By: Sarju Shah, GameSpot - Posted on Feb 03, 2009

Console Video Streaming
Console Video Streaming
Learn about the programs used to stream video.

The PlayStation 3 comes with a Blu-ray player, a Web browser, a music player, a photo viewer, and plenty of other features that remind us that it's no mere PlayStation 2. The Xbox 360, sans Blu-ray and Web browsing, has fewer multimedia options, but players seem to get by with Netflix streaming and Xbox Live online features. However, for all their robustness, the consoles are rather unrefined when it comes to video support. The Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 have their quirks when it comes to playing various video codecs and container files. Both consoles can play videos, but not all video files are compatible out of the box. Videos that play easily on the PC or Mac go unsupported on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It's also not as easy to find, download, and install a codec on the console as it is on the PC. New codecs might come bundled with new firmware updates or as downloadable content, but they don't come often enough to count as reliable support.

Developers recognized this video compatibility problem and created programs such as TVersity, XBMC, PS3 Media Server, and many more free and not-so-free programs to help console owners play videos on their systems. All of these programs are able to transcode video on the fly so, at least in theory, you won't have any problems with video compatibility. PS3 Media Server is the best pure video player of the bunch, whereas the others offer some unique features worth exploring. TVersity, a Windows-based program, lets users stream video content to just about any device, anywhere, and has a lot of preloaded video streams from the Internet that make it easy for novices to get started. XBMC acts more as a dedicated media viewer, with its own onscreen graphical user interface, and can stream video content as well. All of these programs require a computer and a home network to run. You might want to consider upgrading your processor if you want to transcode high-definition videos.

TVersity

Streams       It'll go anywhere       Transcoding      

TVersity lets you take your videos and streams with you anywhere you can access the Internet, but we were content to find out how well it works in the confines of a home network for our console testing. The program will easily feed consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, other PCs, network-enabled video devices such as Roku boxes, DirecTV receivers, the Sony PSP, and even the iPhone. It even recognizes which devices are hooked up and scales the video content up or down according to the device being used. In addition to serving files from your hard drive, TVersity can port in streams from YouTube, NPR, and many other Web sites. A single, moderately powerful PC can feed multiple devices across the home simultaneously. Computer horsepower comes into play when you have to transcode large, high-quality files quickly.

Provided that you have a console and a Windows-based PC, TVersity makes streaming video dead simple. It was easy to install and configure on our test PC. We pointed the program at our video, music, and pictures folders, and then we selected a few online video streams that the TVersity interface had preloaded. The streams featured new content from various Web sites, including HD feeds and old TV shows such as MacGyver and the original Star Trek. Our PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 both found their new networked friend without any extra effort. On the PlayStation 3, the TVersity server icon appeared in all of the media-related crossbar selections, including videos, music, and photos. We didn't encounter any problems when we had our PS3 connected to our network with a wired cable, but switching to Wi-Fi brought about a 7351 DLNA error that we safely ignored to no ill effect. We saw similar kinds of errors from time to time, but rebooting the console or simply pressing "next" seemed to remedy the issue. The Xbox 360 identified our TVersity server just as quickly as the PS3 and had zero hiccups connecting to it.

PS3's Video Layout       Xbox 360's Video Layout       MacGyver!       PS3 TVersity       Xbox 360 TVersity      

Nearly all of the video files that we threw at the PS3 worked with TVersity, and the Xbox 360 worked just as well after downloading a codec pack through Xbox Live. The program automatically transcoded files that normally wouldn't function on either of the consoles, turning them into viewable videos. The vast majority of content worked, although we encountered issues with high-bit-rate MKV files. You will have to tweak the TVersity settings to solve some rare video-incompatibility problems, so expect to spend some time on Google and in the TVersity settings menu to get everything running just right. Both consoles had issues with fast-forwarding and rewinding on a few files, but we had great success with the PS3's scene-search feature on most videos. High-definition feeds and videos looked great, although they didn't work well via 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. It's really more of a wireless bandwidth issue than any fault of the program. The videos played perfectly after we switched to a wired network.

