Changing files for PS3/X360 compatability

wsmhustler

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I have a WDTV Live Hub with an 2TB external HD attached and the UI on the system is terrible. It regularly doesn't see the HD and I'm forever cursing the low responsivity of the remote-to-screen actions.

So basically I'm looking to view all of my media through either my PlayStation3 or Xbox 360.

Music, photos and home videos aren't a problem but the majority of my films are in .MKV format. Any idea how to convert these by the quickest possible method so that they are compatible? Any free software to recommend?

Many thanks in advance!
 
I'd sell the hub and get a Boxee Box if after speedy remote (RF based) and GUI.

PS3/360 require H.264/MP4 video so everything must be converted (use Handbrake), no shortcuts unless you want to sacrifice image quality by using those lame duck H.264 converters from the likes of Cyberlink that butcher image quality for quick conversion.

Also the PS3 and 360 only support FAT32 file systems on HDD so all your media will have to compressed or split under 4GB. If you've already compressed the media then you can use something like Rebox.net to repackage the codecs into an MP4 container.
 
I'd sell the hub and get a Boxee Box if after speedy remote (RF based) and GUI.

PS3/360 require H.264/MP4 video so everything must be converted (use Handbrake), no shortcuts unless you want to sacrifice image quality by using those lame duck H.264 converters from the likes of Cyberlink that butcher image quality for quick conversion.

Also the PS3 and 360 only support FAT32 file systems on HDD so all your media will have to compressed or split under 4GB. If you've already compressed the media then you can use something like Rebox.net to repackage the codecs into an MP4 container.

Thanks for the response matey. Can't really afford a new NAS system so this one will have to do for now.

The external HD is attached to the NAS - I want the PS3 and Xbox360 to play the content wirelessly. This currently works for music and pictures but not for my films (because of the file types).

What would you suggest to use to convert all of my .MKV files? Or would you suggest to start again and rip my DVD collection via a different manner to make the files compatible?
 
Why not stream to the WDTV Live Hub if the local HDD which was giving you problems can be attached to the NAS ?

If the dodgy remote is the only issue left and you have a smartphone there are software remotes for WDTV's on the app stores. You don't actually need to purchase anything as there is a basic web remote built into the Live hub accessible via web page.

The 360/PS3 are poor media players they only work UPnP/DLNA nothing else, they cannot access a network shared folder so your NAS must have a DLNA server and that DLNA server will have to be configured to monitor the folders on the attached USB drive.

If all your media is in it's native format (e.g you used MakeMKV) then you will have to begin again from scratch and convert everything into H.264/MP4 also be aware the Xbox 360 only supports stereo AAC nothing else in case you use an amp and are looking for 5.1 audio, 5.1 only works with XviD/AVI on the x360.
 
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Why not stream to the WDTV Live Hub if the local HDD which was giving you problems can be attached to the NAS ?

I'm not sure I follow this comment. My WD external HD is attached to my WDTV Live Hub (NAS) by USB cable.

The problem I have is that the NAS communicates with the external HD on an irregular basis and it is incredibly frustrating - not sure why this occurs!
 
I misread I thought you had a separate NAS streaming over network, you were referring to the Live Hub instead.

That would be one way around it, if you could put the USB drive on the network somehow even if streaming from your PC.
 
mkv2vob will get your MKV playable for the PS3, and possibly the xbox, although I a not sure of what audio the xbox supports........

its free and works really quickly.............

I assume the live hub has some kind of DLNA server on it and that you would be using this to stream.............?

If that is causing you problems you could just use PS3 Media Server to stream from your PC/Laptop instead........
 
mkv2vob wont work on files generated from MakeMKV which is original video stream, it only works on H.264/MKV and it also doesn't work for the Xbox 360 or most other media players too as it's mostly a PS3 specific hack.

Rebox.net does the same thing as mkv2vob but uses MP4 container instead which will work on both consoles.
 
Same video that is on the disc so MPEG-2 (DVD), MPEG2 HD, VC-1 or H.264 (Blu-ray), MKV is a universal container it can hold any combo of video and audio.
 
