I'm looking to get an external HDD to backup all of my photos, music, and videos. I'd also like to be able to either stream this content to my PS3 (I am using PS3 Media Server) or simply plug it in to the PS3 and access it that way.

So here are a few questions:

#1 - Is there a maximum size HDD that the PS3 will recognize? I read somewhere that the fat32 limit is 2tb, so that would be the limit for the PS3 as well.

#2 - Can any HDD be formatted to fat32, or is there something in the specs I need to look for?

#3 - If the HDD was plugged into my laptop, could I stream the content from the external HDD in the exact same fashion as I do currently with the stuff on my laptop's internal HDD? Is there any reason to believe that streaming video wouldn't be as smooth as it is using my internal HDD?

#4 - Does anyone know of any good deals out there right now? Any suggested brands or brands to avoid?

Here's a link to one that I'm considering:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136175

Any other feedback regarding this would be appreciated!

Thanks!

External HDD > Laptop > PS3 streaming works, I've done it, though my laptop wasn't powerful enough to do HD content. But yes, you can do it.

1. PS3 will recognize any size as long as the drive is formatted to FAT32.

2. From my experience, any drive can be formatted to FAT32.

3. Yes.

4. Not sure about deals. There's nothing wrong the External HDD that you have linked, I was wondering if you'd consider a WD Passport drive; they are smaller and are powered by USB. I'm not sure what the largest capacity is at the moment for the Passports.

I've got a WD 500 and works great. I put BD and HD on it and plays no problem.

Passport 250g, works great and matches the ps3.

OK, thanks for the responses!

I'm now leaning toward this one thanks to KingShorty's suggestion:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136227

I assume XP and Vista have no trouble working with an external HDD formatted FAT32?

Do you need software to format to FAT32?

I bought a Western Digital Passport for my PS3....

If the drive does not come pre-formatted as FAT32, there is software that you can use that does it very quickly.

I believe all WD hdd's are pre-formatted to FAT32.

OK, thanks for the responses!

I'm now leaning toward this one thanks to KingShorty's suggestion:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136227

I assume XP and Vista have no trouble working with an external HDD formatted FAT32?

Do you need software to format to FAT32?

Nope, your Passport will work on XP/Vista/PS3 no problemo. I've got a 120gig Passport, myself. The little bugger is great. WD's customer support is awesome, too; it broke, so I sent it to them and they gave me a new one.

If the drive does not come pre-formatted as FAT32, there is software that you can use that does it very quickly.

I believe all WD hdd's are pre-formatted to FAT32.

Just about every external drive is FAT32 from the factory.

XP will need a utility to format it. Vista will do it out of the box from the command prompt.

That utility is: fat32format (http://www.ridgecrop.demon.co.uk/index.htm?fat32format.htm)

I've got a WD 500 and works great. I put BD and HD on it and plays no problem.

+1

I have this drive as well and I would strongly recommend it. It does need to be externally powered but that's not much of a problem in my situation. The drive also turns on and off with the PS3 so it's not running all the time, only when you turn the PS3 on.

+1

I have this drive as well and I would strongly recommend it. It does need to be externally powered but that's not much of a problem in my situation. The drive also turns on and off with the PS3 so it's not running all the time, only when you turn the PS3 on.

Why is this better than using a larger internal HDD in the PS3. Other than it's portability?


Can video files saved on the PS3's HDD be played without the use of a PC/notebook?


I hope you don't mind me asking in your thread. I could make a new one if need be. Thanks!

You may be able to build your own external hard drive setup using the following products:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392026

This is one of the best external hard drive exclosures out there but is expensive at $90 there are less expensive alternatives. This one takes any 3.5 inch SATA II drive internally and gives you external USB2.0, Firewire 400/800 and SATA connections to your system. I picked this one because I did not know what you need and it covers most everything.

Then you can pick whatever hard drive you like, say this 1.5TB Seagate SATA II drive.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148337

I actually use this drive in my computer systems and so far it works great.

As to formatting yes any drive can be formatted as FAT32, as to drives coming that way I am not sure. Since the drive I mentioned is a OEM model probably not. Once you have put it together connect it to your PC and format it as FAT32. Then connect it to your PS3.

