I was floored when I read the release notes for the Playstation 3’s 2.10 update. Sony finally added the capability to play DivX, XviD, and WMV movies directly through the PS3 — something customers had been begging for since we got our filthy hands on the (supposed) powerhouse media player/game console. A quick test proved that it handled standard-definition and high-definition videos beautifully. Unfortunately, the good news was followed by a bummer realization: The majority of new HD content found on the internet is in MKV (Matroska) format. Does Sony plan to add support for such a popular format as well? I haven’t heard anything official yet. But there’s hope…
A program called mkv2vob can quickly and easily convert Matroska-format files into DVD-style VOB’s that are easily read by the PS3.
Digital Digest also has an article for those of us who would love to convert MKV and other various formats into PS3-compatible videos. The guide isn’t perfect, but it should get the job done for most experienced geeks, especially ones who know what a high-definition MKV file is in the first place.
One snag I ran into involved setting the location of the Nero AAC Encoder. When going into Tools > Settings > Program Paths, keep in mind that you won’t see NeroAACEnc listed until you click the Audio tab underneath the Program Paths tab.