This detailed tutorial will take you step by step all the way through the process required to stream video files/movies from your Mac to your Playstation 3 – using nothing but free software.
2021 Update: although this guide is 10 years old, it’s still accurate! The screenshots will look slightly different, but on the whole – it’s still the same. With that said, you may want to look into Plex as a streaming server – your PS3 will be able to connect to it and it’s much more feature rich than the software outlined in this guide. Plus, it’s free too – and it works in macOS, Windows and Linux.
This tutorial will show you how to install and setup Vuze, which is actually a bittorrent client. We’ll be using as the ‘streaming server’ on your Mac – which your PS3 can connect to and then play on your TV.
- Before you get started, turn on your PS3, and make sure it’s connected to your local network. Then head over to your Mac.
- Now download Vuze. Open the .dmg file, and then run the Vuze Installer.
- Place a check in the box labeled Customize, and then click the I Agree button.
- Once the installation has completed, launch Vuze if it doesn’t open on its own.
- Here’s where it gets important. In the left column/window, click the Turn On button in the Devices section.
- Before you click the Turn On button, decide if you want to share anonymous device statistics with Vuze. If you do, leave the box checked. If not, remove the check mark. Then click the Turn On button.
- The files required for streaming from your Mac (via Vuze) to your PS3 will now be downloaded and installed.
- Now it’s time to add videos to Vuze, so that you can stream them to your PS3. Locate a few videos / movies and drag them from Finder to the PS3 icon in the Devices list of Vuze.
- You’ll be prompted to choose either PS3 HD or PS3 SD. HD is high-definition, SD is standard-definition. I have always opted for PS3 HD and never had a problem (and the videos look great).
- Your videos will now be added to the Vuze PS3 library. Some video types will need to be converted to a format compatible with the PS3. XviD files, one of the most popular video formats, do not need to be converted. MKV files however, do. As you can see in the screenshot below, the file Apollo 13.mkv needs to be converted, and is going to take approximately 7 hours and 24 minutes. The time it takes to convert videos that need converting is based on your Mac’s speed and the size and type of the video file being converted. Once you have a few videos added, move on to the next step.
- Head over to your PS3. From the Dashboard move to the Video section. If you see a Vuze on [your Macs name], skip down to step #19 below. Otherwise, continue with the next step.
- Select Search for Media Servers from the Video category of your PS3’s Dashboard.
- Give it a few minutes to run…
- … and at least one media server should be found. Return to the Video section.
- Now select Vuze on [your Macs name].
- Select the Movies folder.
- Scroll through your videos, and select one to watch/test.
- The video should start streaming after a moment.
- That’s it – you’re done! As long as Vuze is running on your Mac and it’s on the same local network as your PS3, you’ll be able to access it from your PS3.
