NOTE: I do not condone downloading illegal copies of any media. This article is intended to be used on legal, backup copies of media that you own.
Some Background Information
The PlayStation 3 is capable of playing a few of the most common formats available (see the PlayStation 3 Manual), but this article will focus on transferring files in one of three containers: AVI (encoded as DivX), M4V, and M2TS. This is to attempt to retain as much quality as possible while being the most likely to play back correctly on the PS3.
External Storage Devices - The PlayStation 3 is only compatible with devices formatted using FAT32. This has a major limitation in that it can only hold files up to 4GB. As far as I know, Sony does not have any plans to update the PS3 firmware to support any other file systems that can transfer larger files (ext3, NTFS, etc...). If you are only transferring standard-definition movies that have been re-encoded to a near-lossless format, this should not be a problem as they will never exceed 4GB, but this becomes a major drawback for high-definition movies in near-lossless formats (more on how to bypass this later).
Codecs - I suggest downloading ffdshow if you do not already have it. This includes codecs for most audio and video formats which will allow you to play back the movies before and after conversion on your PC/laptop (in most cases).
Formats
x264 in TS or M2TS - These are the easiest to work with, but most people don't have their files in either of these containers due to their relative obscurity. If your move is in TS, simply re-name the file extension to m2ts. If it is in m2ts (originally or after changing the extension), just copy the file to the PS3 using one of the methods down below.
DivX in AVI - If the movie you are looking to transfer is already in DivX format, you're in luck! You can simply copy it to the PS3 using an external USB storage device. See the section further down on transferring using USB.
x264 in MKV - This is probably the best format you can possibly have for high-definition movies. In my opinion, x264 retains the most quality of any codec today and MKV (Matroska) is the future of high-definition containers. Anyway, this one is also pretty simple. Download a program called mkv2vob. After installing, open the application and go to the configuration tab. Here are the settings you need:
- Output Type: File
- Preferred Audio Language: Your language (English for me)
- Video Transcoding: Automatic
- Preferred Subtitle Language: None (unless you want subtitles, and only if they are included with the original MKV)
- Output File Extension: m2ts
- Transcoding Codec: x264 (slow) (this only applies if your MKV is not already in x264 format)
- Checkboxes: Always Transcode DTS (the PS3 will not play back DTS so it must be transcoded to AC3)
You may have noticed that I skipped the setting for File Splitting. This was intentional as I need to now mention the transfer method. If you are planning to transfer the output with a USB device, you will need to set this to "FAT32 (4GB)" as the transfer device needs to be in FAT32, which has a file size limit of 4GB. If you wish, however, to keep the file in one piece then set this to None and see my section below on transferring over Wi-Fi. NOTE: Transferring over Wi-Fi takes more than double the time of transferring via USB, but is worth it for a single file, IMHO.
Now, simply go to the Add File tab, make sure the Destination Directory is set to where you want it to be, then choose the MKV file in Source File and click Add File. If there is no video or audio transcoding necessary (e.g. the file is already in H.264 with AC3 or AAC audio), then the program simply splits and remuxes the file into an m2ts container which takes about 20 minutes. If there is only audio re-encoding necessary, the process takes a bit longer (about 30-40 minutes). If there is video re-encoding necessary, it could take a couple of hours or so. After the transcoding/remuxing is finished, see the sections below on how to transfer the file to the PS3.
Other Formats - Most other formats cannot be played on the PS3 without video re-encoding. To do this, I suggest downloading HandBrake. This application is open-source and I've seen very few instances where it couldn't convert the file I needed it to. HandBrake is pretty simple to use. Just download and install the program, then run it. At the top, click the Source button, then Video File. Once you've selected the source, click Browse next to Destination. Choose where you want to save the output and give it a file name. Now, on the right, under Presets, expend Gaming Consoles and choose PS3. This will automatically choose the correct settings for outputing to M4V for the PS3. If you need subtitles, go to the Audio & Subtitles tab and choose the language at the bottom. I would not suggest messing with the audio tracks unless you really know what you're doing. Now, just click "START" at the top. To transfer the file to the PS3, see the next section. NOTE: The transcoding will probably take a very long time (depending upon the input format).
