After the release of “Multimedia Player” on the PlayStation 4, you can watch movies online using the game console. With a powerful browser installed on the console, you can view video files from virtually any site that consumers use on personal computers and laptops.
In order to start a video, just go to any website through your browser, start the movie or video in standard mode. It is worth noting that some sites provide data using Javascript or Flash technologies, which the PS4 developers cut down on the console in order to ensure the security of its software. Such video files are opened and also played, but not in full screen mode.
To watch any full-screen video films, manufacturers offer to use the special Film Box Live application, which allows you to use a library of films for a small monthly subscription fee.
Video from flash drive
The answer to the question of how to watch movies on PS4 from a flash drive is more than simple. In order to watch a video from a flash drive via PS4, it is enough to have an external drive formatted in FAT32. Playing video files from a flash drive occurs in a mode similar to the method of operating an external drive through other computer devices. You just need to connect the flash drive to the standard connector of the device and start the recorded video material.
ADVICE. The FAT32 system allows you to write files weighing no more than four gigabytes. Today, most high-quality videos carry much more weight. To solve this problem, if you need to record a video with a capacity of more than four gigabytes on an external drive for viewing on a console, the flash drive should be formatted in exFAT format, which supports larger files and is interfaced with a game console.
Let's sum it up
The question of how to watch movies via PS4 can be solved very simply after installing the universal “Multimedia Player” utility on the device. Viewing video materials is possible both from external drives and via an Internet browser or the standard home protocol DLNA.
Today, the PlayStation 4 console is not only a powerful gaming device, but also has decent multimedia capabilities, which makes it even more popular among consumers.
Sony spent a large amount of time developing a powerful piece of entertainment hardware with the PS4. One of a multitude of features available is the ability to stream from PC to PS4. Multiple PS4 media client apps currently exist on the market. A quick look and them and it"s easy to see howPS4 distinguishes itself as a leader in entertainment. Setup is a quick process and will work almost instantly with most server clients. Forget about clogging your limited Sony hard-drive space with movies, music , and game data, just use anyone of the programs below to stream your media content from your PC [. Read: ]
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Stream from PC to PS4
Here at htpcBeginner, we have taken the time to put together some of the best options for streaming everything inducing movies, television, music, and photos from a PC onto your Sony console. Multiple PS4 media client apps exist on the market, many are free and some offer premium streaming content and features.
Plex
Photo: windowscentral.com
Probably the number one media app for the PS4. Plex offers a wide variety of options, features, and content, while simultaneously acting as a means of accessing network media on PS4. It is intuitive and easy to use. Plex offers a simple design, easy navigation and intuitive interface. Some of its more advanced features include the ability to share files across the network and even adding .srt files to media content requiring subtitles. It is good for those not overly technical, and want a quick, organized means of accessing content.
Subscribers gain other feature including access to cloud storage. There is a big limitation of services offered for free users, however, the cost of Plex a month is minimal and well worth it. Paid content aside, Plex comes with enough basic features to keep PS4 users happy. Its primary purpose as a streaming content provider does little to interfere with its power as a media server. [ Read: ]
Emby
Emby is a media client app of distinction and another strong pick. Users who are looking for more than just a simple media server will enjoy the programs wide range of features, while the more technically savvy users will enjoy the advanced options.
It also offers mobile access to stored media through the Emby app on your phone, tablet and mobile device. Its interface seems somewhat cluttered at times but is more than capable of managing thousands of files as needed. Simply download Emby onto your PC.
Like Plex, it there is premium content and features available for a monthly subscription fee. However, the free version is more than capable of media management and does allow users to stream from PC to PS4. All around a good choice when looking for more than just a media server. [ Read:
Universal Media Server
Photo: Universalmediaserver.com
Universal Media Server is a veteran program when it comes to streaming content to PS consoles. Built from the PS3 Media Server application, this version remains true to the original. It is a simple looking, bare bones and utilitarian system, it does one thing well, stream media from a PC to PS4.
