Problem: You love digital movies and music but your shiny new Playstation 3 Slim only has a 120Gb hard disk. This is large compared to previous models, it's true but if like most you've accumulated maybe terabytes worth of media on your PC over the years, it's going to be a problem getting that onto your living room TV. So to that end we look at 5 free media servers for streaming content from PC to PS3. Bear in mind that for some of the activities described- a dual core processor or better with plenty of RAM is recommended.
Windows Media Player
Let's start with the obvious choice. Windows media player is bundled with its operating system (for now anyway) but if you've somehow misplaced yours, it's readily available on their website. The latest version is 11. By enabling sharing under 'more streaming options', it can be used as a basic media server. You'll need to 'allow' permission to your PS3 but this is a simple affair and once complete, a Windows MP icon will be accessible from your PS3's XMB (you may need to 'search' for media servers first) which will grant you access to your media library. MP3s can be expected to stream with little or no difficulty, so we ramped our tests up by using a 720p HD video file. On our wired network this streamed effortlessly to the PS3 with no hint of stutter or artefacts being introduced. So far so good, time to step things up a bit. We also had in our arsenal a 1080p Full HD video file. This had been encoded with the popular Matroska codec (notoriously difficult for the PS3 to play – despite recent firmware updates). Here WMP fell down, as without any transcoding abilities, the PS3 was able to see the file but not play it when streamed. In this case you would have to convert the file first, not ideal. This is the main problem with WMP. As a standard organisation and playback tool it's great but its media server abilities are limited. The options available are basic. It's a solid choice if you're running Windows and just need to stream music or vanilla video files but for those needing more functionality, or for Linux and Mac users, it's best to look elsewhere.
Tversity
Tversity is the current media server du jour amongst streaming fans and it's easy to see why. It talked flawlessly to our PS3 with its specific pre sets and it contains enough options to tweak, without bogging the user down in ultra fine details. Our 720p file streamed flawlessly over the wired network, as did the 1080p mkv, thanks to Tversity's excellent transcoding tools, which will convert difficult files into PS3 friendly ones on-the-fly, literally as you play them. This means no waiting around to enjoy a Full HD file and this instantly puts it ahead of Windows Media Player. Where Tversity really accelerates past the rest of the pack though is with its wealth of additional features. You can expect to be able to stream RSS feeds, internet, radio and podcasts, as well as episodes of popular television programmes. Like orb, you can also access your media via any browser enabled device but this aspect is not pushed as heavily as its home network use and therefore isn't as comprehensive. There is also a paid-for version available which adds some more premium content. However this is not all available in the UK and some of it that is (such as iPlayer access) is accessible for free elsewhere. Tversity is an easy to use media server with some seriously useful features for transcoding and the additional content is a nice bonus. However, it may lack all the options needed for the serious video/audiophile and it unfortunately has no support for non Windows platforms.
PS3 media centre X
We should say right off the bat that this programme is no longer supported or being developed. It was a firm favourite of some a few years ago though, and is included here for posterity, This programme was developed by Red Kawa, who also make popular video converters. Good thing too, as this programme supports the fewest formats of any here on test. Initially running the programme, you are met with a spartan dialogue box with only 2 buttons – load the server or load the help file. Booting up the server greets us with an interesting interface, with exciting options such as games and apps. Keep your excitement in check though, as these options are no longer supported either and clicking on them confirms this with a sad error message. If all that wasn't enough, we experienced difficulty even downloading the programme, the Red Kawa site rather pointing us towards a suspect external mirror. If you absolutely must try it, download from a depository you trust. With all this in mind, we cannot possibly recommend this software, although we respect its position in the infancy of the PS3 media servers.
Orb
We are moving into something a bit different here. Orb has the same media server functionality as the other programmes here but this adds a nifty twist. It will make your PC media (and even word documents etc.) available to any web enabled device. The user creates an account on the Orb's website and chooses which files to share. It's then simply a matter of accessing the site from another device and away you go, all your shared files are available to stream and download. The applications of this are exciting, access your PC's vast MP3 collection on your iPhone, via a hotspot on a beach somewhere hot. This is similar to the remote play function that currently exists between PS3 and PSP but Orb extends that concept to any browser enabled device. This may not be needed for PS3 media server functionality, as most will have their console connected to their home network and Orb is accessible via the XMB like the others here. But go around a mate's house, fire up the PS3 browser and log in to the Orb's quick, clean and easy to use site using your details and you'll be able to access everything stored on your home PC. Unfortunately, what the Orb has in functionality, it lacks in actual performance. Streaming over the internet was fine for audio files but our 720p and 1080p files were scaled to a much lower resolution and were decidedly blocky. This could be forgiveable (and is worked around by downloading and playing locally) but the same issues were apparent when streaming over our private network. The 720p file had artefacts introduced and, due to a lack of transcoding functionality, the 1080p file would not play at all. Orb also had some trouble letting us see certain file types on PS3. The programme also has limited options, so whilst being user friendly with some great functionality, it won't satisfy the real tweakers out there and suffers somewhat in execution. Also, on a private network, there is no support for Mac or Linux.
PS3 media server
Don't confuse this with Red Kawa's old efforts, they are mirror opposites. The no-nonsense name is indicative of the creator's approach in developing this title. Born out of one man's frustration with existing software and its lack of real grunt for true audio/videophiles, Media Server contains all the options and tweaks you could possibly want. As the name suggests this is geared up for Sony's box, on booting up for the first time, the software detects any PS3 connected to the local network and configures itself accordingly. It runs in Java and so works with Mac and Linux. PS3 Media Server seemed slightly slower than others to begin streaming and whilst the 720p file was flawless, the transcoding of our 1080p file seemed to introduce some artefacts (this was with default settings though). No doubt this can be eliminated with additional tweaking but not everyone wants to have to get involved in this way. Handily, transcoded files are stored in a bespoke folder, so you always have access to the original file. PS3 media server is a powerful piece of software, with many advanced features, but it does require a high level of savvy from its user to get the best out of it.
Verdict
There's a good choice of software for media servers on PC, to stream to PS3. Which one you go for depends on what you need from it. If you just want to fire it up and away you go, with the added benefits of radio et all, then Tversity is the way forward for you. If you're a true aficionado and don't mind getting your hands dirty with buffers and bit rates, or you're a Mac or Linux user looking for a free alternative, then PS3 Media Server is for you, with enough options to suit an advanced set up.
