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  1. Member
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    Hi folks.
    I've spent countless days trying to figure out a way to make HD videos playable on my PS3 to no avail.
    I've followed instructions I've found on this and other websites but I don't seem to be quite getting there.
    What I'd like to do is play HD video files, with soft subs and multiple audio tracks, on my PS3.
    The original files are MKV (vid=H.264, aud=depends +sub).
    And, preferably, without transcoding them, which is a waste of time and quality.
    So, after numerous attempts, I thought I had found the solution to all my problems in Yamb, which simply remuxes MKVs into MP4.
    Problem is, PS3 doesn't read MP4's subtitles! I've tried both remuxing SRTs and converting the SRTs to idx/sub with AVIaddXSub and then remux them with Yamb, but the PS3 doesn't detect them. External subtitles are not recognised either. With m2ts container, same problem. The only container whose subtitles are recognised by the PS3 is AVI, I believe.
    But, can AVI contain HD video/audio? From my findings, I seem to understand it can't contain all that MKV/MP4 can, thus implying some kind of lossy, time wasting conversion.
    Files with DTS audio are not played correctly either on PS3 (i.e. mute). They work only if on AVCHD/BD for no reason other than SONY being lame.
    Streaming videos using such tools as PS3MediaServer is not an option either for me, because I don't like the fact it transcodes video and audio (e.g. AVC to MPEG2, DTS to PCM (with lower bitrate) etc.)
    So, as yet, the only workaround I've found to meet my needs is to remux the MKVs into AVCHDs with tsMuxer (by first demuxing and converting AAC audio into AC3, if any) and burning them with ImgBurn.
    Easy.. BUT, the other problem here is that not only do I need to make discs of my videos (if that's the only option, fair enough), but often said videos are larger than a DVD9, so I have to split them and burn 2 discs..

    I'd like to find a simple solution to be able to play these files without streaming or burning discs, at no quality loss.
    If you know of a way, your help would be much appreciated!
    PS
    I can use both WinXP and Mac OSX Leopard.

    PPS
    Interestingly, my TV recognises NTFS volumes and has no problem playing MKVs, unlike the lame PS3.. the 2 other annoying things here though are that only 1 audio track is recognised, and each line of text doesn't go away until the next one is due (so if there is no dialogue for a while, you are stuck with that line of text on screen till the following one..no big deal but quite annoying.) ..rats...

    Thanks!
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  2. Did you have any luck finding a solution mate as I too have the same similar question
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  3. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    I think for this particular issue try reencoding to divx hd. Then you should be able to do subtitles properly. I can't say for certain that the ps3 will play homemade 720p or 1080p divx files nor the subtitle issues. I do have a ps3 but I haven't tried that many files with it.

    In the end you may want to look into getting a wdtv media player. It can play mkv hd files with subtitles and can use ntfs drives. It would greatly reduce your frustrations. Though only downside is there aren't any models that use component output if that is a concern for you - it is sd rca cables or hdmi only.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
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  4. Sony has no motivation to make the PS3 able to play a wide variety of video containers and codecs, in fact, just the opposite. They don't want to make it easy to pirate Blu-ray movies and DVDs. I'm not accusing you of piracy, just pointing out Sony's motivations. Remember, Sony produces a lot of movies and videos:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_Entertainment#Motion_Pictures_and_Home_Entertainment

    In theory AVI can contain pretty much anything any other container can. But there are no well defined standards for things like subtitles, chapter markers, etc. So yes, AVI can hold high def video, but the PS3 isn't likely to play AVI files remuxed from the files you are having problems with.
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  5. Lone soldier Cauptain's Avatar
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    MKV, MP4, OGM with Subtitles on PS3, only via PS3MediaServer. No other way.

    PS3 read only FAT32 formated drivers (HD or PENDRIVES)

    AVI with Aviaddxsub work fine. MP4 or MKV not.

    DIVX "AVI" ULTRA files working PERFECT with subtitles.

    No implementation for others formats like MKV, OGG or OGM.

