Its just a list, but you can organize them into folders like your PC. I have a folder for Blu-Rays, DVDs, and TV Shows. Once you open the folder the movies are just a list with a little clip of the video next to it playing.
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Goodbye Apple TV, Playstation 3 rules!
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Its just a list, but you can organize them into folders like your PC. I have a folder for Blu-Rays, DVDs, and TV Shows. Once you open the folder the movies are just a list with a little clip of the video next to it playing.
Thanks for the reply. It's sad, I have over 4000 TV Shows and I'm looking for a real alternative to the Apple TV for the TV Shows and Movies. For me organization is key to watch the episodes in order and have the description for each one. I always thought that the PS3, Xbox 360 or even Media Center can handle something like that do it but I guess I'm wrong. If someone here knows a better alternative or knows if there is a software or something that I can use to create something similar to the apple TV on those devices please let me know. I already have 2 
TV but I have 4 TVs and I want to use the PS3 or the XBOX360 or even a Media Center computer for this. Thanks.
TV but I have 4 TVs and I want to use the PS3 or the XBOX360 or even a Media Center computer for this. Thanks.If I was single I would use a PS3 as the center of my home theater for BD, streaming, gaming. But I am not single.
I have owned the Apple TV 160gb ever since it came out and it definitely wins in the wife factor.
That is always something I think about when I make a purchase of electronics. Heck, when I finished the home theater in my basement all the planning was based around whether or not potentially everyone in my home could use everything.
But like I said if I was single I would totally go for the PS3.
I have owned the Apple TV 160gb ever since it came out and it definitely wins in the wife factor.
That is always something I think about when I make a purchase of electronics. Heck, when I finished the home theater in my basement all the planning was based around whether or not potentially everyone in my home could use everything.
But like I said if I was single I would totally go for the PS3.
I've got XBMC on my AppleTV and it has its uses (nice for keeping certain material off my AppleTV so my nieces don't accidentally run into it while visiting, but having it available from a shared network directory for XBMC plus it handles all those formats AppleTV won't use by default and iTunes will never use for streaming to it). It also has very cool visualizers for listening to music and once I used a script in iTunes to embed all artwork, it all shows up nice in XBMC.
The problem with something like XBMC (and by the sounds of it PS3 too) is that it's so far behind in the user interface department. XBMC can organize movies with descriptions and artwork, but it completely and totally ignores all embedded information. I went to a lot of bother to add that information for all my 280+ DVDs I encoded with MetaX and so I found it ridiculous that I had to go through and correct all XBMC's guesses (by title name) because it cannot read embedded meta data for movies. I realize they cannot add every feature right away, but it's been a LONG time. I guess it's not high on their TO-DO list. Some movies simply have no results for manually adding information regardless (movie art anyway) like some foreign films I have. That's easy to fix in MetaX, but almost impossible from XBMC running on AppleTV. Until they fix that major feature oversight, I'll be running the Apple software most of the time. Their picture viewer has a major bug in it also whereas almost half of my photo collection (mostly stuff from the web) will not display (black screen comes up instead of the picture). The past two updates have not fixed this bug. That makes the picture viewer near useless as well and so I have to sync or stream to Apple's software where it always views correctly.
For all the talk about how AppleTV sucks compared to this or that, it seems to do what it does well instead of trying to do everything. Yes, I wish iTunes would support more formats and that AppleTV would get better hardware to support 1080P for the future, but those aside, it still makes streaming all my media around the house a breeze (movies, tv shows, photos, music) and no PS3 can do a whole house party mode (sync all music around all AppleTV and Airport Express Airtunes rooms in the house). Apple should add more features, though and the ability to rent tv shows instead of having to buy/store them for a lower price would get me renting a lot more than just movies. I will not buy 99% of tv shows since I have no interest in watching them more than once.
The problem with something like XBMC (and by the sounds of it PS3 too) is that it's so far behind in the user interface department. XBMC can organize movies with descriptions and artwork, but it completely and totally ignores all embedded information. I went to a lot of bother to add that information for all my 280+ DVDs I encoded with MetaX and so I found it ridiculous that I had to go through and correct all XBMC's guesses (by title name) because it cannot read embedded meta data for movies. I realize they cannot add every feature right away, but it's been a LONG time. I guess it's not high on their TO-DO list. Some movies simply have no results for manually adding information regardless (movie art anyway) like some foreign films I have. That's easy to fix in MetaX, but almost impossible from XBMC running on AppleTV. Until they fix that major feature oversight, I'll be running the Apple software most of the time. Their picture viewer has a major bug in it also whereas almost half of my photo collection (mostly stuff from the web) will not display (black screen comes up instead of the picture). The past two updates have not fixed this bug. That makes the picture viewer near useless as well and so I have to sync or stream to Apple's software where it always views correctly.