It uses a UPnP media server created for the newest models of PS4. The server is compliant with DLNA standards. Currently, PS4 Media Server only functions with a PS, but its predecessor for the PS3 was quickly expanded to work across platforms. The server is often updated to keep out the bugs that come with streaming content. Users should have no problem when looking to access network media on PS4. Universal Media Server is a media server capable of serving videos, audio, and images to any DLNA-capable device.
It is free, regularly updated and has more features than any other media server, including paid media servers. Universal Media Server streams to many devices including Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation 4 (PS4), Microsoft Xbox One and 360, many TVs (Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, Vizio, LG, Philips, Sharp), smart phones (iPhone, Android, etc.), Blu-ray players, and more.
Madsonic
Photo: Madsonic.com
Madsonic is an open sourced web-based media library manager and media server for the PS4. It uses Java and is compatible with Windows, MacOS, OSX, Linux and Unix variants. Unlike many other options for media servers, there is Bandwidth control for those who have to take that into consideration but for audio only. The bitrate of streamed music can be lowered. Madsonic will then automatically scale down the music to a suitable bitrate.
It offers a few other fun features, like its much-touted jukebox mode, but all around is just a basic media server. All around a good working program. Its drawbacks mostly stem from being a web based application. There are some consistent problems with maintaining the servers connection and lagging, which has it falling behind other PS4 media client apps.
A recent Playstation 4 firmware update added operating system The console introduced a number of innovations that all users greeted with jubilation and a standing ovation for the developers.
On June 15, Sony announced that a media player would be added to the console, which would save all players from one big problem - the inability to play movies and listen to music. In short, with this patch, the curling iron now understands flash drives and even reads movies from them, but besides this, it also does without external media - it streams content directly from your PC!
Answering the main question of this article, is it possible to watch movies on PS4, I will say that there are at least 4 ways. But first things first.
PS4 media player - multimedia combine with support for DLNA media server
For those who are not particularly versed in all sorts of complex IT terms, it sounds very ominous, but in fact everything is extremely simple. As simple as it can be in the 21st century, which has finally arrived.
The new application (player), which you can download to the console completely free, allows you not only to open movies and music from external media, but also to stream them directly from your PC or laptop. Any DLNA server will do for this! Yes, yes, absolutely anyone.
I have an LG Smat TV and for it I installed the SmartShare utility on my laptop (can be downloaded from the official LG website). So I want to tell you that Sonya “has” this software and reads movies much better and faster than the TV itself, for which this program was actually written. Here I just take my hat off to the developers from Sony. Well done, you did it!
Moreover, PS4 is able to recognize content transmitted via DLNA technology from any device. For example, I was able to read my media library from my iPhone by simply running the sync:stream application on it (free, there is also a version for iPad).
You can watch movies from your computer when you don’t have an HDMI cable to connect it directly to your TV or external storage device of the required size.
What servers does PS4 support?
As I wrote above - any and that’s the beauty of the technology. You can already use the two examples above (one for PC, especially if you have an LG TV - you can kill two birds with one stone; the second for iOS).
Here are a few more:
- Home media server (homemediaserver.ru) - many people praise it for its simplicity and ease of use. Features include a built-in converter that converts content into a format supported by the playback device, inclusion of subtitles in streaming, and much more. The software is free, there is a Russian interface.
- Serviio (serviio.org) is a very actively developing project, there are versions for mobile devices, support for web streaming, many different formats. PRO version available for the first 15 days of use, after which you can pay $25, or use a slightly reduced but free version.
- Plex (plex.tv) is one of the most popular media servers. The project grew out of, perhaps more familiar to you, XBMC. Supports everything you need to stream movies, and for a small subscription fee You can unlock additional convenient features.
After installing any DLNA media server, you need to select the folder on your PC that you want to share (a folder with movies, music, photos, etc.). Then on PS4 we launch the Media Player application, wait a little while the connection occurs and then everything is simple - select the file to play and go ahead.
The content source (PC with the server installed and configured) and the console itself must be on the same local network.
