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First, store a video file in the folder that you configured PS3 Media Server to load media files from. Confused already? Read the fine manual (PS3 Media Server for Dummies).
At this point, you might be wondering what format of video file you need. My quick answer is just about any common format should work. The long answer, however, is a bit more complicated and I could probably write an entire article on the answer. Essentially compatibility depends on the container format (e.g. avi, mp4, mkv), the video codec (e.g. H264/AVC, divx, xvid) and the audio codec (e.g. AAC, mp3).
Upon searching through the KDL-46W5100 user manual, I couldn’t find any definitive specifications for the video formats the TV can play via DLNA streaming. However, I tried playing several movies via a USB flash drive connected to the TV’s USB port (i.e. not via DLNA streaming) and I discovered that the following format seems to work well:
- container: mp4
- video codec: H264/AVC
- audio codec: AAC
(As an aside, it seems that the USB drive must be formatted with FAT32. I couldn’t get the TV to detect USB drives formatted with NTFS.)
Since that movie file format works well via USB, it should work fine via DLNA streaming too. But what about other formats? Thanks to the PS3 Media Server’s ability to automatically transcode and remux incompatible formats on-the-fly, most of them should work too.
After storing a video file where PS3 Media Server can see it, the next step is to turn on your KDL-46W5100 TV. Wait for the TV to boot up, then start PS3 Media Server. If PS3 Media Server can see the TV, you should see “Detected media renderers: Sony Bravia 5500 Series” on PS3 Media Server’s status page, as shown in the screenshot below.
PS3 Media Server - Status
Finally, it’s time to play the movie on the TV. To do this, press the Home button on your remote to open the XMB menu. Navigate across to the Movie menu item, then down to the PS3 Media Server menu item. Once, there, drill down through the PS3 Media Server folders until you find the movie, then press the + button (i.e. the button in the middle of the arrow buttons) on the remote control. If you can’t figure it out, read the fine manual.
The movie should play fine. Just don’t expect DVD-like chapter skipping and responsive fast-forward and rewind.
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Nice article, thx. I have a Bravia with an ethernet port (not sure which model – will check when I get home after work) and discovered the TV’s streaming capability by chance last night. I already had PS3 Media Server set up for use with my PS3. Curiously, the Bravia seemed capable of streaming a wider range of video formats than the console, including 1080p Blu-ray rips which my PS3 struggles with (perhaps relating to a codec problem). However, the picture quality of video streamed to the Bravia was poor, even for SD files. I’m wondering how you find the quality of video streamed to your TV and whether adjusting the PS3MS config makes any difference?
cheers
I’ve found the quality to be good. For me, the biggest factor in picture quality has been the quality of the movie file being played; good rips look good, bad rips look bad.
That said, you can certainly try tweaking the renderer settings for PS3MS. Some of the gurus on the PS3MS forum might have tips. The other thing is to check for a later version of PS3MS than what I used. I think they were working on the Bravia support recently.
Also, try to use at least a 100 Mbps wired ethernet connection instead of wireless. You could use 1000 Mbps but it shouldn’t make a difference because the TV’s ethernet port is only rated at 100 Mbps.
You might also want to try buying a WDTV Live media player. I bought one recently and it works well with that TV.