Fix PS4 Pro Not Playing MKV File Issues

PS4 Pro MKV Playback Problems

"Hello, I would like to convert my MKV's made from MKVMAKER to MKV for PS4 playback. Currently they will not work on PS4 Pro because they are coded with MPEG-2 and not MPEG-4 AVC like PS4 requires. I was hoping to do this without losing quality if possible.Thanks!"

"I'm trying to stream mkv's from my computer to my ps4, I've tried it with other files and it works fine but I get the message "there was a problem playing this item" on the ps4 when I select to play an MKV. They do show up in the library etc."

Play MKV on PS4 Pro

Why PS4 Pro won't play MKV files?

Like its predecessor, PS4, the PS4 Pro offers a built-in Media Player app for you to play video, music and photo files stored on external USB storage devices or media server. Although MKV is fortunately included in PS4 Pro Media Player app supported file formats, however, you may find that you can only play MKV files that strictly comply with the following standards on PS4 Pro.
- Video: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level4.2
- Audio: MP3, AAC LC, AC-3 (Dolby Digital)

It is well known that MKV is a multimedia container can hold various different video or audio codec listed below:
Video Codec: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (A)SP, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, H.265/HEVC, VC-1/WMV, Real Video, Theora, Microsoft MPEG4 V2, VP8, VP9, MVC
Audio Codec: MP3, WMA, Vorbis, Opus, AAC, AC3, DTS, PCM, LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, DTS-HD
If the MKV file are encoded with above listed incompatible video codec, you are definitely fail to open them with PS4 Pro Media Player app, if the MKV file are encoded with unsupported audio codec, you will only receive video but no audio when viewing on PS4 Pro. To fix this video audio incompatible issue, you can download Pavtube Video Converter (best video converter review), which can comprehensively convert all MKV files to PS4 Pro Media Player app readable H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile Level4.2 video codec. To get the proper audio codec, you can adjust the output profile audio codec parameters in the program's "Profile Settings" window to output the compatible AAC, MP3 and AC3 audio codec.

Tips for playing MKV on PS4 Pro from USB

If you plan to play the converted files on PS4 Pro from a USB drive, make sure that the drive must be formatted with either the exFAT or FAT32 file system, as the PS4 Pro can't read NTFS file system. In addition, you must place the video in Folders so that PS4 Pro can detect them correctly. The video files can be in any folder, but they need to be in a folder and not on the foot of the drive.

Tips for streaming MKV files to PS4 Pro via DLNA or Plex Media Server

If you don't want to connect USB drives directly to your PS4 Pro and ferry media files back and forth that way, you can stream videos and music from a DLNA server to your PlayStation 4. The PS4 Media Player app will detect compatible DLNA servers on your home network and offer them as options right alongside any connected USB devices when you open it. If you wish to stream over the network, Plex Media Server would be the best media server for you, for detailed information, please visit this article: stream media to PS4 via Plex Media Server.

For Mac users, you can download Pavtube Video Converter for Mac to convert MKV to PS4 Pro on Mac OS X El Capitan or macOS Sierra.

How to Convert and Play MKV Files for PS4 Pro Playback from USB or Media Server?

Step 1: Load MKV files into the program.

After the successful installation, click "File" > "Add Video/Audio" or "Add from Folder" to load unsupported MKV files into the program.

Load unsupported MKV files

Step 2: Specify output file format.

Click "Format", from its drop-down option, choose PS4 Pro Media Player app supported MP4 video codec from "Common Video" > "H.264 High Profile Video(*.mp4)" to output.

Output PS4 Pro supported video codec

Step 3: Output compatible audio codec.

Click "Settings" to open "Profile Settings" window, under "Audio" section, click "codec" drop-down list and select one of PS4 Pro Media Player app playable aac, mp3 or ac3 audio codec. You can also adjust other settings according to your own needs.

Step 4: Start Start the conversion.

After all setting is completed, hit right-bottom "Convert" button to begin the conversion from MKV to PS4 Pro Media Player app supported video and audio codec conversion process.

When the conversion is completed, click "Open Output Folder" to pop out the folder with converted files, then you can easily transfer and play converted files on PS4 Pro via an external USB drive.

What's Next? Price: $35