When playing a large file, I did not notice any freezes or glitches. If you have problems, try connecting the set-top box and source to the router using a patch cord, and not via Wi-Fi.
How to watch movies from a flash drive on PS4?
Watching movies from a flash drive is also very simple, but the flash drive must be formatted in FAT32.
This file system in turn, imposes restrictions on file size - no more than 4 GB, and now many films in HD quality weigh 10, 15, 20 gigs. But there is a way out - format the flash drive in exFAT format - it supports much larger files.
What video formats does PS4 support?
From the official developer blog we managed to find out that the four are on at the moment supports:
- video: mkv, avi, mp4, mpeg-2 ts;
- photo: jpg, bmp, png;
- audio: mp3, aac.
The developers promised not to stop there and to continue working on increasing the number of supported formats.
How to watch movies on PS4 online?
Due to the fact that the set-top box has a very good browser, you can use it to watch videos without any problems. Open any site from which you usually watch movies on your PC and Sonya should, in theory, handle it. But in some cases there may be problems. For example, it doesn’t work on some sites full screen mode, although the video is loading and playing. As far as I know, in PS4, for security reasons, some capabilities of java script and flash technologies are “cut down” - this is the reason.
There is a way out, but it is not entirely free - application Film Box Live will allow you to access an online movie library for a subscription fee. There is still hope that ivi will release its application for Sonya, since their website does not currently play videos.
Everyone expects wide entertainment opportunities and rich multimedia functionality from the new generation consoles. Microsoft is trying to do this on multiple levels simultaneously, offering entertainment for every taste and different types users. Sony is not lagging behind, but there is one thing that has disappointed many, as the company has removed one multimedia feature from the PS4 that is found in the PS3 console.
For most, the PS3 is more than a gaming console, being a hub that exists thanks to the console's excellent server-side multimedia capabilities. The PS3 could be used to play both video files and music, thanks to software such as , which made it easier to access content. Despite this, Sony initially decided to abandon this multimedia functionality in the PS4, which caused a mixed reaction among potential buyers. Sony planned to transfer users to its paid services and online stores for watching movies and listening to music. It is worth considering that many people have rich libraries of multimedia files in other places and are not willing to pay for it again. At the same time, the PS3 allowed access to all content regardless of its location. Let's see what we have besides DLNA in .
As for basic multimedia functionality of PS4, I would especially like to note the following:
- There is no option to stream the game on YouTube
- Online services: YouTube, Tvigle
- Blu-Ray 3D support (since firmware 1.75)
- No support for external hard drives for storing games, but is supported
- Patches are downloaded even while playing
- The system is updated automatically
- 4K support for movies and photos only
- No support for audio discs (CDs)
- , but only with official PlayStation 4 support
- Support coming soon
- Remote Play and remote console control
- Ability to connect any wired headphones to the joystick
To play files from external storage devices, use "Multimedia Player" to play videos, photos and music stored on USB drives or media servers.
Video
When using USB storage device Save all files in a folder (for example, Video) so that the PS4 game console can recognize them.
The PS4 console supports the following formats and containers for playback from external drives:
- MKV
- AVI
- Image: MPEG4 ASP, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level4.2
- Audio: MP3, AAC LC, AC-3 (Dolby Digital)
- MP4
- Image: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level4.2
- Audio: AAC LC, AC-3 (Dolby Digital)
- MPEG-2TS
- Image: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level4.2, MPEG2 Visual
- Audio: MP2 (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2), AAC LC, AC-3 (Dolby Digital)
- AVCHD (.m2ts, .mts)
Photo
When using a USB storage device, save your files to a folder (such as Photo) so that the system can recognize them.
Having at your disposal a home media server for Windows, you significantly expand the possibilities of using your information.
This can bring maximum benefit if you have several computers and modern TVs at home.
Although the server will also simplify the use of information on mobile phones, laptops, game consoles and tablets connected to a common network.
Thus, each family member can watch videos and photos, as well as listen to music, using any suitable device.
What is a home media server?
