MKV is a container format that is widely used for delivering HD video contents which up to 1080p. The problem is that many media devices cannot natively play files in the MKV file format. The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is one of them.
Even though PS3 doesn't support MKV files by default, you can still get the play on PS3 by converting MKV files to PS3 playable formats.
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How to Convert and Play MKV on PS3?
FonePaw Video Converter Ultimate (opens new window) is capable of converting MKV to PS3 playable format, so you can then play MKV videos on PS3 without problems. Free download the trial version of the program and follow the instruction below to convert MKV to PS3 smoothly.
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1. Load MKV Video(s)
After downloading and installing this MKV to PS3 converter, please launch it on your computer as the first step. Then, click "Add Files" or "Add Folder" button to select MKV files you want to play on PS3.
2. Select PS3 supported formats as the output format
Go to the "Convert All to" section and find the "Device" > "Game" group, you can select your PS3 output profile according to your need. The recommended formats are "PS3".
3. Start converting MKV to PS3
Just click the "Convert All" button to convert MKV to PS3. After conversion, you can click "Open output folder" to get the converted files directly.
4. Play MKV files on PS3
Plug the external USB hard drive into one of the USB ports on the PS3 and navigate to VIDEO on the PS3 XMB menu and find your device. And then hit "Triangle" to view all contents. Finally, copy and paste the converted MKV file to the PS3 hard drive. Now, you can watch the MKV videos on PS3.
Besides MKV, users also report that videos of other formats, like MP4, cannot be played on PS3. So you may want to have a clear idea about what video files that PS3 can play. Move on to the next part.
What Video Files Can PS3 Play?
The following are supported files types of PS3:
Memory stick video format: MPEG-4 SP (AAC LC); H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile (AAC LC) ; MPEG-2 TS(H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, AAC LC)
MP4 file format: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile (AAC LC)
MPEG-1 (MPEG Audio Layer 2)
MPEG-2 PS (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2, AAC LC, AC3(Dolby Digital), LPCM)
MPEG-2 TS(MPEG2 Audio Layer 2, AC3(Dolby Digital), AAC LC)
MPEG-2 TS(H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, AAC LC)
AVI: Motion JPEG (Linear PCM); Motion JPEG (μ-Law)
AVCHD (.m2ts / .mts)
DivX/ WMV/ VC-1(WMA Standard V2)
Note:
Even though MP4 is listed as a supported format for PS3, many users still find some of their MP4 videos cannot be played on PS3.
To play WMV format files, you must go to Settings > System Settings and toggle on Enable WMA Playback.
Can PlayStation 4 Play MKV?
You may wonder: does PS4 play MKV? The PS4's new Media Player enables PS4 to play videos like MKV, AVI, MP4, and music including MP3, AAC over both wi-fi (DLNA) and USB. However, there are still users complaining that PS4 can't play their MKV movies. Why is that?
That's because the video codec of some MKV files is not supported by PS4. Therefore, not all MKV files can be played on PS4. If you can't watch some MKV videos on PS4, you can also use the FonePaw converter to convert MKV to PS4 supported formats.
FonePaw Video Converter Ultimate (opens new window) is more than just an MKV to PS3 converter. It is also capable of converting almost all video formats like MP4, MOV, FLV, 3GP, ASF, WMV and more to PS3, PS4 and PSP popular formats.
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