MKV on Pioneer DV-220V

[Instant Martian]

This is probably a dumb question, anyway...
I have a Pioneer DV-220V DVD player (PAL, Region 2).
It seems it doesn't play .mkv files.
Is there a way on earth to make it play those files?
Thanks.

[Ai Haibara]

Reportedly (at least, according to the info VideoHelp has on that player), it supports DivX/Xvid AVI playback... so your only options would be to convert the MKV either to AVI format (most likely keeping in mind the restrictions in this thread) or an actual proper DVD-Video disc.

DVD players handle playback of file formats/codecs with hardware, so the player would already have to support hardware decoding of codecs like h.264. Most DVD players don't. Most DVD players that support file playback also don't support resolutions above the maximum DVD resolutions - so no HD support, either.

[Instant Martian]

Thanks for replying.
I was hoping in a firmware update or something like that.
It is not possible for me to check the resolution but I am pretty sure it is not above DVD standards.
The issue is the format/codec.

[Ai Haibara]

If you're unsure about the properties of a video, you can use MediaInfo (in Tree View) to check them. Whatever player you're using may also tell you some details about the videos you're playing. Media Player Classic HomeCinema and VLC do, for instance.

If you'd rather try the DVD-Video route, you might try programs like AVS2DVD (free) or ConvertX2DVD (shareware/commercial). Other similar programs (like DVD Flick and FAVC) can be found in the Tools section, to the left. (I say that, because I don't remember all of them. )

[Instant Martian]

I know MediaInfo etc... I meant I was not able in that moment

If you'd rather try the DVD-Video route, you might try programs like AVS2DVD (free) or ConvertX2DVD (shareware/commercial). Other similar programs (like DVD Flick and FAVC) can be found in the Tools section, to the left. (I say that, because I don't remember all of them. )

I was looking for a way to avoid any kind of conversion.

[jman98]

Most DVD players don't support MKV playback anyway.

Even if you found a way to make the player support it, it won't support high definition MKV playback.

If you want to play MKV files without conversion, you should look into getting a media player such as one of the Western Digital or other similar players. DVD and BluRay players were never really intended to be "play everything" type players and are often much more restrictive about what they will play than media players are.

[Instant Martian]

Even if you found a way to make the player support it, it won't support high definition MKV playback.

I understood that.
These are not HD MKVs.

Thanks to you too.

[Instant Martian]

Well, I made some tests and it looks like I HAVE to convert the MKVs to have them played.
This is the MediaInfo output:

General
Format : Matroska
FileSize/String : 1.43 GiB
Duration/String : 1h 57mn
OverallBitRate/String : 1 750 Kbps
Encoded_Application : mkvmerge v2.0.2 ('You're My Flame') built on Feb 21 2007 23:40:55
Encoded_Library/String : libebml v0.7.7 + libmatroska v0.8.1

Video
ID/String : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format_Profile : High@L5.1
Format_Settings_CABAC/String : Yes
Format_Settings_RefFrames/String : 16 frames
MuxingMode : Container profile=Unknown@5.1
CodecID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration/String : 1h 57mn
BitRate_Nominal/String : 1 585 Kbps
Width/String : 544 pixels
Height/String : 416 pixels
DisplayAspectRatio/String : 4/3
FrameRate/String : 25.000 fps
Resolution/String : 24 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
ScanType/String : Progressive
Bits-(Pixel*Frame) : 0.280
Title : Video
Encoded_Library/String : x264 core 54 svn-635M
Encoded_Library_Settings : cabac=1 / ref=16 / deblock=1:-2:-1 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=7 / brdo=1 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=0 / threads=2 / nr=0 / decimate=0 / mbaff=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=1 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / wpredb=1 / bime=1 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40(pre) / rc=2pass / bitrate=1585 / ratetol=1.0 / rceq='blurCplx^(1-qComp)' / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / ip_ratio=1.40 / pb_ratio=1.30

Audio
ID/String : 2
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format_Version : Version 4
Format_Profile : LC
Format_Settings_SBR/String : No
CodecID : A_AAC
Duration/String : 1h 57mn
Channel(s)/String : 2 channels
ChannelPositions : L R
SamplingRate/String : 48.0 KHz
Resolution/String : 16 bits
Title : Track1
Language/String : Italian

I don't care if it will be mkv -> avi or mkv -> DVD, what I care is minimum quality loss.
Now the question is:
which is the best way to do that?