    Sorry, but is the SONY fault on nowsday.
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  6. theses are a list to all playable formats : http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/video/filetypes.html

    when it says avc/h.264 support it doesn't say mkv container but claims mp4 should be fine.
    and the aac must be low complexity(LC)

    if that fails then maybe the level is an issue?,open tsmuxer click demux option change to 4.1 then remux with mkvtoolnix using same FRamerate
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    Thanks guys for your prompt replies.
    Like I thought, I seem to understand the only way other than making multi-disc AVCHDs would be to re-encode everything into HD AVIs (or buy a BD burner and start burning BDs!)
    My question would then be, what tools can I use to achieve this? Is re-encoding necessary, or is remuxing possible?
    Is there anything out there similar to tsRemux or Yamb etc for AVI?
    Otherwise, I might as well just stick with making AVCHDs for the time being... sigh

    I understand SONY has no motivation to make it easy, but that's not going to make people buy more BDs, which I buy a lot of anyway, or stop using MKV, and eventually they'll end up shooting themselves in the foot like they did with MiniDiscs, which I used to be a big fan of in the pre-mp3 era, then they thought they were smarter than people by implementing all sorts of limitations, like you couldn't make copies of MDs over optical cable (or something like that, can't really remember), couldn't transfer files from PC to MD other than over line-in for years, then they made it possible over USB, but you'd have to use some proprietary software to re-encode them and limit the number of times you could copy them, and, most importantly, would never support any codec other than their lame ATRAC. This resulted in MD's death in favour of MP3(and other formats) players/recorders.
    SONY will never get over their medieval policies to think and decide for their users..
    The only good thing they ever did was to allow Linux on the early PS3 models, then they realised that was un-SONY-like and reverted to the PS3 being able to do nearly less than my TV set can!

    And, anyway, why support bitmap subtitles in AVI containers and not external SRTs, for example?
    Or support DTS on optical discs and not on the HDD?
    Or limit USB support to FAT, when you can copy larger files to the internal HDD over ethernet/wifi anyway?
    That's what doesn't make sense to me. This being half-lame.. It's nearly more annoying than them being fully lame

    Originally Posted by dylz View Post
    theses are a list to all playable formats : http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/video/filetypes.html

    when it says avc/h.264 support it doesn't say mkv container but claims mp4 should be fine.
    and the aac must be low complexity(LC)

    if that fails then maybe the level is an issue?,open tsmuxer click demux option change to 4.1 then remux with mkvtoolnix using same FRamerate
    no problem with the level.
    Yes, PS3, to my understanding, will only accept level 4.1, which is what I've been doing with tsMuxer.
    But the problem is with the PS3 not supporting MKV, and other containers for that matter (MP4 and M2TS included) when it comes to things like soft subtitles, DTS audio, etc.
    You have to burn them to AVCHD/BD, and the same exact content will play perfectly.
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  8. Yes, Sony has done nothing but shoot itself in the foot since the digital era. But a lot of the technologies that were a flop elsewhere in the world were sucessful in Japan. Dropping Linux support has now come back to bite it. Hackers looking to get it back have recently broken their digital signature encryption, apparently throwing the doors wide open.

    You should seriously consider what yoda313 suggested. Forget about the PS3 as a media player and only use it for what it was really designed for: games and Blu-ray disc playback. There are far better media players around that play almost everything (and subtitles) for well under US$100. A lot of last years models are for sale for under US$50 now.
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    Originally Posted by jagabo View Post
    Yes, Sony has done nothing but shoot itself in the foot since the digital era. But a lot of the technologies that were a flop elsewhere in the world were sucessful in Japan. Dropping Linux support has now come back to bite it. Hackers looking to get it back have recently broken their digital signature encryption, apparently throwing the doors wide open.