Home media server is software, enabling the exchange of information between various devices home network– for example, a computer, a smartphone and a TV equipped with appropriate technology.
It uses the DLNA streaming standard and free software such as the UpnP, DLNA, HTTP Home Media Server application.
All devices can already be networked using wired connections, although setting up a home network in this case will be quite complicated.
But this option allows you to transfer fairly large amounts of information at high speed (up to 1000 Mb/s).
Still possible wireless connecting devices via Wi-Fi router, supporting quality standards up to 100 or up to 300 Mb/s.
Although with this type of connection, when watching high-quality video (1920p or 4K), the image may freeze.
But such a connection is much easier to set up - you just need to set up a router (and, preferably, set a password) and connect all computers, TVs and phones to it.
Typically, users choose wireless networks due to the ease of connection and the absence of wires throughout the apartment.
A lot of equipment simply does not have suitable connectors for inclusion in a single network - on many smartphones, tablets, older models of set-top boxes, and even on some photo frames with WiFi, you can only use a wireless network.
It is advisable to use a wired connection only for transferring information between stationary PCs.
Creating a DLNA server
In order to create a DLNA server, first of all, you should download a suitable program from the network and install it on your computer.
Now for all Microsoft systems starting with Windows 7 and later (there may be problems with Windows 7 Home Edition), you should follow these steps:
- go to the home group (through the “Control Panel” menu, from which you can enter, respectively, through the “Start” button);
- use another option for joining the group - through the Center network connections, which can be opened by clicking right click mouse on the connections icon in the tray;
- after that, you can see the inscription “Homegroup” at the bottom left.
If a homegroup has already been created, a list of currently connected devices will appear on the screen.
If there is no group, you need to select “Create a home group” by opening the “Creation Wizard”.
Now you should specify what information from the main computer will be accessible to other devices.
To work with general documents, select the appropriate item; to watch a movie with hard drive computer, you should select “streaming to all devices” (Fig. 5).
The same item will be needed to create a DLNA server.
During the process of creating a home network, a password will be automatically created, which will be used to provide access to information and protect against entry into the group from unauthorized devices.
You can view it in the “Show or print homegroup password” item, and change it in the menu with the corresponding name.
The text of the message about creating a group will contain instructions for joining new devices to the home group (however, this information applies to wired devices running Windows).
Server settings
After the group and, accordingly, the DLNA server have been created, you can select the name of the library.
The server itself will be designated by the same phrase.
The streaming options menu will indicate devices that are currently connected to the network, working and supporting a connection to the server.
If the administrator wishes, using DLNA he can provide access to video and music to home computers and any suitable equipment.
Advice: To connect a set-top box, TV or multimedia player, you should configure this option in the items SmartShare or AllShare, depending on the manufacturer and model of the device.
To get quick access to server settings, you can use the standard Windows Media Player menu.
To use it, you need to open the app on the computer that is now your home server and enable HomeGroup streaming.
As a result, on a TV connected to the group, you can even watch movies whose format is not supported by the device - for example, mkv.
Although to do this you will have to keep the player turned on while playing the video.
Configuration programs
In addition to using standard means systems, a DLNA server can be created and configured using third-party applications.
Home Mediaserver
For example, using the Home Mediaserver program, which is quite simple to work with and can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website.
Many equipment manufacturers allow you to download their applications for working with DLNA servers from official resources, simplifying system setup.
We present the most popular of them:
Plex
Plex is a fairly convenient option for any user. The server runs on a PC, and control is carried out either from the application menu or directly in the browser.
According to consumer reviews, the program works without errors in 90% of cases;
Fig. 12. Serviio application.
XBMC
XBMC is a free software program originally designed for the Xbox, but now works on other devices and most operating systems.
Results
Using easy-to-install and configure software or even built-in Windows tools, you can link all your home media devices onto a common network.
This can significantly simplify your leisure time: on a regular TV you will have access to channels with the television company’s service package, and to any information on the Internet, and to the contents of your computer open for viewing.
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