This will cost a bit over $200, but with a different enclosure you could get the price to under $150, not to bad of a deal. For a bit more than twice the price I am getting 3 times the capacity and better connectivity options. Besides I have tried the WD enclosures and they seem to have issues, the enclosures fail not the HD's.

BTW, everything I have reference in my post I have actually used, including the WD product.

I was about to pull the trigger on this external drive, it is 1TB and $99.99 with really good reviews.

http://www.buy.com/prod/fantom-1tb-g-force-hard-drive-dual-interface-esata-usb-2-0-7200rpm/q/loc/101/206821006.html?adid=17070&dcaid=17070#cRevSec

I have been weighing the pros and cons of buying one of these versus just upgrading the PS3 drive, or building a small form factor HTPC. I believe the external drive will be the best all around option since you can easily connect it via eSATA to get the files onto it quickly, compared to waiting a bit longer for the files to transfer to the PS3 via wireless...

PS: FAT32 has a 4GB file size limit, so if you have any BIG files (1080p rips?) they wont be able to go on the drive successfully... Or so I have read.

PS: FAT32 has a 4GB file size limit, so if you have any BIG files (1080p rips?) they wont be able to go on the drive successfully... Or so I have read.

You're right about the 4gb file size limit.

Not to be -, but only 4GB files? That's rediculous, why is that? So you mean that I can burn a 4.7GB file on a DVD, but I can't save one to my HDD?

This just can't be right(in my mind), why would that be? And why hasn't someone figured out a way around that(hack)?

If this is true, are there any other options?

Not to be -, but only 4GB files? That's rediculous, why is that? So you mean that I can burn a 4.7GB file on a DVD, but I can't save one to my HDD?

This just can't be right(in my mind), why would that be? And why hasn't someone figured out a way around that(hack)?

If this is true, are there any other options?
Sure, you can format it NTFS, but then your PS3 wont be able to recognize it.

What I have seen done is the the movies are broken up into parts, usually each part is about 1GB in size. This is especially true for large files generally the file type will be VOB. You will then see a VTS_01_0 through 5 or however many are needed to fill the file. When you play the part 0 it will then play the rest of the movie.

Sure, you can format it NTFS, but then your PS3 wont be able to recognize it.
I was reading a ittle on it. Does it matter if you're using windows or mac OS?

If 4GB is the file limit, is this why people are going with an external HDD to get around this?


What I have seen done is the the movies are broken up into parts, usually each part is about 1GB in size. This is especially true for large files generally the file type will be VOB. You will then see a VTS_01_0 through 5 or however many are needed to fill the file. When you play the part 0 it will then play the rest of the movie.

So you can break up the video file(say 10GB) into parts(3 - 3.33GB each) and string them together to play as 1 video?

I was reading a ittle on it. Does it matter if you're using windows or mac OS?

If 4GB is the file limit, is this why people are going with an external HDD to get around this?




So you can break up the video file(say 10GB) into parts(3 - 3.33GB each) and string them together to play as 1 video?

The external HDD isn't a workaround. Streaming it from your computer is, however.

And yeah, breaking a video into multiple files will work; especially now that the PS3 does sequential playback.

Most computers hard drives are formatted in NTFS, which allows larger files. FAT32 isnt used as much now. The fact that the ps3 only reads FAT32 is a little weird to me, but whatever.

Most 1080P rips are in .mkv format which are ~7.92GB, single file. Since my PC can't transcode HD files anyhow, I'm not too worried about it.

Most computers hard drives are formatted in NTFS, which allows larger files. FAT32 isnt used as much now. The fact that the ps3 only reads FAT32 is a little weird to me, but whatever.


It's a Microsoft filesystem, that should be enough of an answer. But it's also a hassle with little to no incentive for them to do it. If anything, we should be asking for ext3 support.

Thanks for the help guys. I'm in the western burbs of mpls Martez.

I'm recording using a haupauge PVR and my MBP. I'm looking to store video files(some larger than 4GB) on an external HDD. I was planning on using the PS3. But is an external HDD for my MBP a better option?

Or are there still reasons to want to use the PS3 for this?


OT ?: Can video files like m2ts be played directly from a PS3's HDD without the use of a PC/mac to stream the video? I know the PS3 supports these video files, but can they be played directly using a PS3?

Thanks!

