Setting up the Playstation 3 as a Media Server

Why do I want a PS3 Media Server? Well, if your digital media is scattered among various drives, computers, discs, and you want seamless central control over all of it using your Sony PlayStation 3, then this could help. By the end of this article you will be able to access all your photos, videos, and music via your Playstation 3 in your living room.

Follow our easy 4 part process
Part 1: Connect your PS3 to the internet
Part 2: Enable Media Server Connection on your PS3
Part 3: Enable the Media Player on you PC or Mac
Part 4: Start watching and listening

Part 1: Connect your PS3 to the internet

This assumes that you already have wireless broadband set at your home / office.
In the PS3's main menu, navigate to Settings - Network Settings - Internet Connection, press X on your controller and select Enabled. Then go to Internet Connection Settings (also under Network Settings), and select your network name (SSID) and enter the network password if you have one.
PS3’s can also be connected to your broadband router using an Ethernet cable.

Part 2: Enable Media Server Connection on your PS3

Go into the PS3's Settings menu and navigate to Network Settings - Media Server Connection, and select Enabled. This allows the PS3 to detect networked computers running Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) server software.

Part 3: Enable the Media Player on you PC or Mac

For Windows users, the choice is simple: Windows Media Player 11. Other free options exist, like TVersity and Google Media Server, but for the fewest problems and fastest setup we recommend using Windows Media Player 11.

Open WMP, right-click on Library, and select Media Sharing. Check the box next to "Share my media to:" and select either PlayStation 3 or Unknown Device (if the former doesn't appear).

UPnP software is available for Mac OS X, too. We recommend that you use Nullriver’s MediaLink ($20, www.nullriver.com) because it is simple and cost effective.

Once you have installed the software, you can access the interface in System Preferences. Click on Start to begin UPnP sharing.
Once sharing is enabled, go to the Devices tab and verify that either "PlayStation 3" or "Unsupported device" is listed in the pane. You should also see a MediaLink icon in your Mac's menu bar. This allows you to start and stop sharing or open the preferences pane from there.

Part 4: Start watching and listening

Now you can access your content by navigating to Photo, Video, or Music on the PS3's home screen and scroll until you see your computer. If you don't see your computer's media server listed, try selecting "Search for Media Servers" from any of the multimedia menus.

File Formats Supported By the Playstation 3
Video: MPG, MP4, AVI, DivX (except v3.11), AVCHD, WMV
Audio: WAV, MP3, AAC, ATRAC, WMA
Photo: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PNG

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