LinuxQuestions.org - PS3 - Play content from networked windows share? Please help.

I'm really trying to get my head around soo many things at once I want to make sure I'm not making this more difficult then it is. I'm quite new to Linux.

I'm trying to decide on what apps I need to accomplish the following:
I have a windows "Server" with all my DVD's ripped to a shared folder in the format:
serverName/movies/superCoolMovie/video_ts/ifo and multiple vobs
(These movies are all unencrypted)

From my PS3 I would like to use my sixaxis controller to navigate a 'Library' including dvd movie covers etc and start playing the movie.

I was thinking xubuntu and freevo? Does this make sense, or is there a better solution or combination I should consider?

It seems allot of the posts I read have something streaming the content from the server to the ps3. This isn't what I want to do, I want to have no dependency on the server other then it being up and sharing the folder.

Additional note; I don't want to have to rename my movie files, merge vobs, or re-encode them.

I see some applications exist that do Upnp encoding and streaming etc, would this really still be needed?

Thanks for your expertise.