So if its 264 your laughing................
 
It might or might not, depends really how tolerant the vob2mpg app and PS3 is with hacked vob files holding Blu-ray spec H.264. vob2mpg is really only meant for x264/mkv videos.
 
I have the xbox play from my hard drive as you want

I use freemake.com to convert my files to Divx and has a xbox setting.

Divx or AVi will play in most DLNA Tvs, blu ray players

after conversion the picture quality is amazing !!

anyway have you downloaded the Optional Media Update from Game Marketplace , then scroll to Titles A to Z , then go to O in xbox
 
I have the xbox play from my hard drive as you want

I use freemake.com to convert my files to Divx and has a xbox setting.

Divx or AVi will play in most DLNA Tvs, blu ray players

after conversion the picture quality is amazing !!

anyway have you downloaded the Optional Media Update from Game Marketplace , then scroll to Titles A to Z , then go to O in xbox

I also only recently discovered Freemake and with an i7 & GPU transcoding with my 5850 its fast.

Don't need to transcode now though after going to a Microserver and using PS3 Media Server for my PS3 and WDTV boxes, though daughters XBOX 360 is still picky about what it will play.
 
I also only recently discovered Freemake and with an i7 & GPU transcoding with my 5850 its fast.

Don't need to transcode now though after going to a Microserver and using PS3 Media Server for my PS3 and WDTV boxes, though daughters XBOX 360 is still picky about what it will play.

did you download the media update for the xbox ? on each console
 
Thank you for all of your replies peeps.

So let me get this straight, in order to convert my MKKV files into PS3/Xbox360 compatible files I will need to transform them using the program called freemake.com?

Will this work for both Xbox 360 and PS3 without any further tinkering?
 
Thank you for all of your replies peeps.

So let me get this straight, in order to convert my MKKV files into PS3/Xbox360 compatible files I will need to transform them using the program called freemake.com?

Will this work for both Xbox 360 and PS3 without any further tinkering?

Are your MKV videos x264/MKV if so use Rebox.net which will turn them into MP4 without conversion giving you compatibility between PS3 and X360.

If your MKV videos are MPEG2/VC1/H.264/MKV then you must use Handbrake and convert the video stream into x264/MP4.
 
I am confused about H264 and x264, online sources suggest, H264 is a codec, fine, and x264 is an encoder, fine............

So is rebox.net not still dealing with H264 video...........?

Cant wait to play about this..........
 
just try freemake.com suggested settings to Divx

it just works

you are reliant on the people who have ripped the films on the picture quality and sound settings
 
I am confused about H264 and x264, online sources suggest, H264 is a codec, fine, and x264 is an encoder, fine............

So is rebox.net not still dealing with H264 video...........?

Cant wait to play about this..........

MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 is a video standard, x264 is an open source implementation of that standard. There are many other H.264 encoders out there but most people use x264.

The terms often get interchanged with one another.

Like how MPEG-4 ASP is a video standard, XviD is an open source implementation of that standard but DivX is a commercial implementation of the standard.

Rebox just swaps the containers so your H.264/MKV video is just a MP4 video same thing that MKV2VOB does but MKV2VOB only works with the PS3 due to H.264/VOB being a hack, MP4 works with any media player that supports the standard.
 
Yep works well!

However I am now buying an Archos 70 tablet, will these divx files work with this tablet. Finding it difficult to see the compatible file types. Ideally would want one file type for PS3, Xbox 360 and the tablet!
 
Is there any reason why my file transfers are taking 4/5+ hours?! Surely there must be a quicker way of doing it, I have got a relatively speedy computer to do the process with...
 
Depends what speed your wired network is......10/100/1000Mbit........

Hard drive read/write speeds.....

What's your set up.....?
 
Well I have tried .mkv to .mp4 and I have also tried ripping straight from DVD to .mp4 but the process is just too long to consider carrying out.

I have a Inspiron 1120 with a dual core K345 1.4GHz rocessor and 4GB RAM
 

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