PS3 not recognizing Handbrake MP4

[winningham2]

Detailed description of issue: I have a issue where I have encoded movies using handbrake with the default PS3 setting, not actually showing up on the PS3 video list. The MP4 files plays fine in OSX 10.5 so I uploaded it to my Buffalo Linkstation DLNA media server. I double checked that I could play the file on my G5 to confirm it uploaded fine. I also refreshed the database on the Linkstation media server and saw other updates on the PS3. However, the PS3 v2.10 does not recognize the MP4 from Handbrake. The movies (Braveheart and The Postman) where ripped and encoded using Handbrake, and like I already stated, play fine on both a Mac and PC.

My question is, what the heck and I missing here? Handbrake has ALWAYS worked for me in the past when trying to play movies on my Mac. This is the first time I have used HB to encode movies for my PS3 and while the movies still play on the Mac, they do not even show on the PS3. Does anyone have my setup so I can rule out its not the DLNA server?

Environment: Encoded on a G5 Leopard, saved to a Buffalo Linkstation NAS v2.2, trying to play on a PS3 v2.1

HB Version: 0.9.2

*ALL* Settings Used/Changed: Now settings changed. Just default PS3 setting was used to rip and encoded.

Architecture: PowerPC G5

Computer Info: 2.0GHz, 2GB Ram, Internal 100GB HDD remaining

Operating System: Leopard with latest updates (March 28th, 2008)

Source: DVD. Braveheart, and The Postman.

Analysis of the source: Plays fine

Intended Player/Device: PS3

Intended viewing environment: 42" 1080p HDTV

What I've tried/read so far: Playing video on both Mac and PC platforms which worked. Refreshing, flashing, and refreshing the media server database (which did update but still no HB-MP4 videos). Searched the HB forums for info on "PS3 MP4" and didn't find any similar situations. I searched the PS3 forums and found plenty of issues of MP4 videos not showing up, perhaps due to incorrect MP4 formatting. Could be Apple does not support DLNA so any MP4 H.264 will not be seen over DNLA?

Steps to reproduce this problem: Simply encode video straight from DVD using latest HB on a G5 using the PS3 setting. Take said file and upload to Linkstation running latest firmware, refresh database, and try to view video from Linkstation DLNA on PS3 running latest firmware.

[jbrjake]

Who ever said it was a preset for the Buffalo Linkstation NAS v2.2? I know I certainly didn't put that in the preset description, and I'm positive clee never tested on it. It's a preset for the PS3. As in, it will play off the PS3 if you put the video on it. No one here has any control over or knowledge of what settings are compatible with your NAS. It's hard enough to find someone with a PS3 to test.

[winningham2]

Who ever said it was a preset for the Buffalo Linkstation NAS v2.2? I know I certainly didn't put that in the preset description, and I'm positive clee never tested on it.

JBRJAKE,

Perhaps I misspoke or didn't make myself clear in my post. I realize HandBrake's PS3 setting is in fact only for the PS3 and not for an external NAS. Since the target is for my HandBrake-encoded MP4 to play on the PS3, and I have found plenty of posts that speak to incorrectly encoded MP4 not showing up in the PS3 Video application, then I thought I would post on the HandBrake forum. However, I am looking for anyone else who can perhaps give me insight into what I may be doing wrong in encoding my MP4 video for the PS3. Or perhaps someone with a similar setup.

I believe that HandBrake is popular enough to have a wide user base. Furthermore, while the PS3 may have a small market share, I believe again there are enough users that it is popular enough to warrant its on setting within HandBrake. Finally, because of the lack of quality FOSS DLNA servers for the Mac platform, I was hoping that at least one person, out of the tens of thousands that use HandBrake on the Mac, encoding for a PS3, might have a Buffalo Linkstation with the answer to my problem.

It is to that user that I am asking for help or insight.

[jbrjake]

Since the target is for my HandBrake-encoded MP4 to play on the PS3, and I have found plenty of posts that speak to incorrectly encoded MP4 not showing up in the PS3 Video application, then I thought I would post on the HandBrake forum. However, I am looking for anyone else who can perhaps give me insight into what I may be doing wrong in encoding my MP4 video for the PS3.