For all the talk about how AppleTV sucks compared to this or that, it seems to do what it does well instead of trying to do everything. Yes, I wish iTunes would support more formats and that AppleTV would get better hardware to support 1080P for the future, but those aside, it still makes streaming all my media around the house a breeze (movies, tv shows, photos, music) and no PS3 can do a whole house party mode (sync all music around all AppleTV and Airport Express Airtunes rooms in the house). Apple should add more features, though and the ability to rent tv shows instead of having to buy/store them for a lower price would get me renting a lot more than just movies. I will not buy 99% of tv shows since I have no interest in watching them more than once.
Idk if this has been asked before but does the PS3 support the appletv pre-set that I use to encode movies in handbrake? I surely don't want to redo all of these.
No. However, you can export your already ripped ATV-compatible movies via QuickTime (use Export with MPEG4, passthrough on video and pick how you want the audio.)
How can I use my WD passport with PS3 AND Time Machine?
Hi - Avid reader, first post!
I just got a PS3, and i'd like to find out how i can connect a 500gb WD Passport to it (to play music, movies, photos, etc). Additionally, i'd like to use it as my Time Machine Drive. And the final caveat, i'd like for it to be read by both PC and Mac.
Someone suggested converting it to FAT32 before i put any data on it, and that it would work on all these levels, though i have a feeling Time Machine wont fly on that...
Thoughts?
Hi - Avid reader, first post!
I just got a PS3, and i'd like to find out how i can connect a 500gb WD Passport to it (to play music, movies, photos, etc). Additionally, i'd like to use it as my Time Machine Drive. And the final caveat, i'd like for it to be read by both PC and Mac.
Someone suggested converting it to FAT32 before i put any data on it, and that it would work on all these levels, though i have a feeling Time Machine wont fly on that...
Thoughts?
If you are using ps3 media server, then yes it does!
all you have to do is go into the *transcode* folder and there they are, ALL OF MY MOVIES ARE SET UP USING HB APPLE TV SETTINGS!!!
I think they issues you are going to have will come from the fact that the time machine backups will use a lot of room on that 500gb drive, not leaving much room for movies/photos/music. I tried using the same external drive for movies (for PS3) and backups for the mac, but I would forget to reconnect to mac and the backup wouldn't happen for days or weeks.
As for connecting to your PS3 just plug your usb drive into the USB port in the front, go under movies/pictures/music on your homescreen and your drive will appear.
Ive been looking at the Apple TV for a while now and have converted a fair amount of content for iTunes in case I ever did buy one but have always been holding out for Apple to update it.
Since the PS3 Slim announcement Ive now been leaning more towards buy this as I wanted a Blu-Ray player anyway. I do not want to stream my content so this rules out the 40gb Apple TV. When comparing the 160gb Apple TV (£263) and the 120gb PS3 Slim (£245) it seems like a no-brainer to get the PS3. Obviously its interface is poor compared to Apple TV but as long as I can organise my files in folders then things wont get too messy.
The only thing from holding my back from buying it is that I wanted to make sure it will play my content that I have already ripped. I've read a few conflicting posts on forums regarding the PS3s support (especially files that have been through MetaX). Can anyone confirm if the following files will work as I do not want to have to convert all of my video again:
Im guessing that the MP4s shouldnt be a problem but all files have been through MetaX to tag for iTunes so I'm worried that the PS3 isnt going to like this. Also I'm unsure about if it can playback M4V/AC3 files. Any advice on this would be much appreciated!
Since the PS3 Slim announcement Ive now been leaning more towards buy this as I wanted a Blu-Ray player anyway. I do not want to stream my content so this rules out the 40gb Apple TV. When comparing the 160gb Apple TV (£263) and the 120gb PS3 Slim (£245) it seems like a no-brainer to get the PS3. Obviously its interface is poor compared to Apple TV but as long as I can organise my files in folders then things wont get too messy.
The only thing from holding my back from buying it is that I wanted to make sure it will play my content that I have already ripped. I've read a few conflicting posts on forums regarding the PS3s support (especially files that have been through MetaX). Can anyone confirm if the following files will work as I do not want to have to convert all of my video again:
- MP4 (H.264 codec) with AAC audio - 624 x 352
- MP4 (H.264 codec) with AAC audio - 704 x 544
- MP4 (H.264 codec) with AAC audio - in a variety of resolutions but an example is 1024x 552
- M4V (H.264 codec) with AC3 audio - in a variety of resolutions but an example is 1015 x 576
Im guessing that the MP4s shouldnt be a problem but all files have been through MetaX to tag for iTunes so I'm worried that the PS3 isnt going to like this. Also I'm unsure about if it can playback M4V/AC3 files. Any advice on this would be much appreciated!