    You should seriously consider what yoda313 suggested. Forget about the PS3 as a media player and only use it for what it was really designed for: games and Blu-ray disc playback. There are far better media players around that play almost everything (and subtitles) for well under US$100. A lot of last years models are for sale for under US$50 now.
    Yeah, but they need to understand that Japan is a world of its own �luckily for them, not so much for us.. (just think that major websites' accounts, which are generally international, that is, if you have an account you created in a country, that grants you access to all other localised pages, don't apply to Japan. you need to create an independent Japanese account.. and try finding Jap stuff on p2p! they're not there.. that's how seclusive they are.. but I can't blame them )
    Anyway, it serves them right that the code has been hacked, and apparently they've also found the way to play backup games, though I guess the fact now games are largely played online and software updates are frequently required makes it harder than it used to be in the past with 'pre-online' consoles.
    Anyway, that's a different story.

    You're probably right, I should consider a standalone media player.
    I was excited at the idea that I could use the PS3 as a media player, you know. All-in-one..
    After all, I went for the PS3 over the XBOX360 (or Wii if only it had half decent graphics..) mainly for the fact it also serves as a BD player to boot.
    Otherwise, I might have even gone for the X360.
    But, yeah, the wdtv might be a better option.
    I never considered it, because I thought I wouldn't need one, so I never really looked into it, at prices etc.
    If they're actually as cheap as you say it might well be worth the while.
    Thanks for the suggestion.

    Cheers
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  10. If you use subtitles a lot you should consider that the WDTV has problems with some subs, they are rendered as partially transparent:

    http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19059722#post19059722

    If I recall correctly, setting the black border to "thin" rather than "thick" alleviates the problem a bit.
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  11. Member
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    Yes, subtitles are vital for me!
    I've just done a brief research on WDTV..
    Didn't know about the sub issue, which is crucial.
    But also I've found it doesn't support TrueHD and MasterAudio.
    Plus, it doesn't have wifi connectivity unlike other similar products. I can live without, but it'd be a nice feature.
    However, I haven't found out what these other products are..
    Are there alternatives to WDTV?
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  12. Seagate FreeAgent Theater+, Asus O!Play, Diamond Media Wonder, TVIX, Patriot Box, AC Ryan Playon, Hauppauge HD Media Player, Xtreamer Pro, Dune HD, Popcorn Hour, Boxee Box, PopBox...

    Some here:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007683+600049979&QksAut...e=&srchInDesc=

    AvsForums has sections for many of these devices:
    http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=39

    All have their own quirks.
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  13. Originally Posted by heinza View Post
    Yes, subtitles are vital for me!
    I've just done a brief research on WDTV..
    Didn't know about the sub issue, which is crucial.
    But also I've found it doesn't support TrueHD and MasterAudio.
    Plus, it doesn't have wifi connectivity unlike other similar products. I can live without, but it'd be a nice feature.
    However, I haven't found out what these other products are..
    Are there alternatives to WDTV?
    Two of the best media players out there are the Dune and the Netgear, plays DVD and Blu-ray ISO's/Folder structures with full menu support which 95% of the media players out there do not.

    http://store.duneplayer.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=12

    http://www.netgear.com/products/home/hometheater/media-players/NTV550.aspx

    These units are a bit pricey compared to others but worth it. Personally, I recommend one of the Dune units, many different models to choose from, I own the D1 and it works really good. If you were to buy a Dune, I recommend getting it from Duneplayer.com, they have the best service, bar none.

    Check out the AVS forums for complete info and user comments on the the various models and keep in mind, no player is perfect:

    http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=30&f=39
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  14. Member
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    Thanks.
    I'll check it out!

    PS
    Do any of these boxes allow you to stream what you're playing to the receiver by any chance?
    That's something I've always wanted to do but never found a way to.
    Like, you're playing a song on iTunes and you want to stream it to your receiver, and not browse folders from the box, which implies controlling what you are playing from the device and not from the computer.
    So, you can be in another room and change songs. A bit like what AirPort does.
    And streaming the computer's screen would be the ultimate cool feature!
    I'm a bit off topic here, but if there was a box with such features, I'd go for it 'cause I'd kill two birds with one stone, you know..
    Last edited by heinza; 2nd Jan 2011 at 21:25.
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