You're confusing me. I thought you said you were encoding video for the Buffalo Linkstation NAS, not the PS3?

I believe that HandBrake is popular enough to have a wide user base.

...which doesn't change the fact that not a single user has ever volunteered to work with us for PS3 testing. We got a better response from 360 users, where "better" is "one afternoon of communication, after months of requests." PS3 users haven't even bothered with that much. This means that the only thing that is ever tested with the PS3 is that it plays on clee's PS3. End of story.

Furthermore, while the PS3 may have a small market share, I believe again there are enough users that it is popular enough to warrant its on setting within HandBrake.

Okay, but it already has its own setting. With your thread title and your responses, you're making it seem like this is a problem with HandBrake and the PS3, when you've provided no evidence to support that contention. Your issue is with your NAS. Have you even tried playing the videos on your PS3 directly? It so, then all this talk about your NAS is misdirection. If not, your thread title is rather misleading.

And is there some reason you didn't provide an activity log, like you're supposed to?

[BucksSaddler]

OK - just to chip in my 2 cents. The files produced by Handbrake using the PS3 preset play perfectly fine on my PS3, both directly from the HDD and from my iMac using MediaLink to make it a DLNA server.
As Jbrjake suggests i would try playing the file directly from the PS3 to rule out your NAS

[winningham2]

JBRJAKE,
I realize it is not easy answering such mundane questions as my own. And perhaps there are not enough PS3 consoles in the world to bother with. If you need help testing, shoot me a message and I'll give it a shot. I do not have any quality programing skills but at least I have a PS3 and Handbrake on my G5.
You can feel free to update how posts could be answered based on my experience if you wish. I first read your statement on how posts can be formulated, then I searched for PS3, Linkstation, Mp4 issues in the forums, I tried google as well, came back to this forum (along with other forums) and posted to see if anyone else had my problem or had my setup. I did this in order to help give me a base for my own troubleshooting efforts. Perhaps I was too cheap to go out and buy another external HDD to connect to the PS3 in order to play MP4. I was out of DVD-Rs to burn a MP4 to but then again, that is why I am using Handbrake instead of just copying DVD images. So the help of the forum community is greatly appreciated. I posted in the Tikibar section so as to try and stay away from the hardcore forum leacher issue as much as possible. I do feel that if at least one question is constructively answer on this problem, it could help others as both the PS3 and Handbrake usage becomes more popular. So I don't feel any shame at all in either asking this question, the reason it was asked, or the way that it was asked. Just my two cents, and I do appreciate the hard working efforts of the many that make Handbrake one of my fav tools.

At any rate, thanks to BucksSaddler (and JBRJAKE) for having tested or for suggesting the NAS, and finding the MP4 template on the latest Mac build of HB on the latest FW of PS3 works fine. I have pulled my lazy cheap ass off the gaming couch long enough to purchase some DVD-r and found the MP4 spec is working as advertised. I do plan on updating my peers in other forums on what I have learned and hopefully I can find answers to my NAS problem on another forum.

Thanks for all the help.

[dynaflash]

Moved to appropriate Devices forum.

[pjr107]

One thing I have noticed is that my PS3 is happier if the extension is m4v instead of mp4 for the same file. I have all my videos shared through mediatomb from a linux box. Just renaming the files worked.

PJ

[jscano]

One thing I have noticed is that my PS3 is happier if the extension is m4v instead of mp4 for the same file. I have all my videos shared through mediatomb from a linux box. Just renaming the files worked.

PJ

Thank you. This made it work for me. I was having the exact same problem. Rips play fine everwhere except when I put them on my network drive to get them over to my PS3. I tried everything else as well and thought I'd look into maybe an issue with HandBrake. Renaming to M4V works perfectly. Thank you.

[jbrjake]

You are trying to sell software, right?

No. I am not. And neither is anyone else here.

