How to handle those darn MKV files (bonus rant included)...

[Deathbliss]

Here is some information that should make using MKV format files much easier.

There are now 2 programs that can handle MKV files, with some exceptions I will talk about in a sec. The first, good for single files, is MKV2VOB:

http://www.mkv2vob.com/

Remember that you can only have one AVCHD folder on your exterior storage device in order to play it on the PS3. Sometimes you can copy AVCHD folders onto your PS3 hard drive, but most of the time the sound quality for some reason goes to 2 channels. So, the best solution for multiple MKV files, and it's a pretty slick program, is multiAVCHD:

http://multiavchd.deanbg.com/

These are the only two I know about and would recommend at this time. The problem I alluded to earlier? Well there seems to be some completely stupid and senseless drive in the community to make the MKV files as high a quality as possible. This creates non-standard MKV files that are incompatible with the PS3 and both programs I listed, unless you want to spend hours trans-coding them. It's stupid because once you have a Blu-ray quality movie, how much better does it have to be? It's senseless because the difference will be marginal at best, not like the jump from DVD to Blu-ray. It's almost as of the folks doing this, mostly in the anime scene ATM, saw that a solution to their use of MKV files now existed and they didn't like it so they invented some other way to screw people who don't have fancy equipment and systems to play them with. Seriously this group of ultra-quality seekers has to be pretty small, perhaps 10% of the community, because how many of you could afford hundreds of dollars in equipment to play these special MKVs?

Anyhow that's enough of my rant for now. As far as I understand it there are two things to look for in an MKV file if you are searching for compatibility. The first is the number of h264 level flags, this should be no higher than 4. I THINK 6 will work with multiAVCHD; can't remember right now. The second is the number of reference frames. Anyhow if a file fails the first test and has more than 6 flags its a safe bet the reference frames are also too high, that the file you are looking at is one of these incompatible MKVs.

OK, so I think that about covers everything. Hope this info helps, feel free to post any questions you have.