Streaming Media to PS3 from Time Capsule

[DaveyG]

Ok, yet another Time Capsule question I'm going to put to the TC Gods!

I am using my TC primarily as a storage device at the moment (lots of pictures and ripped DVD's etc) and as I move all my files across to the TC I would really like my PS3 to be able to view the pictures and stream the video directly from the TC.

I have MediaLink installed on my MacBook which streams to the PS3 alright at the moment but I want to be able to move my files off this HDD and onto the TC without having to move them back here every time I want to stream a file.

The setup is currently:

TC -> ethernet -> BT HomeHub (TC sharing internet)
PS3 -> ethernet -> TC
TC set to 5GHz n ONLY for MacBook (only wireless device that connects to TC)

So does anyone know a way I can achieve this? (I bought MediaLink so its the full version).

Thanks

[king blaze]

i think i can help on this. I use airport extreme with a usb hdd but i think i works in the same way.

when im using medialink on the PS3 i can go to volumes and my airport hdd shows up in there, i think it would be the same for you?

[Digitalize]

sadly you cannot stream directly from the TC to PS3, something needs to be in the middle, it is a shame, that it cant work like an External HDD or something, but without some sort of streaming app between the 2, nothing is going to happen.

[DaveyG]

Oh yeah I see it under 'Volumes > TC' from the PS3!

Does this mean that if I want to stream a movie the PS3 will go to the TC for network purposes, then find my Media Link host (my MacBook), then go through my MacBook to request a file from the TC, which will then send it back to the PS3?

I only ask because it seems pretty slow to stream and often fails part way through (there is very little activity on my network currently)!

Also seem to get constant DLNA protocol erros (2104) which don't really (from what I can tell) correspond to failings or success of streaming!

Any thoughts? Can I install Media Link onto my TC so the PS3 streams from that via ethernet directly?

[Digitalize]

The TC Has no OS of such, so it cannot have anything installed onto it.

[richard plumb]

it can run a samba server, so can serve files directly to eg Boxee or XBMC. But it doens't have UPnP which PS3 requires.

if you use your macbook as the server and are wireless, then its massively non-optimal - your request from the PS3 will go to the macbook, then the macbook will request the video from the TC, which will get sent to the macbook, then back up to the TC (as its your network hub), then down to your PS3.

If you can wire some of it up (eg the PS3 part) that'll help. or if you have an old computer you can hook up wired to the TC just for server duties, that would help too.

or you can look at a NAS with a UPnP server built in. Not sure which ones work well with PS3

personally I just gave up and stuck all my media on a portable USB drive which plugs directly into the PS3. Its also handy to have a backup of my media which is also stored on a USB drive attached to my TC.

[Simonal]

Hi Guys

I was looking at the same issue a while back and also just today for a friend who has purchased a TC.

The solution I came up with which suited my uses (MAC and PC access) was for a NAS drive , with a built in Media server and UPnP server, to hang off a Wireless network router and for the PS3 to connect wirelessly to the NAS via the router. In this solution the PS3 sees it seamlessly.

In doing some research for a friend of mine it appears that there appear to be a number of pieces of software that can allow a MAC to run as a UPnP server but I think from reading through the answers the MAC still needs to host the UPnP server. Although I was looking at a thread where there is a version that may run under the Samba server that Richard suggested.

But I think more research may be needed but I will keep you all informed.

Cheers Simon

[DaveyG]

OK so currently I am able to stream from the TC, although it goes via 37 other devices so music/photo's are OK, but videos are susceptible to stopping and starting!

PS3 wired to TC so request from PS3 for file goes PS3 - TC (wired) - MacBook (wireless n) - TC - PS3 (wired)

Am I right in thinking that it actually might be best to put the TC aside simply for backup and some storage, but to get a NAS (was looking at a QNAP device) for proper media streaming to the PS3?

(Thanks for all your replies so far btw)

[richard plumb]

I'd just get a portable USB hard drive and leave it connected to the PS3. Thats what I do. Quick enough to put new stuff on it. I just found the wireless network to be too slow for moving stuff around quickly. Although I suppose you could download directly to the NAS which would save copying it afterwards.

plus its good to have a backup.

[SeedyR]

Originally Posted by richard plumb

it can run a samba server, so can serve files directly to eg Boxee or XBMC. But it doens't have UPnP which PS3 requires.

if you use your macbook as the server and are wireless, then its massively non-optimal - your request from the PS3 will go to the macbook, then the macbook will request the video from the TC, which will get sent to the macbook, then back up to the TC (as its your network hub), then down to your PS3.

If you can wire some of it up (eg the PS3 part) that'll help. or if you have an old computer you can hook up wired to the TC just for server duties, that would help too.

or you can look at a NAS with a UPnP server built in. Not sure which ones work well with PS3

personally I just gave up and stuck all my media on a portable USB drive which plugs directly into the PS3. Its also handy to have a backup of my media which is also stored on a USB drive attached to my TC.

A couple of questions for you then Richard, as my housemate is currently looking into this. He has a TC and wants to play media files, but without having his Mac on. So what would be better for him to get for this? A PS3 or an Apple TV?

If he had a TC right next to a PS3, could he just connect it via ethernet and the PS3 would play the media files off it?

If he went the TC and Apple TV route, how easy is to set up this Samba server and put Boxee on the Apple TV?