I'm also in the market for one of these external hard drives to use with either the PS3 or the 360. Most likely I would just have the external hard drive connected to my PC directly, and then just stream to the PS3.


Fry's has a great deal on a 2.0 terabyte Maxtor external for $199.99. It's the Maxtor One Touch III 2TB 7200rpm USB 2.0 Turbo Edition Hard Drive - STM32000OTAB06RK

http://shop3.frys.com/product/5727932?site=sa:Hard%20Drive%20&%20Memory%20Pod:Pod2

It's sold out online, but they also have the deal in their stores (at least in my city they do). It was in their Saturday advertisement. I think the deal is good till tomorrow (Feb 3rd). I'm not sure if the local stores are all sold out of it or not.

I was originally planning on buying a 1.5 terabyte drive that Fry's had on sale for $139.99. But I figured, for $60 more, to get one with 500 extra gigs, and it also does firewire, which I think might be faster than usb 2.0, it would be the better deal.

Here is the one Fry's had for $139.99 recently:

Seagate FreeAgent Desk ST315005FDA2E1-RK 1.5 TB USB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148357

The Fry's $139.99 deal isn't currently available, but Fry's always puts their stuff on sale, then off sale, then back on sale again. You just have to wait another week or so and it will be back on sale.



I'm just wondering if there are any better deals out there, than these two deals at Fry's, or if there is some issue with either of these externals that would make them less than ideal for streaming purposes.

Would you pay $199 for the 2 terabyte one, or $139 for the 1.5 terabyte one?

It depends on if you'll use/need the space, especially in the future. Can you tell me what it is that you'll save on that HDD that you'll need/use that much space?

There's also this:
http://www.360-hq.com/article2121.html

host your > 4gb files on tversity, then copy the file on your PS3. anything < 4gb can go on the external.

best buy had some sales on the WD 500 drives...

There's also this:
http://www.360-hq.com/article2121.html

Is this actually helpful information for PS3 users, or just something that should be posted in the Xbox section? Will this formatting work for a PS3?

host your > 4gb files on tversity, then copy the file on your PS3. anything < 4gb can go on the external.

best buy had some sales on the WD 500 drives...

Ok thanks.

To set up a server(my MBP) with tversity, what type of router do I need to get the server to stream video with the PS3?

Even if it's a dumb question, please answer.

Is this actually helpful information for PS3 users, or just something that should be posted in the Xbox section? Will this formatting work for a PS3?


I think he was just responding to this:

I'm also in the market for one of these external hard drives to use with either the PS3 or the 360.

I don't really care which system I end up streaming to. I think he was just trying to let me know of the options in regards to maybe streaming to the 360. Unfortunately, I don't think the HFS+ thing will work with the PS3. It's actually a fluke that it will work with the 360. Only reason it will work with the 360 is because so many ipod owners were pissed that their ipods wouldn't work properly with 360's. With so many complaints about it, Microsoft decided to support HFS+ to help out ipod users. The fact that it helps people with external HDD's is just a side effect.

host your > 4gb files on tversity, then copy the file on your PS3. anything < 4gb can go on the external.

best buy had some sales on the WD 500 drives...
A 2nd ?. You're talking about an externall HDD for my MBP, not PS3 right?

What I have seen done is the the movies are broken up into parts, usually each part is about 1GB in size. This is especially true for large files generally the file type will be VOB. You will then see a VTS_01_0 through 5 or however many are needed to fill the file. When you play the part 0 it will then play the rest of the movie.

Does it pause or skip or anything in-between the various sections? Or is it completely seamless? Basically, would somebody watching a movie that was split up like this have any idea that it was split up? Kinda like when watching a dual layered dvd, and there is the slight hiccup when it switches layers?

Anthony1, when using split files the transition between parts is seemless. When you start with the 0 part you get all the normal options such as play scenes or play movie. If you start with part 1 you just start at the begining of the movie. The reason there is not skipping is that the disk is doing read aheads (command from the software) and staging this data in the computers memory or in the disk controller cache that is the reason for seemless playback.

