{"id":1122,"date":"2008-01-28T19:59:20","date_gmt":"2008-01-29T00:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.calvertgames.com\/cgblog\/2008\/01\/28\/ps3-streaming-itunes-aac-files\/"},"modified":"2008-01-28T20:01:31","modified_gmt":"2008-01-29T01:01:31","slug":"ps3-streaming-itunes-aac-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.calvertgames.com\/cgblog\/2008\/01\/28\/ps3-streaming-itunes-aac-files\/","title":{"rendered":"PS3 streaming iTunes AAC files"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is not going to be very pretty. I have spent too much time trying to get my PS3 to stream my iTunes music files. Looks like it is not going to happen anytime soon, which sucks because the PS3 is supposed to be some sort of centralized, all-in-one media and entertainment gizmo. Unless it comes to AAC files that are coded to iTunes (i.e. Apple specs; MP4 \u2026 not sure of all the technical codex jargon).<\/p>\n

First I had to get Windows Media Player to allow Media Sharing. That was pretty easy (Library \u2013 Media Sharing option).<\/p>\n

Out of the box, Media Player does not support playing AAC files. I guess Microsoft knows that iTunes users will not want to use anything less than iTunes, so why bother. At least I assume something silly like that is their reasoning for not providing simple, out of the box support.<\/p>\n

In order to fix this problem, I had to make liberal use of Google, leading me to the installation of two Media Player plugins: Tag Support Plugin<\/a> for Windows Media Player and The Orban\/Coding Technologies AAC\/aacPlus Plugin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My Media Player can now see and play my iTunes files, but that was not really what I wanted. Streaming to the PS3 was the goal.<\/p>\n

After all this time and effort, my PS3 could see the files, including some simple file info (artist, album, song name), but my PS3 could not recognize the file format. Those liberal Google searches that I mention led me to one cold hard fact. For some inane reason Sony has decided that support for AAC files (at least ones generated by iTunes) is not that important. This just does not make sense to me.<\/p>\n

First, if I rip my own music from CDs that I have purchased, they should not have any copyright info, so they files should play. If Sony wants to support (and push) their own ACC format, more power to them, but I should be able to use the most popular music format on my PS3. Second, Apple (via iTunes) allows you to register several computers to play your purchased files. The PS3 is just another conduit for playing music files. Or rather it should be that cut and dry.<\/p>\n

So what gives? I have several hundred CDs that I decided to rip using iTunes. Before I had my iPod, I would use Easy CD-DA Extractor to create MP3 files for my music programs. After I purchased my iPod, I decided that I could get better music quality, and take up less space, by using iTunes to rip music in its preferred format. MP3 was dead. Long live MP4. Seems like a reasonable decision, and I am sure that millions of other iPod owners do the same.<\/p>\n

Seems like Sony has different ideas. For some reason they will not allow ripped iTunes music files and the PS3 to play nicely. I blame this all Sony because the rest of the world has accepted iTunes native music format as the digital music standard. I blame Apple for now allowing me to play purchased iTunes music files on my PS3. If Apple wants everyone to go digital, they should make previsions for playing legally purchased music on my entertainment centers (be they consoles such as the PS3 or a standard laptop).<\/p>\n

Not a pretty picture.<\/p>\n

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