Getting Windows Home Server and a PS3 working
From MediaSmartServerWiki
How to setup Windows Home Server and the Playstation 3[1]
These instructions explain what is needed to get your PS3 and Windows Home Server integrated and working together. The outcome of setting these things up to work together is that you can view pictures, listen to music, and watch videos you store on your server (only certain formats are supported by the PS3).
Assumptions before you start following these instructions you should have:
- Both the server and the PS3 should be on the same network.
- If you have more than one router in your home and these devices are not sharing the same router, this will require more advanced networking setup than what is covered.
- You should have Windows Home Server up and running ok on your network, same goes for PS3.
- You should have access to your server’s media shares (music, photos, videos …etc) from a local personal computer.
- The PS3 must be on firmware version 1.8 or later. If you are not sure about this, go into the system update section and double check. (This firmware was released a while ago, but if you have a new PS3 you will need to make sure it gets updated. See ps3 docs for more info.)
Ok… Here you go….
- Start the windows home server console. Go into the settings section (use the settings button in the upper right corner). Highlight the “Media Sharing” item on the left, and make sure the shares you want to use for sharing your media with are turned on. (note: you can only use the shares listed for media sharing). Click on ok / save your changes and you can now exit the home server console.
- Next, place some media on the shares you are interested in. You might have iTunes media aggregation already placing some files on your music share, but just make sure you have some media on your shares. A JPG image on the Photos share and an mp3 on the Music share are the best test files.
- Go into your PS3, and access the Settings > Network Settings > Media Server Connection menu. Make sure this is set to enable, save your settings.
- (Optional). Go into the Settings > System Settings > Enable WMA Playback. This will make it so windows media music files can be played on your PS3.
NOTE: When ripping WMA files, I typically try to remove the DRM settings and have not validated all the DRM stuff. Also, the latest WMA file formats (i.e. pro) don’t seem to work well on the PS3, so try to pick plain old wma or stick with mp3.
Ok… now here is the good stuff… go into your ps3 and view Photos / Music (whatever you shared), and you should see your media server listed. If not, you might have to initially search for your media server.
Other tips
- When you download videos from the Playstation Store, save them to a usb memory stick (or move existing videos on your usb media stick) and then use the USB stick in your pc to move these files to your video share. This will help you from eating too much space on your PS3 if you like to download video trailers / previews.
Common Issues
- PS3 does not support many video file formats[2]
- PS3 does not support many audio file formats[3]
- I can’t find my server listed on my PS3.
Either:
- You don’t have media sharing turned on within the server. Use the home server console to fix.
- You have your server on a separate network / router than your PS3. Either put them on the same network (router), or get your own in house IT staff.