The easiest way for you to test this is to copy some of your AppleTV converted files to a USB thumb drive and then go to a friends house that has a PS3. Then plug it in and see what works or doesn't work.
get ps3 media server for a friends ps3 and then try out the items you need to try, the ps3 will probably not play some of those natively, so the ps3 media server should be able to, you just may have to set it up to do so....
but it is used for streaming, or a cable running from the router to the ps3 directly....
BULL horse puckey!
every movie i rip is in the appletv setting from handbrake!!
and they work flawlessly with ps3 media server!!!
they just have to be encoded by the ps3 media server!!
Then you really aren't playing back the file made by handbrake... You're just re-encoding any already-existing file, sacraficing even more quality.
very possibly, but.... it does play on the ps3... and it actually looks awesome...and works!
I tried using the PS3 as my streaming device, but just broke down and bought an Apple TV and am glad I did so.
The PS3 is very odd when playing back mp4 files I encode with Handbrake. One video will play just fine, all the time. Some won't play at all. Others will play fine once, then the next time I go to play it the PS3 will say "File is corrupted". It's not reliable. The same thing happens when streaming unless I encode as I stream, which isn't really ideal for me on my older PC.
If someone is very serious about streaming with their PS3, I'd imagine they could tweak settings and files and things to get everything just right, but the problem for me was I'd then be forced to try and work within the PS3 realms, whereas with Apple TV I can focus everything on Apple devices/iTunes and not have to worry about organization or file encodes. Handbrake's "Universal" option is where it starts and ends with me.
The PS3 is very odd when playing back mp4 files I encode with Handbrake. One video will play just fine, all the time. Some won't play at all. Others will play fine once, then the next time I go to play it the PS3 will say "File is corrupted". It's not reliable. The same thing happens when streaming unless I encode as I stream, which isn't really ideal for me on my older PC.
If someone is very serious about streaming with their PS3, I'd imagine they could tweak settings and files and things to get everything just right, but the problem for me was I'd then be forced to try and work within the PS3 realms, whereas with Apple TV I can focus everything on Apple devices/iTunes and not have to worry about organization or file encodes. Handbrake's "Universal" option is where it starts and ends with me.
Exact same experience for me. I have an
TV in the bedroom, primarily for each of use for my wife and have encoded all of my video for use there. I have both an XBOX 360 and PS3 in the living room and hoped to be able to stream content but was not happy with the result to either (used Nullriver's software for both). Music and photos were fine but video quality was very pixelated and playback was choppy at best--and it was streamed over wireless-N network with good reception. Also, I would have had to re-encode all of my existing library (done in Handbrake using slightly modified Apple Universal)--that wasn't going to happen.Since I've only used the PS3 for the occasional blu-ray rental, I'm getting ready to sell it. I've just received my new Mac Mini and will be spending the next few weeks setting it up for use as a HTPC. My young kids needed a computer to use as well and I now have a slick way to get all of my content to my living room, plus more.
Um, what nightstorm said. Like I said the PS3 cannot play back a 64 bit mp4. No Bull horse puckey about it.
Yeah i know.. i was simply stating that it could play it , maybe not as a full 64 bit, but by encoding it!
so
tv it is!!I may just get a mac mini!!
we will see?
lol. but that's the whole point, it is not playing anything from handbrake at that point, which is exactly what I was trying to tell the op. It is a re-encode which is neutered down from the HB AppleTV preset. so it is disingenuous to suggest that the PS3 can play back HB's appletv preset. It cannot in any way shape or form. that is a fact.
Agreed. Its kinda like saying the X-Box 360 can play Blu-Rays... as long as you convert the video on the disc to a format the 360 can understand.
OK, cool, i just thought that since it was in fact playing it, that there was not that significant of a difference, at least to the untrained eye,
i like both systems but might have to look into the western digital box for $99
it can do a lot and all you hook up is your external!
i like both systems but might have to look into the western digital box for $99
it can do a lot and all you hook up is your external!
This is a good solution. There is also a PC program (if you have Boot Camp or VMware, etc) called VOB2MPG that does basically the same thing and you don't need the Quicktime MPEG2 plug-in - you just need Windows, LOL. It scans the VIDEO_TS folder and remuxes each VTS into a MPEG container with original AC3 audio.
toooooo many pages to read and catch up!
Well anyway, I want a AppleTV and a BlueRay player. It's probably been asked, but how about hoping Apple comes out with AppleTV Blue with a Blue Ray player built in, and have all the functions of both. That I would buy.
Basically I want a AppleTV & BlueRay player in one unit.
Well anyway, I want a AppleTV and a BlueRay player. It's probably been asked, but how about hoping Apple comes out with AppleTV Blue with a Blue Ray player built in, and have all the functions of both. That I would buy.
Basically I want a AppleTV & BlueRay player in one unit.