I do what you do, and just connect an external harddrive to my PS3 to play media files, but my housemate has bought a TC and wants to ultilise it for media file playing but without having his Mac on, so any help much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Craig

[Simonal]

Originally Posted by SeedyR

A couple of questions for you then Richard, as my housemate is currently looking into this. He has a TC and wants to play media files, but without having his Mac on. So what would be better for him to get for this? A PS3 or an Apple TV?

If he had a TC right next to a PS3, could he just connect it via ethernet and the PS3 would play the media files off it?

If he went the TC and Apple TV route, how easy is to set up this Samba server and put Boxee on the Apple TV?

I do what you do, and just connect an external harddrive to my PS3 to play media files, but my housemate has bought a TC and wants to ultilise it for media file playing but without having his Mac on, so any help much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Craig

Hi Craig

Not Richard but this may help you and answer some questions for you.

The TC is primarily a disk that is visible to MAC's so that they can run the Time Capsule software and not a media server, in fact not a server at all.

If you do not have a PS3 then the simplest solution is to go for an Apple TV unit connect to the web via the TC and plug the Apple TV unit into your TV.

The problem is, as Richard has pointed out, that the PS3 needs two things to connect to a media server, a UPnP server (which allows the PS3 and any networked device to ask for required services from the Universal Plug and Play server without you having to set each service up individually) and also a media server. Both of these can be applications that can be run on various devices but this is not what was intended of either the TC nor Apple TV.

If you do want to connect the PS3 to a media store you are possibly going to be better off using a NAS box or server to do this I would suggest one that is both MAC and PC friendly to offer the widest choice of options.

I the one I am using is the LaCie device "Ethernet Disc mini", which with the latest update, can stream to both MAC, PC and PS3 (Have not tried XBox 360 as yet and will probably not bother). My reason for choosing LaCie was precisely because of their MAC friendly systems which was also the reason for choosing the router too.

This or another (PS3 and MAC friendly) device should work fine enabling you to stream all your media to one of the three devices mentioned above. If you have your PS3 connected to your TV then you should be able to cut out the Apple TV depending on the files that you have everything stored in as again there are only some file types that the PS3 will read.

The issue is not down to proximity of the PS3 to the unit it is down to compatibility and what the PS3 requires and how the TC and Apple TV serve this information.

Finally you can stream data pretty well over a wireless system but you are reliant on a both the available real bandwidth and also the ability of the devices to serve the data cleanly, wired is always going to be better until faster systems are more prevalent.

Hope this helps.

Simon

[richard plumb]

what he said. Although the actual media you have has a bearing. If all your stuff is apple friendly - i.e will play on an appleTV, then you can stream it or sync it. The syncing ability shouldn't be ignored. if you get the 160GB appleTV then you may be able to sync most of your media to it from the mac and then you can play without the mac being on - as the media is stored on the appleTV itself.

but if you have a lot of apple unfriendly stuff - eg MKVs or divx etc, then the PS3 might be a better option as its slightly more flexible in what it plays, so less need to transcode. And certainly HD MKVs are way faster to prepare for PS3 playback than appleTV. mostly they just need a quick remux not full transcoding.

I will throw in something else - if your friend has an ipod touch, then the free 'remote' app from apple can control the media from the ipod, so you could route the audio through an amp and sit back and control your playlists etc without needing a TV on - which the PS3 would.

I haven't found a complete all in one solution yet. I hoped XBMC on appleTV would have done it, but its not quite there yet. AppleTV is almost there if all your media is Apple friendly.

[Simonal]

Yes I agree with Richard especially regarding media types that you are going to view and download.

In my search I did find this rumor - Rumor: Apple to Introduce Media Server | Mac|Life

But it may still not support PS3 playback or indeed any other media station type of playback. But we shall see.

[SeedyR]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Originally Posted by richard plumb

I haven't found a complete all in one solution yet. I hoped XBMC on appleTV would have done it, but its not quite there yet. AppleTV is almost there if all your media is Apple friendly.

Maybe a Mac Mini? If a new one comes out today, I'm sure my housemate will be able to pick up an older gen one quite cheap. That way he should be able to stream from the TC plus not have to worry about file types. A quick one on that note, I thought if you put Boxee on your Apple TV then you could play any type of media file? Is this not the case?

[richard plumb]

a mac mini would be good and I'll seriously consider it if they announce one today.

I haven't had much luck with boxee - although I finally got it to see my Time Capsule so I can stream stuff to it now. The main problem I have with it is you can't tell it what type of content you have - you just say 'video' and it trys to be all smart about it and usually gets it wrong.

eg I have Terminator TV series I downloaded from itunes. But boxee searches the internet and puts it in the 'movies' category based on the filename - so eg one episode is called 'Dungeons and Dragons' and so boxee thinks its the dungeons and dragons movie. Apparantly to get it to work with TV shows you have to use a particular naming convention which I don't really bother with (standard s01e05 kind of thing). Not helpful if most of your stuff is already apple'd up.

I'm getting to the point where I'm fed up with most of it. I just want it to work and I'm honestly amazed nobody has hit with the right solution yet. I've had NAS boxes streaming to an old Xbox with XBMC and that was probably the closest I've got. AppleTV is slick if you stick with the itunes model, but I end up just using a portable USB HDD plugged into my PS3 and browsing a simple list. daft really.


I, and I'm sure many on here, would pay serious money for a nice off the peg box that played everything you threw at it, with a nice interface and good internet connectivity. Lots of boxes do the first but have rubbish UIs (practically DOS some of them), appleTV does the interface but is too restrictive. Maybe a mac mini with Plex or similar is worth a try

anyway, I'm ranting