Transferring to the PlayStation 3
There are two methods detailed below for transferring movies to the PS3: using an external USB device and using a streaming application over Wi-Fi. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but the largest differences are the size that can be transferred with USB and the time required for Wi-Fi. As noted a couple of times above, external USB storage devices that are compatible with the PS3 can only transfer files smaller than 4GB. This is due to FAT32 being the only file system that the PS3 will accept in external USB storage devices. You can split the movie into multiple files if it is larger than 4GB, but you will have to switch files 1/2 way through viewing the movie on the PS3. If the file is smaller than 4GB, it's a no-brainer: use USB. If it is larger than 4GB, I prefer to use Wi-Fi, even though the time required to transfer the file is more than double that of USB. You must make this choice for yourself.
Transferring with USB - This method is pretty straight-forward. Plug the USB device (formatted as FAT32) into your PC or laptop. Copy the file (or files) onto the USB device. Plug the USB device into the PS3. In the XMB, go to Movies and browse to the device. If you select the device and see nothing, hit Triangle > Show All. Find the movie file(s) you just copied and hit Triangle > Copy. This shouldn't take more than a few minutes (longer for high-definition movies). Once it is done, you'll probably want to re-name the file and possibly put it under an album name. To do this, back out of the USB device and browse to the movie. Hit Triangle > Information. From here you can change the movie name to whatever you want.
Transferring with Wi-Fi - This method takes a little more tweaking and a lot more transfer time, but is worth it to keep your high-definition movies in one piece, if you ask me. There are two applications that are decent for transferring your movies to the PS3: TVersity and Windows Media Center. TVersity tends to take the least amount of setup and hassle, but seems to transfer the files even slower than Windows Media Center. This is why I prefer WMC, but those of you who don't want much fuss should probably use TVersity. NOTE: WMC is only an option for those using Vista. Those using XP must use TVersity.
Using TVersity - TVersity is pretty simple to work with. Download it from the TVersity website (get the free edition) and install it. Once installed, add the folder where you store your movies in AVI (DivX), M4V, and M2TS format to the video library. On the PlayStation 3, if TVersity does not show up right away, go to Search for Media Servers in the XMB. If it is not detected, then you have a problem with your network configuration (which I will not go into here). If it is detected, browse in it to Videos > Folders. There you should see your movies. Choose the one you want and hit Triangle > Copy. As I said before, this will take a while, so go do something for a couple of hours. Once it is done, you can change the name and album by going to the movie (under Movies in the XMB) and hitting Triangle > Information.
Using Windows Media Center (Vista Only) - As I mentioned before, this takes a bit of work, but once it works it transfers a bit faster than TVersity. First, you'll need to do some registry tweaking and install a program to keep WMC from transcoding the files on the fly as the copy (which you've already done in previous steps). To get WMC to recognize and play M2TS files, see this blog entry. To get it to recognize and play M4V files, see this one. Please note that the Haali Media Splitter is very important as it keeps the files from re-encoding during streaming/copying.
Once you've done both of these, you'll need to set up media sharing. There is a great article at HCW on how to stream and copy media to the PS3 using WMC. The only thing this article leaves out is how to enable media sharing in the first place. You must go to your Network and Sharing Center and enable Media Sharing on your Wi-Fi connection. Also, I had problems with the Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service not working because the UPnP Device Host service wouldn't start. I don't remember the exact details on the fix, but they can be found online by searching for the error code you receive when trying to start the WMPNSS. After everything is installed and running and your PS3 can see your PC/laptop, the rest is pretty easy.
Open Windows Media Center. Go to Pictures + Videos > Video Library. Right-click in the video library and choose Library Setup. On the setup screen, choose Add a Folder to Watch then click Next. Now choose Add a Folder on This Computer then click Next. Browse to the folder and put a checkmark next to it and click Next then Finish. Let it search the folder and load all the media, then you can close WMC. On your PS3, you should now be able to browse to the WMC. Under it, go to Videos > Folders and you should see the folder you just added. To copy a movie, browse to it and hit Triangle > Copy. Once it is copied (which will probably take a couple of hours or more), you can change the name and album by browsing to it under Movies in the XMB and hitting Triangle > Information.
Well, that's all I've got. If anyone has any suggestions for changes or additions to this article, please leave them in the comments section. Thanks, and enjoy!
