Part 2 – Adding External Storage
Part 3 – How To Upgrade Your PS3’s Hard Drive
The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. It is the first console with next-gen primary storage media, Blu-ray Disc, though it also supports DVDs, CDs, and with some models SACDs. It is capable of playing back content from Blu-ray Disc (BD) at a bit rate of multiplex 48Mbps, the maximum bit rate defined in BD standards. ( Wikipedia )
I checked out the official PlayStation.com forums and I’ve seen some pretty useful info on how to allow media sharing between the PS3 and Windows Media Player 11.
Here is what I had to do with my set up. Some of this was necessary as my External Western Digital HDD is FAT32 at the moment, and without doing the below, the PS3 wouldn’t see the content stored on my FAT32 drive. NTFS drives were fine, just not other HDD formats.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
Follow these instructions exactly and you should have no problems.
Before you begin :
1. Ensure your firewall is set up properly. Your software firewall must have the necessary changes to allow Windows Media Player to communicate out for UuNP. If you use Windows Firewall and enable sharing for WMP, WMP will make the necessary changes to Windows Firewall. If you use another 3rd party Firewall, like McAfee, you will probably need to go in to that software and add the right stuff, such as Programs that can communicate out on the network or trusted IP’s, etc.
2. Ensure your PS3 and Computer are within the same IP address range and subnet mask, so they can talk to one another. In other words allowing your computer and PS3, to obtain it’s information from the DHCP (Firewall router).
On Your PS3:
1. Disable Media Server Connection on the PS3.
On your PC , in Windows Media Player 11:
ENSURE YOU HAVE ALL THE NECCESARY PLUG-INS AND CODECS FOR WMP TO VIEW ALL TYPES OF MEDIA, LIKE AVI, QUICKTIME, ETC.
1. Install Windows Media Player 11 (unless it’s installed already).
2. In services.msc or “Computer Management”, Change the account that Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service uses. Changed it to “Local System account”, but leave “Allow service to interact with desktop” UNCHECKED. Restart this service. This was necessary to be able to add folders from my FAT32 External Western Digital HDD.
3. Click on Options
4. Click on Library
5. Click on Configure Sharing and then check mark “Share my media to:
6. Click on Settings
7. Put in something you want for share media as, and leave the default settings.
8. DO NOT click the “Allow new devices and computers automatically”. Check marking this will allow everything to connect without you knowing and approving.
9. Click on OK to get back to the main properties screen.
10. Click the “Monitor Folders” button.
11. Once that is up, depending upon how you have your computer set up, and how many user profiles you have choose your options.
12. For me, since all my media is in different places other than my profile in “Documents and Settings”, I did an add and ADDED the folders I wanted to add to the library.
13. Let WMP build the library up, and let it completely finish.
14. Click OK on everything till you get back to WMP.
15. Verify your library.
On your PS3:
1. Enable Media Server Connection on the PS3.
On your PC:
1. Once you sit down, you might have a pop up, if you left WMP running, to allow an unknown device access. You can verify your PS3 by checking the MAC address. WMP does not support the PS3 yet, so it will be seen as an unknown device.
If NOT……
1. Click on Options
2. Click on Library
3. Click on Configure Sharing and if things worked properly, you should see an “Unknown Device” Icon.
4. Highlight the Icon and do “allow”, and do what ever else you feel necessary, such as customize, or right click the Icon for additional properties.
On your PS3:
2. Go to each Media choice in the XMB (Pictures, Music, Video), and under each do a “Search for a Media Server.”
3. Once it has found a Media Server for each choice, you should then be able to see your PC show up with the funky “Windows ICON” and the name of the WMP share you created.
You should be able to take it from there. I used the above steps, and my PS3 is now getting tons of content from my PC. With the exception of a few formats, such as AVI and Quicktime. Some of my choices above were to ensure that my computer is still locked down and secure. If you choose certain settings, you’ll just open up your computer to vulnerabilities.
Feel free to comment on this collection of tips, mentioning if they worked for you or if you’ve experienced issues.
Part 2 of my Playstation advice series is now available at http://kevmarl.com/2008/10/07/how-to-get-the-mo…
I can never see and recorded tv on my ps3, I can see video recorded with my camera…how can I share the recorded tv with the ps3?
Hi Justin what software are you using to record the TV? What video format is it being recorded in?
I can never see and recorded tv on my ps3, I can see video recorded with my camera…how can I share the recorded tv with the ps3?
Hi Justin what software are you using to record the TV? What video format is it being recorded in?
apparently these steps should work since all the guides I've seen look pretty much the same (thought yours is a little more drawn out and hand-holdy, which is nice). Thing is, I do all of this, and I do it clearly and correctly, but WMP never discovers an Unknown device, no window pops up asking for permissions, and the PS3 never discovers the PC. UPnP is enabled successfully on my wireless network (after a whole day of conflicts trying to get it onto my pre-established PC/laptop network) but that only allows internet access, it would seem. The only thing left I could imagine would be to open ports, but I've always been a little uneasy about that and do it only when absolutely necessary. If I've done everything here correctly, to no avail, then would opening specific ports be my only remaining option? Is it even an option at all, at this point?
Oh, one more thing that may be important: I'm still using near-stock firmware from the 60GB first release. I think it's 1.4x or something? I don't remember the number, but if it's needed to help with an answer…
Hi David, you should not need to open ports, what type of firewall are you using on your PC?? and yes I do recommend that you upgrade your PS3's Firmware.
Should all of this work on a 3G mobile style set up? having lottsa troubles, the pc never finds PS3 and visa-versa. I am losing the mind battle lol.
Hi Shorty, please give me more ifo on what type of connection you have?? what sort of router are you using??
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