I was wondering what the best format is for converting .mkv's into? I have tried converting into .mp4, .m2ts, and .vob, all of which still appear kinda grainy on my tv. Or is this normal for all formats, no matter what I convert into? My tv isn't a large one, its a 23" Samsung1080p. I have tried using the programs: tsMuxer, mkvtoolnix, gotsent, and ps3 video9, thanks.
That depends largely on what you're using to convert and the quality of the original .mkv.
Whether you're CONVERTING or simply REMUXING is also a factor. Converting a file will always result in a quality loss, since it is, in layman's terms, rebuilding the file from the ground up. Remuxing, however, will not change the quality of the file at all, since it is simply repackaging it (again, in layman's terms).
Anyway.
It seems in this situation that the resolution of the original video is probably just too small. Meaning that it has a resolution of 844x480 (widescreenDVD) or 320x240 or so and the PS3 is upscaling it to fit the 1920x1080 screen size.
EDIT:
And actually, in my experience, it's been easier to spot artifacts and such on a smaller screen since I'm always sitting much closer to it. With a large HDTV, I'm sitting much further away, so I don't notice the difference between low-res and high-res images as much.
Well normally, I go to Display Settings in the ps3 and uncheck the 1080i / 1080p as available resolutions, making it 720p, which is the size of the mkv files I'm downloading. But from what you're saying, I gather that using the tsMuxer and remuxing the file to an avchd file is the most efficient way?
Remuxing it to AVCHD will actually create a Blu-Ray folder structure, not a single file. Not that you can't do that, of course, just that it won't be the single file that you want. (And if the resolution isn't exactly 720x480 with pulldown, 1280x720, or 1920x1080, there'll be a nasty green bar that shows up on the bottom of the movie.)
Remuxing it to .m2ts should work fine, so long as it's less than 4GB in size. tsMuxer doesn't ever convert anything, it's simply a remuxer, so it should give you the original file without any quality loss.
If it's still a bit grainy, you can try fiddling with some of the PS3's video features, like noise reduction and such. Or try turning on 1080p and having the PS3 do the upscaling - it could be that your monitor just isn't very good at upscaling.
Try some of that out and let me know how it turns out.
Yea I use .m2ts format when I convert MKVs with Tsmuxer. But for MKVs that have DTS audio I use mkv2vob and it converts it to an mpeg. I didnt notice the quality difference between the 2 formats. Tsmuxer just converts it a lil faster thats it.
Its mostly your monitor Im guessing. And the fact that you are viewing MKVs that are 720p doesnt help either. You will get artifacts definitely. You should leave the PS3 checked in 1080p and try messing with noise reduction like Kajnrig said. Dont waste time converting to avchd or any other format. Its not gonna get any better than that unless you get MKVs in 1080p.
sorry for my delayed response, I'll try messing with the settings in the ps3, as well as leaving it on 1080p and letting the system do the upconverting. I have tried looking at sony's online manual for what each of those settings mean, but I haven't gotten a clear definition, also my tv has a digital noise reduction setting that is always on auto, should I change that as well?
