Have you ever experienced the frustration of transferring 20 gigabytes of movies to a USB drive, only to discover that your PlayStation cannot recognize the files?
Format USB in ExFAT (Masterboot record)
Though preparing a USB flash drive for the PS4/PS5 is relatively simple, there’s often a crucial step overlooked. To ensure its recognition, it is essential to format the flash drive correctly. Here’s how to do it properly.
Note: This guide is demonstrated on Mac OS but is equally applicable to Windows and Linux operating systems.
- Insert flash drive
- Open disk utility
- Click show all devices. The default is usually “Show only volumes.”
- Select main storage
- Click Erase
- Select Master Boot Record and ExFAT
It is crucial to format the USB in ExFAT with a partition scheme of Master Boot Record to ensure recognition by your PlayStation. Merely formatting the USB in ExFAT without altering the partition scheme will not suffice. Therefore, it is imperative to follow this step.
Copy videos to USB
Create a folder named VIDEO on the USB root directory of the USB drive and copy all your videos into this folder.
If you have a PS4 open the Media Player app to access your videos. If you can’t find the app, download it from the PS Store.
To view videos from a USB on the PS5, open the Media Gallery app, found in the Games section.
PS5 supported video file formats
- MKV
Video: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level 4.2
Audio: AAC LC
- MP4
Video: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level 5.2
Audio: AAC LC
- WEBM
Video: VP9
Audio: Opus
PS4 supported video file formats
- AVCHD (.m2ts, .mts)
- XAVC S™ (.mp4)
- MKV
Video: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level 4.2
Audio: MP3, AAC LC, AC-3 (Dolby Digital)
- AVI
Video: MPEG4 ASP, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level 4.2
Audio: MP3, AAC LC, AC-3 (Dolby Digital)
- MP4
Video: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level 4.2, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level 5.2 (PlayStation®4 Pro only)
Audio: AAC LC, AC-3 (Dolby Digital), LPCM
- MPEG-2 PS
Video: MPEG2 Visual
Audio: MP2 (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2), MP3, AAC LC, AC-3 (Dolby Digital), LPCM
- MPEG-2 TS
Video: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level 4.2, MPEG2 Visual
Audio: MP2 (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2), AAC LC, AC-3 (Dolby Digital)
For more information on supported formats, click this link.
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