In another post you mentioned a 2TB Maxtor external drive from Frys. One thing you should be aware of is that this is actually 2 1 TB drives in the enclosure. Too get 2 TB's they are running Raid as a JBOD (Just a bunch of disks) actually Raid 0. This presents the 2 physical drives to your system as 1 larger logical drive. This is all well and good until the day you have a problem with 1 of the drives, the lost of 1 drive means you lose the data on the other drive also. The reason is they have striped the data across both drives, what I mean by this is when you are writing a file to this logical drive 1/2 the file will be on physical drive 1 and the other half will be on physical drive 2. This is a great idea for capacity and even performance but a bad idea for data protection. I did not look at this product in detail but a similar product from Western Digital allows you to change from Raid 0 to Raid 1 (Mirroring). What this means is that you have 1TB of useable space not 2. But, the dirves are images of each other, excellent for data protection.
Personally, I do not like to have multiple drives in a enclosure but that is just me.

There were also questions about Fat32 in this thread I would like to clarify some things. File Allocation Table is a chart or index on a hard drive used by the operating system to keep track of files. DOS searches the FAT for a file's starting cluster and gathers file information from that and associated clusters. The original FAT, FAT16 uses 16 bits to address each cluster on a drive and can only recognize drives up to 512 Mb. The size of each cluster on a 512 Mb drive would be 32 Kb. This means that a 33 Kb file would take up 2 clusters or 64 Kb of drive space. It's replacement FAT32, A 32-bit version of the File Allocation Table. FAT32 uses 32 bits to address each cluster and can support drives as big as two Terabytes. The older FAT used 16-bits to address each cluster and was limited to drive sizes of 512 Mb. Each cluster in a FAT32 system is only 4 Kb which also helps to save space on your hard drive. It also allows path names greater than 256 characters.
I am not defending either of these systems just definging and showing that they are very old, going back to the original PC/DOS in the case of FAT16 and Windows 95 SR2 in the case of FAT32. Why PS3 would continue to use them I do not know when there are better options available.

ok, so revisiting the fat32 4gb limit, and large HD rips.

mkv2vob has a fat32 file splitting option which will automatically create vob files under 4GB. I'm giving it a go right now with a 7GB HDDVD rip of transformers. I wont be able to report on how it plays on the PS3 until i get an external drive though

In another post you mentioned a 2TB Maxtor external drive from Frys. One thing you should be aware of is that this is actually 2 1 TB drives in the enclosure. Too get 2 TB's they are running Raid as a JBOD (Just a bunch of disks) actually Raid 0. This presents the 2 physical drives to your system as 1 larger logical drive. This is all well and good until the day you have a problem with 1 of the drives, the lost of 1 drive means you lose the data on the other drive also. The reason is they have striped the data across both drives, what I mean by this is when you are writing a file to this logical drive 1/2 the file will be on physical drive 1 and the other half will be on physical drive 2. This is a great idea for capacity and even performance but a bad idea for data protection. I did not look at this product in detail but a similar product from Western Digital allows you to change from Raid 0 to Raid 1 (Mirroring). What this means is that you have 1TB of useable space not 2. But, the dirves are images of each other, excellent for data protection.


FWIW WD just introduced a single drive 2 TB internal. It shouldn't be long before these start showing up in the "My Book" series. Reliability data on these 2 TBs is as of yet unknown and it may be best to wait a bit to see how these work out. WD hasn't shot itself in the foot lately the way Seagate has, but......

P.J.

I am aware of that drive but the one referenced is not that drive. YOu should expect to see 2TB drives from other vendors shortly.

I actually work in the storage industry and we have been testing 2TB drives for about 6 months. IMHO, 2TB vs. 1.5TB for consumer storage the price difference is too great at this time. For the price of 1 2TB drive I can buy 2 1.5TB drives, since I measure everthing on a price per GB that makes the 1.5TB the best buy right now.
One thing to note I do not work for a drive manufacturer or for any of the companies whose products we have been discussing. Everything I have stated here has comes directly from my personal experience.

I have not had any issues with my 1.5TB seagate drives that others have reported. But then again I knew which code level I wanted on the drive.

I am aware of that drive but the one referenced is not that drive. YOu should expect to see 2TB drives from other vendors shortly.

I actually work in the storage industry and we have been testing 2TB drives for about 6 months. IMHO, 2TB vs. 1.5TB for consumer storage the price difference is too great at this time. For the price of 1 2TB drive I can buy 2 1.5TB drives, since I measure everthing on a price per GB that makes the 1.5TB the best buy right now.
One thing to note I do not work for a drive manufacturer or for any of the companies whose products we have been discussing. Everything I have stated here has comes directly from my personal experience.


