New to .MKV

[orangecat]

So far I have downloaded a bunch of old TV shows and stuff and they are all .MKV and only about 300-400Mb each episode. They are really high quality and I am starting to love .MKV but I know nothing about ti or even how to make my own .MKV videos. Can anyone inform me about how to use .MKV to render videos and stuff i really want to get a capture card and save my own TV shows and archive them.

 

PS: I'm using VLC player to watch .MKV videos.

[Darkfeign]

MKV is a crazy format, I was dumbfounded when I realised how well it compressed files and retained quality.

 

There's a nice program called MakeMKV that will sort you out for generating MKV files. There's also handbrakefor all your compression needs. Handbrake is free, MakeMKV I believe is trial based.

[rashdanml]

MKV is called a "container" format. It's not a video format by itself. Container formats contain a video stream, multiple audio streams and multiple subtitle streams, allowing you to select which one you want. The video itself is usually encoded using x264, which is what gives it the good quality at lower file sizes. Technically, the video could be encoded using XviD or DivX and still be MKV. 

 

MP4 is another container format. 

 

.AVI is basically a single video and audio stream, typically encoded using DivX or XviD. Subtitles are usually forced or separated out. 

 

There are a bunch of programs that let's you create MKV/MP4 files. Avidemux is a good option, has support for different video encoding formats. 

[obsidian1200]

Actually .mkv isn't a video codec. It's a container with a video stream, usually in h.264, an audio stream, and possibly subtitle streams, which usually vary from .srt (Subrip Text, basically plain text paired with timings) format or .ssa (Subsation Alpha, similar to .srt but allows for greater styling options), all of which add up to a video file. The .mp4 and .m4v file formats can also contain h.264 video, similar audio streams to .mkv, but has limited subtitle support, usually just .srt.

 

Chances are really good that your .mkv files contain h.264 video, because it compresses to small files without compromising too much on quality. My favorite h.264 video encoder would be Handbrake, which allows for multiple video codecs (meaning it can encode videos in codecs other than h.264), containers, audio streams, subtitle options, etc. As Darkfeign mentioned, MakeMKV can assist in converting your disc-based media to .mkv files, however they can use other formats that aren't as space-efficient as h.264, such as MPEG-2 (DVD), VC-1 (HD-DVD and some Blu Ray), and high bit-rate h.264 video, which the program labels as MPEG-4. For the original picture and audio quality, you'll want to stop here, but if you're looking for files that are also small and look good, then you'll want to turn to handbrake to re-encode the files.

 

Of course, the legality of making your own personal copies of such media depends on your country, so check your laws before attempting (or just don't tell anyone, since I don't think anyone who does this for personal use and not sharing has ever been prosecuted, knock-on-wood).

[Chevaishr]

well i learned something here   :)   ... my first mkv was with anime 

[orangecat]

Thanks for the info guys.

[orangecat]

well i learned something here   :)   ... my first mkv was with anime 

I'm downloading Eureka Seven and its all .MKV and its really good quality has both english and jap audio tracks along with commentary and a ton of subtitle options.

[MG2R]

+1 on handbrake!

[orangecat]

Actually .mkv isn't a video codec. It's a container with a video stream, usually in h.264, an audio stream, and possibly subtitle streams, which usually vary from .srt (Subrip Text, basically plain text paired with timings) format or .ssa (Subsation Alpha, similar to .srt but allows for greater styling options), all of which add up to a video file. The .mp4 and .m4v file formats can also contain h.264 video, similar audio streams to .mkv, but has limited subtitle support, usually just .srt.

 

Chances are really good that your .mkv files contain h.264 video, because it compresses to small files without compromising too much on quality. My favorite h.264 video encoder would be Handbrake, which allows for multiple video codecs (meaning it can encode videos in codecs other than h.264), containers, audio streams, subtitle options, etc. As Darkfeign mentioned, MakeMKV can assist in converting your disc-based media to .mkv files, however they can use other formats that aren't as space-efficient as h.264, such as MPEG-2 (DVD), VC-1 (HD-DVD and some Blu Ray), and high bit-rate h.264 video, which the program labels as MPEG-4. For the original picture and audio quality, you'll want to stop here, but if you're looking for files that are also small and look good, then you'll want to turn to handbrake to re-encode the files.

 

Of course, the legality of making your own personal copies of such media depends on your country, so check your laws before attempting (or just don't tell anyone, since I don't think anyone who does this for personal use and not sharing has ever been prosecuted, knock-on-wood).

I don't plan on sharing my recorded media but thanks  for the information.

[obsidian1200]

I don't plan on sharing my recorded media but thanks  for the information.

You're welcome, I didn't mean to imply that you planned on sharing it.