There are many alternatives outside of the three programs that we discuss here. Red Kawa's Media Center X and Winamp both have free offerings. Red Kawa has two flavors of Media Center X, one for the Wii and another for the PS3. Winamp's gotten more powerful over the years and is capable of broadcasting SHOUTcast streams. You can try out MythTV if you're feeling adventurous on the Linux side. MythTV is fairly popular, but it's mainly known for its DVR capabilities. On the pay side of the spectrum, you can find Twonky, Nero MediaHome, Rivet, and Connect360. They cost between $15 and $40, so they won't set you back too much. Most of them offer transcoding support and have friendly-looking interfaces that should make them easy to use. It's also great to have technical support when problems crop up.

Do you use your console to watch videos? What do you watch and how do you watch them?

192 Comments

  • Asm92784

    Posted Mar 16, 2009 6:37 pm PT

    I use my PS2 for streaming media to my TV using nothing more than a simple homebrew app on my PS2 with NO modchip and Windows file sharing on my PC. I can use all of my music and Pics and any Divx or Xvid video file which is my preferred video format anyways. Who needs a Ps3 or a 360 for that matter when my PS2 is still giving me so much use.

  • eternity21

    Posted Mar 2, 2009 8:20 pm PT

    Is Netflix only accessible in the US? What about Asia & Europe?

  • Mattallyc

    Posted Feb 18, 2009 6:01 am PT

    Mediatomb is what I use to stream to my PS3. Works on Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X.
    It's completely free (opensource), and was quite easy to set up. Google it!

  • warfighter172

    Posted Feb 17, 2009 2:37 am PT

    Any comments on how safe tversity is? When I try to download on my computer it asks me to switch off my UAC (user account control) I'm not sure if I should allow that! Any ideas please help! Thanks

  • Gammit10

    Posted Feb 16, 2009 9:21 am PT

    I've used orb to not only stream media to my 360, but to access my home computer while at work. I recommend checking it out.

  • boxterduke

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 1:56 pm PT

    Quick question, using xbmc or any of the other programs mentioned, can I stream the content of the video_ts folder of a movie that is ripped on the PC?

  • cwistova

    Posted Feb 13, 2009 10:21 am PT

    I use TVersity with PS3 on a wired connection. I stream music, videos & photos. Works great!

  • FZTofer

    Posted Feb 11, 2009 12:56 pm PT

    TVersity isn't for macs

  • magic137b1

    Posted Feb 11, 2009 2:51 am PT

    The only problem i have with my console and media streaming is that i can't play anything from iTunes to the PS3. I think they should make a console version of iTunes for the PS3 or Xbox so you can stream all that stuff.

  • zenon0069

    Posted Feb 11, 2009 12:05 am PT

    With the cost of NAS what it is (ok mine was £340) it beats the hell out of having to have your pc on at all times, as an added bonus my IcyBox came with the required server already built in!!!

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 12:45 pm PT

    @zenon0069.
    Good point mate, Thats exactly want i want to do, however at the moment i am using an external drive connected via USB and it works fine BUT i want to connect & play via my LAN, that would be cool without having to rely on Streaming from another device (PC). All i can tell you is that my current method only allows playback once the drive is formatted as FAT32.

  • zenon0069

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 4:35 am PT

    This is going to seem like a really stupid comment but i thought i'd throw it out there and see what happens, but what about linking your PS3 or 360 to a NAS drive? eliminating the PC completely, i have a NAS with 2 x 1.5Tb drives for the purposes of film, music, pictures etc.

  • Adam_the_Nerd

    Posted Feb 9, 2009 5:36 pm PT

    This is fantastic for people that want to watch movies and TV without having to burn to a DVD or crowd around a small screen. Why watch on a 17-22" screen when you could watch on a 30-50" one?

  • ion_flux

    Posted Feb 9, 2009 3:34 pm PT

    "Renji12 Posted Feb 9, 2009 10:55 am PT

    its not a computer thats the point dumbass"

    PC. Category. Front page.
    Consoles are for people like you.

  • HarryPalms

    Posted Feb 9, 2009 5:00 am PT

    Why is this on the PC category front page? Real computers have streaming video out the kazoo.