Do you know if the Seagate FreeAgent Desk ST315005FDA2E1-RK 1.5 TB USB is a decent drive? Is this drive 1.5 TB in one drive or two? I'm pretty sure this is the one that Fry's had on sale for $139.99 recently.

Would getting that drive for $139.99 be about the best deal I can get on a 1.5 TB external at this time, in your opinion?

I'm pretty sure it isn't on sale at Fry's right now, but I'd be suprised if it wasn't on sale again in the next two weeks or so.

A 2nd ?. You're talking about an external HDD for my MBP, not PS3 right?

no 2nd... the larger files (over 4gb) can go directly to the PS3 hard drive (Internal), with the smaller files (under 4gb) going on the external drive.

Ok thanks.

To set up a server(my MBP) with tversity, what type of router do I need to get the server to stream video with the PS3?

Even if it's a dumb question, please answer.

whatever router you have now should work fine with TVersity. If you don't have one yet and your PS3 connection is wired, go for one with 10/100/1000 LAN connection. If wireless, you don't have to go for the Wireless N because the PS3 has a wireless G card. It's useless unless your home PC's utilize wireless N.

I have a 500gb internal drive in my PS3, so all of my files (under and over 4gb) are stored there.

no 2nd... the larger files (over 4gb) can go directly to the PS3 hard drive (Internal), with the smaller files (under 4gb) going on the external drive.

Huh? vvv



I have a 500gb internal drive in my PS3, so all of my files (under and over 4gb) are stored there.

Ok, but I'm a bit confused on the 4gb file limit with fat32. I thought you want to keep the files that are smaller than 4gb on the PS3 HDD and the larger than 4gb files on an external HDD?

Now you're saying that you store both larger and smaller than 4gb files on your 500gb PS3 HDD. I went back a reread everything. ???

Huh? vvv




Ok, but I'm a bit confused on the 4gb file limit with fat32. I thought you want to keep the files that are smaller than 4gb on the PS3 HDD and the larger than 4gb files on an external HDD?

Now you're saying that you store both larger and smaller than 4gb files on your 500gb PS3 HDD. I went back a reread everything. ???

sorry for the confusion.

- I have everything on my internal hdd (both small and large) because i do not have an external available.

- You can not transfer the files that are >4gb on to the external drive because of the fat32 format. Not even Tversity will help with this. Since that is the case, all files under 4gb will go on the external hdd.

- I suggested the TVersity route for the internal hdd because if you had larger files that you did not want to break up, the only way around this limitation for the larger files is to use TVersity to get >4gb files onto the PS3 internal hdd.

I have a 500gb internal drive in my PS3, so all of my files (under and over 4gb) are stored there.


Is 500gb the largest internal drive you can get for the PS3? How big can you go? I know those babies are expensive, but I was just curious.

Is 500gb the largest internal drive you can get for the PS3? How big can you go? I know those babies are expensive, but I was just curious.

that's the largest 2.5" out right now... it's ~$100 on newegg.

Anthony,

I believe that the Freeagent is a single drive, it looks like a Seagate part number so yes this is a good HD. I do not like connecting HD's via USB (of any sort), I like to use Firewire 400 at least, or 800 if available, and E/Sata is the best. Each of these options is significantly faster than the other. And the Freeagent newsreader is not half bad either. But, if you can get this with FW you will be much happier than USB. I just tested moving 20GB when USB connected Powerdesk reported a time of 180+ minutes, Firewire connected 22 minutes and it appears that it will beat that.

Anthony,

I believe that the Freeagent is a single drive, it looks like a Seagate part number so yes this is a good HD. I do not like connecting HD's via USB (of any sort), I like to use Firewire 400 at least, or 800 if available, and E/Sata is the best. Each of these options is significantly faster than the other. And the Freeagent newsreader is not half bad either. But, if you can get this with FW you will be much happier than USB. I just tested moving 20GB when USB connected Powerdesk reported a time of 180+ minutes, Firewire connected 22 minutes and it appears that it will beat that.

