Author Topic: How far will a PS3 Slim go as an NMT? (Read 5765 times)

Arnel E. · « **on:** Dec 27, 2009 at 09:29 PM »

Sorry for this ridiculous question, but do you guys think a PS3 Slim makes sense as an NMT? I don't know what sorts of file formats are supported, and I haven't owned a PS3, so I'm curious if anybody here has tried it out as a media player.

Mods, I hope this is the right place for this thread, because I'm actually interested in the media playing aspects of the PS3 and not on the gaming side of it.

jcads · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 27, 2009 at 11:54 PM »

Quote from: Arnel Enero on Dec 27, 2009 at 09:29 PM

Sorry for this ridiculous question, but do you guys think a PS3 Slim makes sense as an NMT? I don't know what sorts of file formats are supported, and I haven't owned a PS3, so I'm curious if anybody here has tried it out as a media player.

Mods, I hope this is the right place for this thread, because I'm actually interested in the media playing aspects of the PS3 and not on the gaming side of it.

PS3 is good as a Blu Ray Player, but in terms of competing as Network Media Tank it's not as good as other NMTs available in the market.

PS3 can't play MKV files, w/c as far as I know is best HD format as of today.

I tried converting MKV Movie format to Divx HD format, I was able to preserved the quality, play smoothly and crisp on my LCD.

Sad thing about PS3 is it only support/detect FAT32 HDD format.

Overall I don't recommend PS3 as an overall NMT.

kitsune · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 28, 2009 at 10:13 AM »

I'm also considering purchasing a PS3 slim sometime this March when Final Fantasy 13 comes around but I do want to use it as a media player as well. Based on the Sony page, the PS3 can playback the following video formats:

http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/video/filetypes.html

Memory Stick Video Format
- MPEG-4 SP (AAC LC)
- H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile （AAC LC）
- MPEG-2 TS（H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, AAC LC）
MP4 file format
- H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile (AAC LC)
MPEG-1 (MPEG Audio Layer 2)
MPEG-2 PS (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2, AAC LC, AC3(Dolby Digital), LPCM)
MPEG-2 TS（MPEG2 Audio Layer 2, AC3（Dolby Digital）, AAC LC）
MPEG-2 TS（H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, AAC LC）
AVI
- Motion JPEG (Linear PCM)
- Motion JPEG (μ-Law)
AVCHD （.m2ts / .mts）
DivX
WMV
- VC-1（WMA Standard V2）

I currently have an XBOX 360 and my biggest gripe with that machine when it comes to video playback is that I always have to sign-in to XBOX Live to get any form of playback even if I have already downloaded the patch. It's hassle because I don't have my XBOX 360 connected to the internet all the time. I know the PS3 doesn't have that problem once you update it.

alistair · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 28, 2009 at 12:26 PM »

Quote from: jcads on Dec 27, 2009 at 11:54 PM

PS3 is good as a Blu Ray Player, but in terms of competing as Network Media Tank it's not as good as other NMTs available in the market.

PS3 can't play MKV files, w/c as far as I know is best HD format as of today.

I tried converting MKV Movie format to Divx HD format, I was able to preserved the quality, play smoothly and crisp on my LCD.

Sad thing about PS3 is it only support/detect FAT32 HDD format.

Overall I don't recommend PS3 as an overall NMT.

Ditto on this. Was in fact considering getting an Xtreamer for my 'normal' NMT use, and keep the PS3 solely for games and Blu-ray playback.

Verbl Kint · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 28, 2009 at 04:14 PM »

Another disadvantage to the PS3 is that the USB ports will only recognize FAT hard drives. Your files will all have to be less than 4GB for them to be playable on an external hard drive.

jcads · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 28, 2009 at 08:03 PM »

Quote from: Verbl Kint on Dec 28, 2009 at 04:14 PM

Another disadvantage to the PS3 is that the USB ports will only recognize FAT hard drives. Your files will all have to be less than 4GB for them to be playable on an external hard drive.

Yes this rule apply if you plan to copy the file from External HDD / Flash disk to your PS3 HDD.

indie boi · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 28, 2009 at 09:50 PM »

Why attach external hard drives to your PS3 when you can use it as a media server and just stream the files in your computer directly to the PS3?

mYKi · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 28, 2009 at 09:55 PM »

I use my PS3 as my NMT. I bought a WD MyBook World Edition and I use it to download torrents. It is also DLNA compatible so it streams the videos as well as my entire iPod collection to the PS3 (as well as Xbox 360).

Also, all computers in our house can play the streaming videos as well. :-)

I use MKV2VOB to make the MKV files playable on the PS3.

indie boi · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 28, 2009 at 09:57 PM »

Actually, if you install PS3 Media Server to your PC, the app (which is free) will transcode all known file formats to something that the PS3 can recognize and play -- and that includes MKV files.

anchit · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 28, 2009 at 10:17 PM »

an officemate of mine converts the mkv into vob files and plays them in his ps3, i lent him egreat and he said that pq is almos as good as that of my egreat.

alistair · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 28, 2009 at 10:49 PM »

Quote from: indie boi on Dec 28, 2009 at 09:57 PM

Actually, if you install PS3 Media Server to your PC, the app (which is free) will transcode all known file formats to something that the PS3 can recognize and play -- and that includes MKV files.

