PS3 does not play mkv files directly.
PS3 Media Server supports mkv remux out of the box, so you should be able to play one up to 720p. I heard 1080p playback over DLNA to PS3 is not reliable.
Playing mkv files on 360 should be easy via a DLNA server too. I have no experience there, so may be someone else can chime in.
The good thing about PS3MS is, that it only remuxes compatible streams (i.e. if the stream is h264, even with incompatible header, but the container is mkv, it simple edits the header and remuxes the stream, so the PS3 plays them).
1080 works without any issues for me.
Since PS3 Media server was introduced it has turned out to be my major link between the PC and the PS3. I record TV (SD) with Windows Media Center , mostly kiddie stuff, transcode to "pure" MPEG2 and can bring up 100´s of recorded shows for the kid to enjoy. The HiDef stuff i have tried have so far worked flawlessly, and i generally only use 1080i or 1080p
I got a beefy i7 so those that may have problems may be CPU bound?
If it takes that short, then won't they usually be AVC files/mpeg4?
I use multiAVCHD, by Dean Kasabow. So far very happy with it - both methods (this and PS3mediaserver) are perfectly viable for me, but this method uses a bit less power. (don't have to have my computer on)
PMS is still pretty awful for me on the Mac. I have gone back to normal upnp apps. Previously, I was using Connect360 and MediaLink but have now switched to Playback since it allows me to add multiple folders (unlike Connect360 but similar to MediaLink) and I now only have one app spamming my network with broadcasts instead of two, lol. I don't get any transcoding but I don't have any mkv files anyway.
If it takes that short, then won't they usually be AVC files/mpeg4?
I use multiAVCHD, by Dean Kasabow. So far very happy with it - both methods (this and PS3mediaserver) are perfectly viable for me, but this method uses a bit less power. (don't have to have my computer on)
It works rather well on my Linux system (I even tried running it on a ARMEL system, and it worked (though TXMuxer doesn't, and the 400Mhz CPU is too slow ), but needs some additional packages to work better.
I have many mkvs, so I need the remuxing options that PS3MS gives me. I love that mpeg2 doesn't need much CPU and that the PS3 has Gbit... thus you can transcode "lossless" 1080P at over 200mbit/s over the network, with no HDD space lost.
I have been using the method of remuxing .mkvs to .mpgs/.m2ts with mkv2vob. Does multiAVCHD offer any advantages over this? It seems to offer more control. What I want to know, is what container is AVCHD in? Or if that is the container, then what is the filesize difference compared to the original if any?
None of the 720p WMV game videos from Microsoft sites (Turn 10, Bungie) work properly on my PS3. Video is fine but the audio codec doesn't work. Forcing me to watch them on my 360 (which is annoyingly loud)
Is MS deliberately using an audio format unplayable on PS3?