My computer does have a firewire port, but how do I know if it's Firewire 400 or 800? What I mean is, if I get a external that can do Firewire 800, is there a chance it won't work with the firewire port on the back of my PC (or only work at 400 speeds)?

Might be a really dumb question, but I haven't used the firewire port in a very, very long time. Actually, with this particular PC, I've never used it.

My computer does have a firewire port, but how do I know if it's Firewire 400 or 800? What I mean is, if I get a external that can do Firewire 800, is there a chance it won't work with the firewire port on the back of my PC (or only work at 400 speeds)?

Might be a really dumb question, but I haven't used the firewire port in a very, very long time. Actually, with this particular PC, I've never used it.

400 stuff should work on 800 hosts, but you need an adapter as the connector is different. While USB is 480 vs firewire's 400, firewire is 400 both ways; usb can only do one direction at a time. Plus, USB has more CPU usage.

All of the FW800 drives I've seen have a 400 connector, too.

They changed connectors between the two but as stated FW800 enclosures usually have a FW400 connector as well. The connector for FW400 is much larger than 800.
And in my experience FW400 has always out performed USB 2.0. I am genenrally only moving data to a device and have tried both and FW wins hands down every time. I mean it is never even close. I use USB to connect things like keyboards mice thumb drives only

I now have a 500GB external drive hooked to my ps3, it can now play 720p, 1080p movies without stuttering (which is what happens when i try streaming it from any of my pcs). I also have room for backups which makes me very happy!

I used the fat32format utility, which took about 30 seconds start to finish.

Overall I'm very happy I went ahead with this... I like it better than an internal drive too since the transfer times are very fast compared to over the network..

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good external HDD enclosure?

I've got a couple internal HDDs laying around the place and would like to use one as a dedicated back-up drive for my PS3. Any suggestions?

I now have a 500GB external drive hooked to my ps3, it can now play 720p, 1080p movies without stuttering (which is what happens when i try streaming it from any of my pcs). I also have room for backups which makes me very happy!

I used the fat32format utility, which took about 30 seconds start to finish.

Overall I'm very happy I went ahead with this... I like it better than an internal drive too since the transfer times are very fast compared to over the network..

Will you help me with this? Here's where I'm at/planning;

New wireless n router w gigabit ethernet hardwired to my PS3(only 40GB, planning something else). Using my MacBook Pro 2.2 8600M GT(server) streaming wireless to the router to the PS3(UPnP). I record HD content including concerts, sporting events, NatGeo, History CH, Discovery ect. And plan to play them to HDTV with the PS3(I'm using DVI to my set from MBP now).

I'm caught on what the best way to do the storage/playing of HD files. I was hoping for a way to do this by cataloging the files somehow(PS3) to make it easier to see/find files to play.

Options; Larger PS3 HDD. External PS3 HDD. External MBP HDD.

Do you play these HD files directly from your PS3 External HDD without streaming from a PC? If so, are you able to keep track of your files easily? Do you see a problem when you fill the HDD with more files?

The problem with the fat32 drive is the 4gb limit. Does the PS3 automatically divide the larger than 4gb files to play as 1 video(key work automatically)? If so, does that cause more of a cluster problem on the HDD they're on?

Will you help me with this? Here's where I'm at/planning;

I'll try, I'm no expert though...


New wireless n router w gigabit ethernet hardwired to my PS3(only 40GB, planning something else). Using my MacBook Pro 2.2 8600M GT(server) streaming wireless to the router to the PS3(UPnP). I record HD content including concerts, sporting events, NatGeo, History CH, Discovery ect. And plan to play them to HDTV with the PS3(I'm using DVI to my set from MBP now).

I'm caught on what the best way to do the storage/playing of HD files. I was hoping for a way to do this by cataloging the files somehow(PS3) to make it easier to see/find files to play.

Options; Larger PS3 HDD. External PS3 HDD. External MBP HDD.

Do you play these HD files directly from your PS3 External HDD without streaming from a PC? If so, are you able to keep track of your files easily? Do you see a problem when you fill the HDD with more files?


Yes, that is exactly what I do, I play the files directly off the external HDD on the PS3. I keep them in order simply by folder structure. I have directories for tv and movies, the latter having a sub-directory structure of HD and SD to keep my HD content more easily accessible. The PS3 can flip through the folders without hesitation so it works out perfectly for me.