Tried this route. Thing is you have to make sure that

a) Your PC has enough horsepower (CPU and RAM) to transcode in real-time, and
b) Your wifi isn't saturated and has enough bandwidth

Otherwise, you may experience stuttering playback. Truly a b!tch. Makes you consider a ~5k dedicated NMT.

Arnel E. · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 29, 2009 at 02:13 AM »

Parang ayaw ko naman atang naka-on pati computer ko habang nanonood sa PS3... tapos yung HT pa, then yung LCD. Kuryente galore na po, hehe.

Isa pang naisip kong inconvenience ng PS3 pala... my IR universal remote won't work with it. Bluetooth pala ang gamit nun na AV remote, I just found out. Ang Sony talaga, pahirap sa system integration lagi, hehe.

indie boi · « **Reply #12 on:** Dec 29, 2009 at 07:51 AM »

Quote from: alistair on Dec 28, 2009 at 10:49 PM

Tried this route. Thing is you have to make sure that

a) Your PC has enough horsepower (CPU and RAM) to transcode in real-time, and
b) Your wifi isn't saturated and has enough bandwidth

Otherwise, you may experience stuttering playback. Truly a b!tch. Makes you consider a ~5k dedicated NMT.

Never experienced stuttering myself, it's all about tinkering with the optimum settings. And since I use my PC for both work and play it's also turned on 24/7 so it's never a problem with me.

Does bandwidth play a big part in smooth playback? Since it's within a LAN should it still be a factor? Maybe someone can explain it further.

Clondalkin · « **Reply #13 on:** Dec 29, 2009 at 08:42 AM »

If one does not really mind, and has the time and patience transcoding from MKV to VOB every MKV file he/she might be interested in, PS3 is quite an interesting media centre.

Ive tried MKV2VOB a few times last year and I didnt really notice any changes in IQ. It was just too time consuming.

And problem kung malalaki yung MKV, thus angal ng angal yung members of private HD sites who like using their PS3 for playback - kaso the prime encoding groups apparently dont have the PS3 in their mind with their uploads.

alistair · « **Reply #14 on:** Dec 29, 2009 at 12:15 PM »

Quote from: indie boi on Dec 29, 2009 at 07:51 AM

Never experienced stuttering myself, it's all about tinkering with the optimum settings. And since I use my PC for both work and play it's also turned on 24/7 so it's never a problem with me.

See—I'd rather have highest quality possible with no stuttering. Usually, that means transcoding beforehand, then simply playing back on the PS3. But this means waiting hours just to, say, let Handbrake rip a DVD then encode as MP4. Much longer for HD MKVs.

Which is why I end up simply paying P1k to P2k for Blu-rays. My time is worth more than that.

Quote

Does bandwidth play a big part in smooth playback? Since it's within a LAN should it still be a factor? Maybe someone can explain it further.

Well, if you're like me then you have the PS3 downloading demos/DLC in the background, while at least one PC is torrenting, etc.

From my experience, Blu-ray playback can regularly hit 15-20 Mbit/s. According to Wikipedia, even just HDTV with MPEG 4 compression uses 8-15 Mbits/s. Its easy to see how even Wireless-G (54 Mbits/s max raw data rate, or 19 Mbits/s throughput) can get saturated.

In short, and going back on topic: media streaming from a PC to the PS3, for me, is a 'duct tape' solution at best.

Until Sony fully supports MKV on the PS3, I think a dedicated NMT (I saw an Xstreamer bundle for only 11k, the unit itself I think retails for as low as 6.5k) is your best bet, if you have lots of MKVs from 'other sources'.

If you plan to invest in a Blu-ray collection, and then have the time to rip those to hard disk in a format the PS3 can play, then maybe the PS3 makes sense.

vx2 · « **Reply #15 on:** Dec 29, 2009 at 01:27 PM »

Quote from: alistair on Dec 29, 2009 at 12:15 PM

In short, and going back on topic: media streaming from a PC to the PS3, for me, is a 'duct tape' solution at best.

But like me, having a 24/7 PC, I'd rather stream it DIRECTLY without the need to transfer the files to a mobile hard disk or whatnot so the PS3 is a more elegant solution for me. (all through LAN of course through a hub) The files are there anyway, straight from the computer fresh off downloading and PS3 Media Server isn't that demanding of a program.

That's why i held off buying an NMT because I would never go through the hassle of carrying an HD back and forth with all the plugging, transferring and deleting. Yeah sure, NMTs have streaming capabilities too, but hey, my PS3 does that as well. I'd rather have my terabytes in one place than having scattered HDs.

Wifi can't really handle HD streaming very well, and if that's your only choice maybe an NMT is for you. But, for me, i've got my place wired up with meters of LAN cable and there is absolutely no stuttering. I can even go to scenes, fast forward etc., without much delay even when using PS3MediaServer, decoding the a file.