  • boogernator

    Posted Feb 9, 2009 4:29 am PT

    if u have a ps3, try PS3 Video 9

  • S31Ender

    Posted Feb 9, 2009 2:19 am PT

    "Its not even up for discussion which console has better media playback capabilities. Plus whos gona want to use up their hdd in their 360. I got a 250 gig in my ps3 so I put whatever I want on it."



    Streaming does NOT place the files on your console. You don't even need a hard drive at ALL to stream on the 360. (I don't know for sure about the PS3, but I would ASSUME it's the case as well.)

  • orcbuster

    Posted Feb 8, 2009 5:24 pm PT

    great job on the article, use my xbox to stream media from my computer all the time.

  • internationaal

    Posted Feb 8, 2009 5:11 am PT

    I think thearticle should have included Windows Media Player. It does a decent job, it just fails on my ps3 when trying to get a list of MP3's.
    Also, Nero MediaHome that came as part of Nero 7 (it's now a separate package!) worked okay, just transcoding was strange as it first wanted to transcode the whole file before starting to stream it...

  • N2TheFlames

    Posted Feb 8, 2009 1:34 am PT

    That TVersity ROCKS. Just got it rolling in my network, streaming to my PS3, PSP, and my Blackberry Curve. This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for. I can sit on the patio with my laptop and watch anything that's on my computer in the house. The PS3 plays them without hesitation or lag. I tried XBMC as well as MANY other so-called media servers. But this was the only one that just WORKED, and worked WELL. Thanks Gamespot for this info!!! 5 stars!

  • swgneni

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 8:35 pm PT

    Wow!! I had never discovered this before. I was always moving my portable HDD back and forth. This is so much better. Thanks gamespot!!!!!!!

  • Junior_AIN

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 6:07 pm PT

    Yesterday I was gonna mess around with XBMC, learn how to do stuff and all that, but ended up not doing it.

  • lhsjazzman

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 2:40 pm PT

    I still think people are missing the point. Some people say, "I don't want to stream because I have a (storage devices galore)." Streaming allows you to store everything on your PCs massive drives (1.5TB here), turn on your computer and PS3 or X360, and voila! You don't have to move files or hardware. My PS3 is in the basement, my PC is on the 2nd floor along with the wireless router. I could re-run an ethernet cord through the air ducts to the basement, but that's a pain in the butt and required a 150-200ft Cat5e cable (had a wired computer in basement, but not near the PS3). I also never have to copy files and move them to external storage. This is why you would opt for digital streaming. Location and convenience are the motivating factor. My router has usb for NAS, so even better, no computer has to be on! The Xbox's only advantage is its ability to act as a Media Extender, meaning it can communicate directly with Windows Media Center, taking advantage of WMC's solid interface. Other than that, I have to say PS3 is the better choice for video sourcing because of BD and built-in wireless. In response to rift33, I've heard TVersity is good, but I've used Nero8's MediaHome for about a10 months now, and love it. I'd say Nero8 is a better option because you Media server and BD/DVD/CD authoring software, too. To each his own, that's just my opinion on the matter.

  • ianik

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 2:38 pm PT

    I`ve PS3 and X360 and PC. all of them are connected to TV separately... OMG why should I care about streaming between them? of course it is nice to know this and good to know HOW TO, but as it is already said in here "Cool, no thanks" ....

  • YourChaosIsntMe

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 2:15 pm PT

    Marco = blah, blah, blah, blah. Seriously dude, shut up. The guy who said that about the 360 is an idiot and you're an idiot for responding to him. Chill out and recognize that most of us don't give a **** what super awesome console you prefer.

    It just doesn't seem necessary. Why would I want to view photos or listen to music through the PS3.I understand streaming videos through your PS3, but you could save yourself 5000% of the hassle by getting the right set of cables to go from your PC to A/V inputs on your television. The "All-in-one" marketing angle will not be getting me this generation. I understand why some people are enamored with it (Maybe you're really into cutting-edge tech, maybe you like to show off, maybe it is simply functional for you because your PC isn't anywhere near your tv...I don't know), but I've personally got better things to worry about when my PC to TV connection is more reliable and functional than any of the software available.

    So, in short, "Cool, no thanks."