I just hook my laptop (where I download the files) to the USB external drive, and "upload" the files onto it, keeping the folder structure in mind.


The problem with the fat32 drive is the 4gb limit. Does the PS3 automatically divide the larger than 4gb files to play as 1 video(key work automatically)? If so, does that cause more of a cluster problem on the HDD they're on?

Earlier in this same thread I posted that mkv2vob takes care of this for you, it splits the >4gb mkv up into <4gb mpg files that play perfectly on the PS3.

The only alternative option that most people go with would of course be streaming the video from your pc (or in your case, mac) I'm not familiar with the tools available for macs. If you can use the ps3 media server - http://ps3mediaserver.blogspot.com/ That would be ideal. Your computer and your network should be enough to handle the job, I think...

I'll try, I'm no expert though...



Yes, that is exactly what I do, I play the files directly off the external HDD on the PS3. I keep them in order simply by folder structure. I have directories for tv and movies, the latter having a sub-directory structure of HD and SD to keep my HD content more easily accessible. The PS3 can flip through the folders without hesitation so it works out perfectly for me.

I just hook my laptop (where I download the files) to the USB external drive, and "upload" the files onto it, keeping the folder structure in mind.



Earlier in this same thread I posted that mkv2vob takes care of this for you, it splits the >4gb mkv up into <4gb mpg files that play perfectly on the PS3.

The only alternative option that most people go with would of course be streaming the video from your pc (or in your case, mac) I'm not familiar with the tools available for macs. If you can use the ps3 media server - http://ps3mediaserver.blogspot.com/ [/B]That would be ideal.[/B] Your computer and your network should be enough to handle the job, I think...

I would use PS3mediaserver. When you say ideal, is this a better alternative than streaming from my MBP? Sorry, I don't know your laptop off hand.

But here's my thought. If I can use the PS3 and flipping through folders, and free up my MBP to use for other things while watching the HD video. I'd rather do that.

I think this is the last I need to know on this. :rolleyes:

Thanks!

My laptop is a core2 duo 1.8 Ghz, nothing stellar. It runs streams xvid files to my ps3 via PMS without an issue, but higher resolution videos (720p) it struggles.

I would use PS3mediaserver. When you say ideal, is this a better alternative than streaming from my MBP?

This is a very confusing statement, since ps3mediaserver is a java program that runs on a PC to stream videos to a ps3. If you are using PS3mediaserver, than you ARE streaming.

If I were you I'd try out the free options first, try streaming and see how it goes, if it isn't to your liking, go for the external HDD.

Alright.

I went to best buy(I know) and talked with 2 people. It sounds like my money would be better spent on an PS3 external HDD and play the HD video's right from that without using my MBP.

Sounds like much less of a hassel as well. $200 router, long ethernet cable to the PS3, along with any trouble actually streaming the HD 720p(higher in the future) video that I record and save to play later.


Thanks alot for all your help. I was going to buy a router over the weekend(or today), and I'm glad I waited. :)

Alright.

I went to best buy(I know) and talked with 2 people. It sounds like my money would be better spent on an PS3 external HDD and play the HD video's right from that without using my MBP.

Sounds like much less of a hassel as well. $200 router, long ethernet cable to the PS3, along with any trouble actually streaming the HD 720p(higher in the future) video that I record and save to play later.


Thanks alot for all your help. I was going to buy a router over the weekend(or today), and I'm glad I waited. :)
well, to be honest you wont be sorry with it. it works like a charm.

Only thing is (stirring the pot) MANY MANY people stream HD content over wireless to the ps3 without issues, but the likelyhood is that you would have to tweak things and it would probably be a bit of a hassle... external HDD is pretty much plug and play

Could I use a USB splitter to connect my PS3, computer, and external HDD all at once so I can transfer/play videos to/from each piece of hardware?

Could I use a USB splitter to connect my PS3, computer, and external HDD all at once so I can transfer/play videos to/from each piece of hardware?

You mean like a USB hub?

You mean like a USB hub?

Yeah. I guess a more specific question would be does using a splitter/hub slow down transfer speeds?

i plugged a webcam and a external dvd burner into a usb hub, which is all connectd to my desktop pc. they wouldnt work. they had to be plugged in directly into the pc. i think it depends on the brand and specs of the hub itself. mine obviosly didnt live up to the usb 2.0 expectations.

well, to be honest you wont be sorry with it. it works like a charm.

