How to Watch Movies on PS3 From an External Hard Drive

By Matt Skaggs

You can use the PS3 controller to control video playback.
i Alex Grimm/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Your PS3 offers many features in addition to playing video games. These options can allow you to use your PS3 as an entertainment center for watching DVDs or Blu-ray movies, streaming online content and viewing photo or video files on external devices. If you have a movie on a USB device, such as a flash drive or hard drive, you can watch that video on your TV using just your PS3. Playback works just like viewing a video saved on your PS3 that you saved from the PlayStation Network.

Step 1

Turn on your PS3.

Step 2

Connect the external hard drive to an available USB port on your PS3.

Step 3

Navigate to the "Video" section of the XMB menu of your PS3.

Step 4

Highlight the external hard drive, which will be displayed as a "USB Device."

Step 5

Press the green triangle button on your controller or remote; then select "Display all."

Step 6

Navigate to the video you want to watch. If the video is within a folder, you will need to select the correct folder just like you would on a PC.

Step 7

Select the video file to begin playing it.

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