  • rift33

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 2:11 pm PT

    TVersity rocks and seems to be the best so far atleast!!!! I have all of the systems and tversity seems to work best and I tried all of these programs that they have here. So I recommend "well u guessed it" tversity!!!

  • TheGameCritic

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 11:48 am PT

    Marco why u trying to start an argument? god if u want to argue take it to the forums

  • kalsayed

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 9:42 am PT

    http://www.nullriver.com/products/connect360
    this should work with xbox 360 and a mac, but isn't free.

  • Grodus5

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 8:47 am PT

    Marcopolo, I'm not trying to start an argument, however, you can't mention that Resistance 2 was nominated best shooter without saying that the winner of said category was Left 4 Dead, which the last time I checked, was not on the PS3. However, I will give you the rest of your post, except Guitar Hero, which will also be on the 360. Also, I have a friend that is the biggest Sony fanboy ever, bought a PS3 at launch, sold it. Guess what he just bought? Both a PS3 AND a 360. The PS3 had a slow start, but its coming back, thats for sure.

  • wingsredemption

    Posted Feb 7, 2009 5:04 am PT

    Are people just figuring this out? SHEESH!

  • maxpaynev3

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 9:47 pm PT

    @ thenephariouson

    Thanks man, I have a 250g HD but didn't know why my PS3 & XBOX wasn't reading it

  • Senor_Kami

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 9:11 pm PT

    @rmoorevtps: The 360 supports all of those except for the AVCHD.

    Neither consoles support .MKV files and both of them have extremely wonky MP4 support (no subtitles formats supported, can't use AAC-HE and video must be marked as 4.1 or it won't play).

    I'm surprised the article totally skipped over PlayOn.

  • rmoorevtps3

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 4:08 pm PT

    PS3 supports the following video codecs: * Memory Stick Video Format * - MPEG-4 SP (AAC LC) * - H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile （AAC LC） * - MPEG-2 TS（H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, AAC LC） * MP4 file format * - H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile (AAC LC) * MPEG-1 (MPEG Audio Layer 2) * MPEG-2 PS (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2, AAC LC, AC3(Dolby Digital), LPCM) * MPEG-2 TS（MPEG2 Audio Layer 2, AC3（Dolby Digital）, AAC LC） * MPEG-2 TS（H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, AAC LC） * AVI * - Motion JPEG (Linear PCM) * - Motion JPEG (μ-Law) * AVCHD （.m2ts / .mts） * DivX * WMV * - VC-1（WMA Standard V2）

    Its not even up for discussion which console has better media playback capabilities. Plus whos gona want to use up their hdd in their 360. I got a 250 gig in my ps3 so I put whatever I want on it.

  • LexLas

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 2:06 pm PT

    Nope i'd rather use my computer. I would not want to jepordize my PS3 like that.

  • prestoncross

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 11:24 am PT

    AHAHAHA andypipkin... theres the old famous excuse. "more games/ better games" please. come up with something new. and dont you think the 360 might have more games since it came out a year or two before the PS3? but last time i went by Gamestop, it looked like PS3 had the same amount of games on the wall as 360.

    And where do you get Gears of War being game of the year? go look at what game is game of the year for '08. Metal gear Solid dumbass. Sorry man, but your Halo games, and Gears of War, and PGR4(HAHAHA) doesnt measure up to Killzone 2, Metal Gear solid 4, Resistance, or Gran Turismo. And sh*t, what other game compares to Little Big Planet? hmmm. Nothing.

  • GreatFunStuff

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 11:19 am PT

    i didnt know anyone cared about this stuff

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 11:12 am PT

    Any 360 owner trying to stream:

    You DONT need to 'Stream' video files from Media Centre onto the 360:
    1, Purchase External USB HDD & Caddy.
    2, Format as FAT32.
    3, Copy / RIP all your favourite flicks onto the drive as AVI/DIVX.
    4, Select and play them via the Video menu (dont need to be connected to XBL to play).
    NOTE: If you take a JPEG image of the film cover and name it EXACTLY THE SAME the video file name e.g. Film Name= Star Wars JPEG name = Star Wars. This will then insert the film cover on the film file, pretty cool. I know this may seem pretty obvious but just dont see the point of streaming from Media Centre etc.