Only thing is (stirring the pot) MANY MANY people stream HD content over wireless to the ps3 without issues, but the likelyhood is that you would have to tweak things and it would probably be a bit of a hassle... external HDD is pretty much plug and play
This sounds like the best way for me.

Now, I'd rather have a 7200rpm drive. Can I use that or do I need a 5400rpm drive. I can't find a 1TB 5400rpm drive.

Then I was looking for a USB & firewire drive but most offer eSATA. My MBP has 400/800 firewire, not eSATA. Any advice on that welcome.

This sounds like the best way for me.

Now, I'd rather have a 7200rpm drive. Can I use that or do I need a 5400rpm drive. I can't find a 1TB 5400rpm drive.

Then I was looking for a USB & firewire drive but most offer eSATA. My MBP has 400/800 firewire, not eSATA. Any advice on that welcome.

Well, the PS3 stock drives are 5400rpm, so take it for what you will.

I don't think you will notice a benefit of using a 7200rpm drive in a PS3. The increase in hard drive speed will be minimal and the increased heat generated by the faster drive can cause durability problems. JMO

But I'm talking external. Someone said you want to use a 5400rpm one over a 7200rpm.

yes, but with a USB drive, the bridge chip is probably going to limit you to 30MB/s or so anyway.

Plus, an external can't load system/game files, so the faster drive isn't really going to help. Media will still play at the same speed!

As for interfaces, Firewire is better than USB. eSATA is of course the best as it involves no bridging. I think USB is more trouble-free than eSATA, though. Using eSATA, the drive will have write caching on by default, so it would need to be "stopped" before removal.

But I'm talking external. Someone said you want to use a 5400rpm one over a 7200rpm.

Yeah, my apologies. I remembered that this was the "external HDD" thread.

In won't matter if it's 5400rpm or 7200rpm for externals.

yes, but with a USB drive, the bridge chip is probably going to limit you to 30MB/s or so anyway.

bridge chip? Can someone explain? 30mb is half.

bridge chip? Can someone explain? 30mb is half.

single twisted pair means half duplex + lame USB protocol = 30MB/s even though raw single direction would be 60MB/s (60 * 8 = 480). Firewire 400 (IEEE1394) being full duplex and not quite so lame protocol, achieves 40 MB/s with just 400Mb/s raw bit rate.

P.J.

I picked up an external drive today at Fry's. It's a Seagate 1.5 terabyte Free Agent / Desk for $129.99. The thing that sucks about it, is that it's usb 2.0 only. No firewire at all. But for $129.99, to get 1.5 terabytes, I couldn't pass it up. I'll report back on how it's working once I get everything set up.

That is a good deal as just the bare drives go for that much.

Nothing wrong with USB. For the vast majority of uses, it is more than adequate. IMO, Firewire is obsolete now (even FW800) with the advent of eSATA.

I have a couple really big .avi files I'd like to put on my new external HDD. They are bigger than 4 gigs, so I can't put them on there. Can anyone suggest a solution to this?

Thanks!

use Tversity or some other app to copy them directly to the PS3's internal HDD.

I picked up an external drive today at Fry's. It's a Seagate 1.5 terabyte Free Agent / Desk for $129.99. The thing that sucks about it, is that it's usb 2.0 only. No firewire at all. But for $129.99, to get 1.5 terabytes, I couldn't pass it up. I'll report back on how it's working once I get everything set up.

Is it not plug-n-play? What is there to set-up?

use Tversity or some other app to copy them directly to the PS3's internal HDD.

I'm actually looking to backup these movies on my external HDD. Playing them on my PS3 is not really my issue. So is there some software I could use to break a big .avi file into smaller pieces?

Is it not plug-n-play? What is there to set-up?


Yeah, it's just I've heard USB 2.0 is really slow, in terms of copying stuff from another hard drive to the external. eSata is the quickest, and then Firewire 800.

Yeah, it's just I've heard USB 2.0 is really slow, in terms of copying stuff from another hard drive to the external. eSata is the quickest, and then Firewire 800.

Oh ok. Thanks for the info.