Tempter · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 06, 2010 at 03:37 PM »

In short PS3 is really for gaming (maybe bluray also) and NMT is really for watching HD movies in your hard drive.

Jason_10 · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 06, 2010 at 05:20 PM »

Been using my PS3 when I didn't have an NMT yet. What's good about it is the interface...Topnotch! If it only played more popular HD formats.

SiCkBoY · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 31, 2010 at 04:34 AM »

I use my PS3 as my NMT. I replaced the hard drive with a 500GB one so I can store more video files. But I remux the mkv files before the transfer.

Tempter · « **Reply #19 on:** Feb 01, 2010 at 11:10 AM »

It will go as far as the north star hehe!!! As long as you have ALL the time in the world to convert your HD videos.

welnise · « **Reply #20 on:** Mar 09, 2010 at 12:19 AM »

hello po:)

dati ako may mediagate(tvix at mediagate pa lang ang uso non), kaso nasira na, now im using my ps3 habang wala pang pambili, i use two gigabit wireless-n routers para sa streaming(wala kasi ako mahabang cable and ayaw ko nakakalat sa sahig yung wire). One router(cheap lang from cdrking) acts as a client which is connected sa ps3 ko(Gb lan)..... much better playback without stutter at mabilis ang navigation ng scenes

badtrip kasi sony di pa nilagyan ng wireless n yung ps3

yun nga lang may sablay sya sa mga audio kapag 5.1 yung sound

Verbl Kint · « **Reply #21 on:** Mar 10, 2010 at 07:30 AM »

Quote from: welnise on Mar 09, 2010 at 12:19 AM

badtrip kasi sony di pa nilagyan ng wireless n yung ps3

yun nga lang may sablay sya sa mga audio kapag 5.1 yung sound

My PS3 is wireless and is capable of 5.1 audio. Which version of PS3 do you have?

Galactus · « **Reply #22 on:** Mar 10, 2010 at 08:22 AM »

Quote from: Verbl Kint on Mar 10, 2010 at 07:30 AM

My PS3 is wireless and is capable of 5.1 audio. Which version of PS3 do you have?

Quote

badtrip kasi sony di pa nilagyan ng wireless n yung ps3

I believe he meant Wireless-N.

All versions naman yata ng PS3 wireless-capable naman di ba? Wireless-G spec nga lang. (I maybe wrong though).

Verbl Kint · « **Reply #23 on:** Mar 12, 2010 at 08:58 AM »

Quote from: Galactus on Mar 10, 2010 at 08:22 AM

I believe he meant Wireless-N.

All versions naman yata ng PS3 wireless-capable naman di ba? Wireless-G spec nga lang. (I maybe wrong though).

I didn't see the little "n". My apologies.

He said he was having problems with 5.1 audio, though, which has worked fine for me.

Galactus · « **Reply #24 on:** Mar 15, 2010 at 08:57 AM »

Just installed TVersity (Free edition) on my PC last Saturday (HP Pavilion), running on Vista Home Basic, and configured my music, video and photo folders.

My PS3 Slim unit was able to find my PC, and I was able to stream some videos (1080p and 720p, as well as SD movies). There was a slight stuttering on the 1080p sample vids, but it was sheer exhilaration watching my movies in full HD, 40-inch glory. (My home PC only has a 19" LCD monitor, 1440x900 pa ang resolution, hehehe).

My problem is that the PS3 couldn't find my music and photo files, even if the folders can be seen. I believe the error message was "No titles available." Is there a way to fix this?

ampalaya_juice · « **Reply #25 on:** Mar 24, 2010 at 01:53 PM »

Quote from: Galactus on Mar 15, 2010 at 08:57 AM

My problem is that the PS3 couldn't find my music and photo files, even if the folders can be seen. I believe the error message was "No titles available." Is there a way to fix this?

I also use tversity, and i can stream HD movies & music flawlessly to my ps3 slim. You might be in the Videos menu of the X media bar when you tried to play your music. Be sure to be in the music menu. NagkaGanyan din ako eh, ako pala ang mali.

Galactus · « **Reply #26 on:** Mar 24, 2010 at 08:41 PM »

^^^Hey, it worked!!! You're right, I was accessing my music files from the Video of the XMB. Thanks, bro!

Galing ng TVersity ah! Pati pala yung album covers ng songs, may picture, hehehe. I can also access my photos via the Photo XMB. Yung mga imperfections na hindi ko nakita sa 19" LCD monitor ko, kitang kita sa 40".

wedge · « **Reply #27 on:** Mar 24, 2010 at 09:16 PM »

Another Q regarding PS3's capability as an NMT: I already downloaded PS3 Media Server and has streamed movie files from my desktop, however what I am not certain if it is possible to connect an external HDD to the desktop and stream the files from there? I attempted to do that through the PS3 Media Server but the system itself could not locate the harddrive connected on my desktop.

Hence, what I did was transfer the movie files from my external HDD to the desktop so that the PS3 can recognize and locate it.

Alfie · « **Reply #28 on:** Mar 25, 2010 at 10:03 AM »

To those who have the Xtreamer, the PS3 (without any need to configure) automatically locates it and is easily accessible under the Media Sources.