Over the past couple of years viewing movies on your computer has become an increasingly popular trend. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who would like to view their movies, whether downloaded or not, on a bigger screen such as their TV. In fact, that is one of the most frequently asked questions and the answer that most people get is to go out and buy a computer accessory such as a new video card with video-out capabilities, but it can cost quite a bit for a decent card.
Well this is a new day and age and lucky for us PlayStation 3 owners, it’s a lot easier than you may think to view your movie collection on your TV. This includes Divx, Xvid, Avi, Wmv, and all the other popular video types. It doesn’t stop there; you can also view your movies anywhere there is a wireless connection using your PlayStation Portable (PSP). In addition, you can also view your pictures and music anywhere or on your TV.
Part I: What you need
• A computer with a movie on it. For the article’s sake, put it in your My Documents folder.
• A PlayStation 3 with the latest firmware
• A PSP (if you want to view your movies on the go with the latest firmware
• A program on your computer called TVersity. You can download the latest release here.
Part II: Setting up TVersity your computer
As stated earlier, make sure that your movie is located in the My Documents folder. Once TVersity is downloaded you can install it like any other program, but don’t just keep clicking next and finish. After it is installed you will see a prompt that asks you if you want to install the codecs, which is a must for what we are about to do.
Again install this like you normally would making sure that you install all the components. During the process you will see an install option for “fddshow”. Again, make sure you put a check mark next to all the components and continue. Yet again, an option will appear that will ask you “What additional tasks should be performed?”
Put a check mark next to everything to be on the safe side and continue with the installation.
Now that we have Tversity installed we have to allow the program to receive connections. To do that, simply go to the “Control Panel” on your computer and click on “Windows Firewall” – if you don’t see it then you need to click the link in the upper left corner that says, “Switch to Classic View”. Once you open up the windows firewall security options then you need to click on the “Exceptions” tab. Then click “Add Program” and you need to add the “MediaServer” to the exceptions list. It can be found in your Tversity program directory. The default place is: C:Program FilesTVersityMedia Server. Save all your changes.
Now we must add files to be shared. If you have all your media in one folder you can simply add that entire folder. As mentioned, we used the “My Documents” folder for our movie. Fire up Tversity and if not already in focus, select the sharing tab. Click the green plus sign and select add folder.
A box will appear; click “Browse…” and select your “My Documents” folder and click “Submit”. You should see your folder appear under your sharing tab. If not, simply click the refresh button, which is located to the right of the green plus sign. You do not need to change anything in your Tversity settings since all the default settings do work. Once you feel comfortable with the program itself, then you can change the settings to fit your needs. Now, all you have to do is start sharing your media. To do that go to click “Advanced” on the menu bar and select “Start Sharing” and that’s it, we are done setting up your computer.
Part III: Setting up and playing media on your PlayStation 3
Now that we’ve got our computer all set we need a way to get the files on your PlayStation 3. Fire up your console and using the XMB, go to [Video] and click on [Search for Media Servers]. This process only takes about 10 seconds. Once it finds your media server go ahead and click on it, then click on [Video] then [My Video] and finally [All Video]. The tree should look like:
Your media sever > Video > My Video > All Video
Once you feel more comfortable with Tversity you can set up folder labels so that it is easier to navigate. Once you see your movie, go ahead and play it. When you play it, it will take about 5-15 seconds for it to start.
Part IV: Getting your movies anywhere
All you need to get your movies, music, or pictures anywhere, all you need is a PSP and a wireless internet connection.
First thing first, you need to register your PSP to your PS3. To do this, go to [Settings] on your PS3 and go down to [Remote Play Settings] and click [Register Device]. You’ll be asked to connect your PSP to your PS3, which you can do by using the cable that you use to charge your wireless PS3 remotes. Once it’s connected you have to select [USB Connection] on your PSP. Once you have that done click “OK” on your PS3 and it will register your PSP. While you are in the remote play settings on your PS3 go ahead and select [Remote Start] and turn it on.
Now, before you leave, you need to enable remote play on your PS3. To do this, simply go to [Network] on your XMB followed by [Remote Play]. Note that you will need a PSN ID to be able to do this, which you can get free of charge. Once you have enabled remote play on your PS3 then you’re good to go.
Alternatively, if you’re like me and are living paycheck to paycheck then you would want to leave your PS3 off to save energy costs. This is fine since Sony has enabled you to turn on your PS3 via your PSP, which we have already enabled. Go ahead and leave your PS3 on and turn on remote play, as explained earlier.
Now the PS3 is setup to allow control via your PSP. Assuming that you have a wireless connection in your house then you need to grab your PSP and fire it up if not already. From your PSP you need to go to [Network] and select [Remote Play]. How you connect to your PS3 is up to you. Select your network connection that you would like to use and sign-in to the PSN. You will know once you PSP has connected to your PS3 because the PSP interface will change to look exactly like your PS3.
Once it’s connected you can access your media server as explained earlier and watch movies and listen to your music that is stored on your computer on your PSP anywhere.