So...how about you donate your free time to a volunteer project, and see how you react when someone insists they've found a flaw in your work when they're flat out wrong? The OP claimed the PS3 doesn't recognize HandBrake MP4s. This is patently false, as BuckSaddler confirmed, so clearly the OP had *not* tried "just about everything else" before deciding to blame HB. He hadn't even bothered trying to put the file on the PS3, the purpose the preset was designed for. That laziness and eagerness to blame the project are two of the factors behind the expurgation of video game console presets from the next release. If your hardware doesn't like bog-standard MP4 with H.264 and AAC, it's not our problem, and it's not *our* burden to support it. You pay Sony for that, not us.

[rollingfred]

For what it worth, Handbrake's preset always worked fine for me and my ps3.

As for the m4v/mp4 suffix problem with mediatomb and PS3, this is a MEDIATOMB config problem, not a Handbrake problem.
config.xml: a line like this: <map from="m4v" to="video/mp4"/> should fix the problem.
As for transferring file or testing on your PS3, instead of writing a DVD, use a cheap USB drive, put the file on it, plug in your PS3, select in Video->USB Device with Triangle, and choose Display All.

Have fun.

[TPot]

I don't have much experience with the new version of HB as I have to encode for a Philips Streamium SLM5500/75 as well as the PS3 - so the new version is pointless for me (I don't believe the Streamium supports the newer codecs). My media is served up by TwonkyMedia on a Thecus NAS.

I found two things:
1. if the NAS shared a file as it was being built then the PS3 would say it was not supported. All that was required was to rename the file so the NAS discovered a new (complete) file and shared it properly. This may be why a lot of people have success by changing the extension - I usually just add/delete a space somewhere.
2. with the settings I had, I then had to repack the audio to remove some blank buffer or something like that. VirtualDub was easy and can repack with a direct stream. There was a web page somewhere discussing this - so try google if you need more info.

edit: step 2 was required so the ps3 could calculate a length for the movie. Otherwise it just leaves it blank.
my settings for encoding are copied from the old generic with some changes:
-f avi --decomb -e xvid -S 700 -a 1 -E lame -B 128 -R 0 -6 dpl2 -D 1 -v

[Vermino]

My Specs:
1st Gen PS3 (non wireless)
2nd Gen PS3 (wireless)
Handbrake 0.9.4
TVersity 1.7.4.1
(filters*)
- ffdshow
- Haali Media Splitter
- AC3 Filter
(prev server) Windows Media Player 11

Not to bring up old news (seems a few months old on a topic) but your best bet for a media server (from a PC handbrake installed) --> PS3 viewing/copying to HDD is probably using TVersity. PS3 doesn't understand mkv or m4v (which the developer is right, it's not "his" fault) you can either convert your mkv or m4v to another format that is acceptable to PS3 OR download TVersity and let the server do the transcoding in the process (this does take a few seconds for a video to start up on PS3 but nothing that will pull your hair out with agony).

TVersity guidlines -
Install TVersity + Filters* (a list of filters will be at the bottom of the page)
Handbrake format should be "normal" profile with the Container being "MP4 File" (which makes the file .m4v)
**tested** .mkv with transcoding has shuttering with TVersity and just looks sloppy (once again, not handbrake's problem)
Video codec - H.264
Audio - AAC (faac)

--------------------------------------------------
Here is the rundown on PS3 video file formats - you can see it does have .m4v (mp4) but it seems that some files will be recognized and others wont. (a problem of mine)

The following types of files can be played under (Video).

* 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）

----------------------------------------------------------------------
*List of Filters

* ffdshow - for MPEG2/4, H.264, Divx, Xvid, AAC, FLAC, Vorbis, FLV, and many more
* Haali Media Splitter - for better MP4 and H.264 support and for OGG/OGM and Matroska.
* Real Alternative - for Real audio and video.
* Quicktime Alternative - for MOV.
* MP4 Source/Splitter* - for better MOV support.
* FLV Splitter* - required for FLV playback (a more recent version with support for FLV4/VP62 is here - courtesy of videohelp.com).
* AC3 Filter - recommended for better AC3 support (in which case AC3 should be disbaled in ffdshow).