MakeMKV is your one-click solution to convert DVD, Blu-ray, UHD and AVCHD discs that you own into MKV. The only thing MakeMKV does — it remuxes/changes the video clips from the disk into a set of MKV files, preserving most information but not changing it in any way(no video and audio reconversion). The MKV format can store multiple video/audio tracks with all meta-information and preserve chapters. There are many players that can play MKV files nearly on all platforms. Decrypt complete Blu-rays and DVDs to HDD or stream directly to your network(UPnP).
What Are MKV Files?
An MKV file is a video file saved in the Matroska multimedia container format. It supports several types of audio and video codecs and may include .SRT, .SSA, .USF (Universal Subtitle Format), or VobSub subtitles. MKV files are typically used for storing short video clips, TV shows, and movies.
Contrary to popular belief, MKV files are not an audio or video compression format. MKV files are actually multimedia container formats. An MKV container can incorporate audio, video, and subtitles into a single file — even if those elements use different types of encoding. For example, you could have a MKV file that contains H.264 video and something like MP3 or AAC for audio.
The Matroska multimedia container format is open source and was originally released in December 2002. It is similar to the .AVI, .ASF, and .MOV formats and can contain any number of video, audio, image, and subtitle tracks. Multimedia files that utilize the Matroska container format and store one or more video tracks are known as Matroska Video files, and are distinguished by the .mkv file extension.
While the MKV format is often used to store short video clips, TV shows, and movies, it has become popular in the anime fan-subbing community. Many of these users create subtitles and the MKV format is especially useful since it supports multiple audio and subtitle tracks in the same file.
MKV container files were designed to be future proof, meaning that the files would not become outdated. Matroska developers included several key features to make this happen, including things like:
Fast seeking
Chapter, menu, and metadata support
Different selectable audio and video streams
Online streaming compatibility
Subtitle (hard-coded and soft-coded) support
Error recovery, which allows for playback of corrupted files
The MKV container itself also supports almost any audio and video format, making the format highly adaptive and easy to use.
How to Play MKV Files?
Because MKV isn’t an industry standard, not all media players support it — even though support has grown rapidly. You have two main options for playing MKV files: using an MKV compatible media player or downloading the appropriate codecs for the media player you prefer.
MakeMKV is your one-click solution to convert DVD, Blu-ray, UHD and AVCHD discs that you own into MKV. The only thing MakeMKV does — it remuxes/changes the video clips from the disk into a set of MKV files, preserving most information but not changing it in any way(no video and audio reconversion). The MKV format can store multiple video/audio tracks with all meta-information and preserve chapters. There are many players that can play MKV files nearly on all platforms. Decrypt complete Blu-rays and DVDs to HDD or stream directly to your network(UPnP).
How to Edit MKV Files
As with any other video type, you can add new subtitles to an MKV video or even remove them, plus make custom chapters for the video. Try editing with the free entry-level MKV editing program for Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Supported subtitle formats include SRT, PGS/SUP, VobSub, and SSA. You can delete subtitles that are soft-coded into the MKV file or even add your own custom subtitles. The Chapter Editor portion of the program lets you make start and end times for custom video chapters.
