, and go to either the Audio, Video or Music section, and your PC should be listed there as a media source. Select it, and all available media will be there to use.
Huzzah! You now have a media stream set-up. Results with Windows Media Player have been inconsistent however. Whilst this originally worked fine for me, after a few uses the computer and PS3 wouldn't see each other without of the settings described above changing. This is a major drawback to using Windows Media Player as it seems to be temperamental and doesn't provide much information about why it's not working. There are also limitations and certain file types will never be able to stream using this method. Time for a plan B I hear you cry...
Method 3: Stream media to PS3 via PS3 Media Server
After the inconsistent results I experienced with Windows Media Player, I found my way to a piece of software called 'PS3 Media Server'.
If you're using Windows, just visit their site, click on the Windows logo, and then click pms-setup-windows.exe (there will be a number there too, which is just its version number).
Once the file has been downloaded, open it up and follow the next couple of steps on screen to install the program, open it up and you should see this:
The thing I love about this software most is… That's it! We're all set-up!
Go to your PS3 and you should see the PS3 Media Server Listed in a similar position to the screen shot of the PS3 above.
To access your media, you click on the icon, and the folders you now get on the PS3 are the same as on your computer. So to get to My Documents you will have to go into C:\Users, click on your username, and then My Documents, Music, Videos, and Pictures should be listed here. You can change this if you wanted, so only certain folders are shared in case you didn't want everything on your PC on show, but this is how it is set up as standard.
To make it so only certain folders are shown on the PS3 follow the instructions below:
- Click the "Navigation/Share Settings" tab
- At the bottom you'll find a "Shared folders" section.
- Remove where it says <All Drives> by clicking the Red X
- Click the folder with a green plus to add a folder.
- Once you've added a folder to this list, it will show on the PS3.
The other really good thing about PS3 Media Server, is that it converts while you watch. This means that files which normally wouldn't play on a PS3 because it's not a file type the PS3 can usually play are changed into files that will play, as you're still watching them! This is done automatically, and it usually doesn't require any additional loading time too so just select the file you want to play.
Notes:
- The transferred videos have to be in your "Video" folder.
- Your PC and your PS3 might have to be on the same internet connection for this to work well.
- Make sure the transferred files are supported by the PS3.
Alternatives
There are other programs out there which will do the same thing, so don't feel like this is the only answer. I personally love PS3 Media Server as it is so easy to set up and use, while other software such as Plex work just as well after being set up. It has to be said, both PS3 Media server & Plex can stream to more than just videos to your PS3 so this guide is really only scratching the surface.
After this simple set up, you will be able to stream content to your PS3 without hassle, just keep your PC turned on, but don't forget the most important step: relax in front of your TV with the popcorn and drinks! Bring on Baseketball.
Knowledge extension:
According Sony PS3 can only play MP4, AVI, AVCHD, WMV video. If you want to move MKV, VOB, Tivo, DAT, XviD, M4V, TS, M2TS, MXF, RM, RMVB, ASF, 3GP, 3G2, F4V, FLV, SWF, MPV, MOD, TOD, QT, MOV, DV, DIF, MJPG, MJPEG, TP, TRP, WebM, etc. video files to PS3, what you should do first is download an app on your PC that will change the format of the videos to match the format that the PS3 accepts. You could easily find something if you Google it. Otherwise, after you have changed the format just insert the memory card, go to the card on the XMB under the videos section and then press triangle and display all, the copy them to your HDD and you should be good to go.
If you haven't install any video convert app on your computer, you can try the Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate. It can help you do the any Video to PS3 conversion task effortlessly. The try before you buy aspect of this product makes it an easy purchase decision. What impressed me the most about my experience is that this video converter provides the built-in output profiles for PS3 and PS Vita as well, making the conversion much easier and efficient. If you are on Mac OS X(including Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan), Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate for Mac is the alternative to aid you batch convert any videos to PS3 video format on Mac.
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