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Headshot · Jan 9, 2008, 05:34 PM

Macworld | MediaLink connects Mac, PlayStation 3

Anyone try this yet?
Was I incorrect in assuming that the PS3 should communicate with my MacPro
via Airport? I need to go across the house so a cable is out of the question.

Do I have to get a router for this? This is exactly what I've been looking for for years
(minus the slimp3 pricetag!

)

ghporter · Jan 9, 2008, 06:39 PM

I haven't tried it (no need here) but I have to point out that there are way cheaper game adapters around-your Mac Pro is kind of an expensive game adapter. If it's an AirPort-like device you need to connect with, many Linksys wireless routers support UPnP. I'm assuming you already have the wireless adapter for the PS3...

Maybe you could give us a rundown on your current network setup and we could find ways for you to connect, with or without Medialink.

Headshot · Jan 9, 2008, 07:50 PM

Thanks,
well, the PS3 already has WiFi built into it. The whole point is to stream your entire iTunes library and then some
to your PS3. Since it's plugged into my receiver it should sound awesome. I just can't figure out if it is supposed
to talk directly to my Mac or through a router!

ghporter · Jan 10, 2008, 12:19 AM

So this is like AirTunes, except through your PS3? That sounds like a great idea. I have no idea of how to make it work though... Let's let this thread sit and see what other ideas it attracts.

zerock · Jan 10, 2008, 01:03 AM

the software is the upnp media server i have used for mac. but its missing AAC Support (m4a). but just got an email from nullriver saying that its coming, so i would gues next update will have AAC, hopefully.

mdc · Jan 10, 2008, 09:32 AM

I downloaded it yesterday but didn't open my MacBook when I got home from work since I was so tired. I'll give it a try tonight and report back later.

Headshot · Jan 10, 2008, 01:50 PM

Uh, so, do you need a router for this?!?

richwig83 · Jan 10, 2008, 02:55 PM

oooooo nice i hope this works. TBH itunes should have this supported built in!

zerock · Jan 11, 2008, 12:48 PM

new version of medialink, now with AAC Support.

ptoomey3 · Jan 16, 2008, 07:42 PM

I am very much leaning toward getting a PS3 (over the updated apple tv), but I am concerned about the medialink's support for streaming the .mov container of h.264 video to the PS3. I was under the impression that the ps3 does not support the .mov container. But, when I watched a youtube video of medialink's functionality I distinctly recall seeing the PS3 (w medialink) playing the Macbreak video podcast in h.264. This podcast is distributed in h.264 within a .mov container. So, do .mov h.264 videos work with the PS3 and medialink? Can someone try an assortment of video podcasts (Diggnation HD quicktime, Macbreak (Apple TV) edition, etc, and report back on the results.

Thanks,
Patrick

Headshot · Jan 16, 2008, 09:42 PM

OK, well since there's so much uncontainable excitement on this post I thought I'd throw in some of my own experience with this and how it's working:

Bought it, had a buddy hook up a router that I had, it reads the address back and forth, and was fairly easy to get going.
The first experience was that while it read the iTunes Library and other volumes specified in any of my 9 hard drives, it
didn't recognize any of the songs "no tracks" message would appear next to the playlist when browsed thru.
Then, the next day, there they were just like magic! MP3's, for the first time revealed to me, were of a lesser quality than
the CD-AIFF file. I just never played many of these through my killer system (B&K + JM Lab Cobalts), only in car
or the the Altec Lansing computer speakers.

so now I have this thing like I want to start RE-Importing my entire CD collection as WAV files, since it's the highest quality
and ONLY lossless format that the PS3 will recognize, at least streamed through the Medialink program, and dump all my
MP3's. WAV files are imported at exactly the same size as AIFF files into iTunes.

So now that 1TB drives have come down, I figure I'll be able to get up to 1300 CD's, should I ever need that much
storage, or for movies, etc. Who knows where HD movies will play in the near future with this config.
Streaming a 1080i/p from iTunes lossless to the PS3 in decadent HD audio surround? My oh my.

But for now the music sounds great, the Stooges are a fingertip away too!

Headshot · Jan 16, 2008, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by ptoomey3

I am very much leaning toward getting a PS3 (over the updated apple tv), but I am concerned about the medialink's support for streaming the .mov container of h.264 video to the PS3. I was under the impression that the ps3 does not support the .mov container. But, when I watched a youtube video of medialink's functionality I distinctly recall seeing the PS3 (w medialink) playing the Macbreak video podcast in h.264. This podcast is distributed in h.264 within a .mov container. So, do .mov h.264 videos work with the PS3 and medialink? Can someone try an assortment of video podcasts (Diggnation HD quicktime, Macbreak (Apple TV) edition, etc, and report back on the results.

Thanks,
Patrick

Whadya mean container, like the suffix .mov?

ptoomey3 · Jan 16, 2008, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by Headshot

Whadya mean container, like the suffix .mov?

yeah, exactly. The xbox equivalent (connect360) specficially mentions playing H.264 in the .mov container, but the medialink page does not. It could be a simple omission, but that is what I thought when they didn't list AAC when version 1.0 came out.

Headshot · Jan 17, 2008, 12:14 AM

H.264 MPEG-4...I watched the Usual Suspects in crappy quality that I converted for my iPod way back when.
on a 1080 Panie Plasma! lol.....

But there are a lot of movies I have that do appear, but that won't play...mostly the Codec being MPEG-4 as opposed to H264...make sense?
The only problem I have now is that I need a longer ethernet cable so I can get this router more up and in the open.

It all rocks!!!!!!!!

And the WAV is now my new format of choice...

melbdean · Jan 29, 2008, 07:52 AM

just wanted to say thanks for putting me on to this great software. also have a ps3 and can say that most of the reading i've done on getting it to work with the mac has been nothing short of a doctorate. i'd given up. now, i'm watching movies with a huge smile...
have there been any headaches since you last posted? or am i going to keep on smiling?
best,

Headshot · Jan 29, 2008, 10:50 AM

Just a few cutouts here and there due to router stength and that's over 2 different models.
I got the cheap but rising Dynex and although the install wizard is useless to us (except
for the PDF manual) I entered in the info in the setup browser and it all worked! I just added
the MAC addresses for the PS# and my Laptop.

Also, if you try and play an unsupported format, sometimes it will crash the PS3!
That happens rarely, but it'll tell you it's unsupported in there first anyway.

melbdean · Jan 30, 2008, 07:33 AM

re 'unsupported data/format'- I can't understand it at all. it seems so random. no matter what file type, sometimes it just wont play. do you have any idea why? i have run a divx that wont play file through handbrake/ffmpegx and others to reformat but if the ps3 doesn't like the original, it just wont budge. doesn't seem to matter what file type it ends up as.
mind bending.

melbdean · Jan 30, 2008, 09:38 AM

... just had a thought further to this unsupported data/format issue: is it possible to open a file on the mac (i.e. play a movie) and stream it to ps3/tv? rather than the ps3 picking up the file from the mac and therefore still not playing the 'unsupported' stuff, the mac would be in charge.
or maybe the ps3 could have an alternative media player (e.g. VLC) loaded to play these dreaded unsupported?
recently i was watching a few episodes of a tv series and intended to keep watching. ep's 1, 2 & 3 all worked fine -and they were really great too. ep 4 just wouldn't play. it was the same file type as the previous and came from the same source.

(apologies if i'm getting too off-topic)