I've never had an .avi not work on PS3, but these days I run everything through ps3 media server anyway.

most files works for me:p

Yeah every file I tryed work for me and I constantly download episodes of series that america is showing now and europe won't get for months. Is your PS3 updated to the latest firmware?

Why don't you buy or rent the movie on DVD or Blu-Ray instead of downloading an illegal copy?

At least you are sure that your PS3 will play them...

Not every movie file downloaded is illegal.

WMV is a microsoft format and Sony probably didn't pay the licensing fee to use the format. (not a lot of companies do)

EDIT: as forevercloud stated below, you have to do the liscensing thing (lol, I've never used my PS3 for videos other than off PSN )

As for AVI, AVI is really a wrapper and it could be using one of any number of codecs available. Depending on who encoded the AVI file it may not be compatible with the PS3. On PCs it isn't an issue as you just install another codec.

never really had the PS3 struggle with WMVs(surprisingly enough), you just need to do the liscensing thing in the settings in order for it to work. AVIs on the other hand, the PS3 is very finiky of their encoding. An AVI is basically a folder holding a music format type and a video format type and going at a relative speed of some sort. If they aren't to PS3 standards it will not play. I too have had to re-encode a few videos, or even just turn to simple MP4 in order for it to play.

Another note: If you have IPOD encoded MP4s, they will not work on PSP or PS3(to my knowledge) but there is a program specifically made for PSP that will format it to the right type. Any Video that will Play on PSP will play on PS3.

PS3 is, surprisingly, compatible with WMV. I guess maybe it came with VC1 for the few blu-rays that use it?

It also covers most regular formats (including older DivX codecs that X360 no longer supports). Subtitles are the real problem, which is why anyone would be better of with a transcoding media server anyway. This one, for example:

http://code.google.com/p/ps3mediaserver/

Like 1% of what you can find on torrent? You have to be quite naive to think that he was talking about something else.

AVI video = A Very Illegal video :P