  • smbius

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 9:59 am PT

    Great feature

  • marty352

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 8:19 am PT

    P.s. i have the bluetooth remote for the ps3 and it makes things an absolute breeze to watch films and play music

  • marty352

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 8:17 am PT

    Did you guys miss the topic or what, its about streaming using your consoles whether its xbox or playstation not what games are exclusive. why must the convo always be the same, you've made your point we get it so can we get back to the topic please!

  • zgreenwell

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 6:03 am PT

    The 360 has a media center extender built in. You don't need additional software if you're using a media center PC and a 360. I use it to watch recorded TV in HD streamed over my network.

  • blackbeard269

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 4:33 am PT

    XBMC is the way to go for the 360 or the Xbox 1. I am going to give TVersity a try but for years i have used t XBMC with not many problems and most bugs have been fixed.

  • remark666

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 4:27 am PT

    i just have a 500 gb external hd hooked up to my ps3 with all of the movies converted to divx via a converter off of google (any will do, even if its just a trial, do all ur movies within the trial period), it was quick and easy and i enjoy watching comedy or movies almost everyday hastle free

  • shani_boy101

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 1:14 am PT

    why don't all you stupid overbiased fanboys go and buy the other system so you have a valid argument. if you still have a biased argument with no proof whatsoever, just mindless ranting, then please just stfu .
    douchebags.

  • shani_boy101

    Posted Feb 6, 2009 1:10 am PT

    @aerodynamicadie
    wtf go have an argument to yourself somewhere else. you are lost.

  • Marvic_nl

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 11:38 pm PT

    Sorry, but I can't agree that TVersity is dead simple as you tell us!

    I still have 2 main problems streaming online feeds (asx) from TVersity to XBOX360 (streaming music is NO problem):

    I get:
    - in TVersity decoding 0% OR
    - on the 360 after a few seconds: connection lost AND AFTER THIS another try:
    - can't play content as it is not supported

    BUT:
    - my firewall (to be sure) is off (and streaming online music is no problem)
    - all content can be played on my pc
    - I have ffshow codecs installed

    Anyone any tips?

  • AtheistPreacher

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 8:38 pm PT

    @ aerodynamicadie,

    As my earlier posts show, I definitely don't consider myself a fanboy. The way I see it, PS3 has better multimedia features, 360 has more quality games. I know fanboys are annoying, but...

    ...I can't agree with your whole "hypocrites" angle. Comparing PS2 vs XBOX is nothing close to comparing PS3 vs 360.

    Sure, the fact that PS2 and 360 both have more quality games than their counterparts stands. I agree with you 100% there. The problem is, the PS2 has absolute orders of magnitude more games than the XBOX does/did. We're talking 125 million all-time worldwide installed-base in terms of consoles sold for PS2, compared to just 24 million for XBOX. FIVE TIMES THE SALES! And as I already said, there were TONS more games. The PS2 was the most wildly successful game system of all time, by a mile, until the Wii arrived.

    Now hey, the XBOX had the hard drive thing going for it. It had Halo. It was great. I liked it. But it was released too late. Sony had all the 3rd-party support.

    The Wii is selling twice what the PS3 is right now. Think about that: Wii is only selling twice what the PS3 has sold, and everyone rants and raves about how dominant the Wii is. PS2 beat XBOX by FIVE times! And the PS3 vs. 360 is even closer: 20 million vs. 28 million. Now I know units sold does not equal games, but the discrepancy with the number of quality games was clearly MUCH higher in the case of PS2 vs. XBOX than it is for PS3 vs. 360. 360 definitely has more good games. It does. But you're comparing a nuclear missile strike to a pimpslap.

    You're not a fanboy. I realize that. But it's still not a fair comparison.

  • martinium18

    Posted Feb 5, 2009 8:19 pm PT

    I just use Nero Mediahome 4 and use mkv2vob to convert any of my HD movies usually in .mkv (matroska file format) and stream it to my PS3 via ethernet with no lag, used to use the PS3 wifi but seems that PS3 wifi is slow as hell compared to ethernet, and eerything plays smooth and cool.