Alternative Guide
This version is a bit easier. However, as the video will be re-encoded (even if the subtitles are already encoded into the video), the result will most likely be lower quality.
1. Required Software
-
MKVExtractGUI
-
mkvtoolnix
- VSFilter (part of
CCCP, so you should have it already)
-
PS3 Video 9 (similar tools might also work for other systems such as PSP or Wii)
-
AviSynth (optional - also included in PS3 Video 9!)
The first three files are only necessary if the file you are trying to convert MKV files with soft subtitles.
2. Extracting the subtitles
If the file has soft subtitles, you need to extract the subtitles first using MKVExtractGUI. Make sure you put MKVExtractGUI in the same folder as mkvtoolnix (
C:\Program Files\mkvtoolnix by default) btw.
The subtitle file (shown as S_TEXT/ASS for styled subtitles or S_TEXT/UTF8 for plain subtitles) will be put in the same folder as the video file.
Note: some MKV files also include fonts. You may need to extract and install the fonts (using the Control Panel) in order for the styled subtitles to look just the way they're supposed to look.
3. Write the AVS (AviSynth) file
This is the hard part: writing the AVS file. Actually the hard part is getting the folders and filenames just right (this could be tricky if the file has a complicated filename and is in a folder a few levels deep). Btw, an AVS file is simply a text file with a .AVS file extension.
Write a AVS file that looks like this:
Of course make sure all the paths and filenames are changed to whatever file you want to convert. TIP: right click and select "Rename" on the file you want the filename of, and then press CTRL-C to copy the filename to the clipboard. Then just press CTRL-V to paste the filename in Notepad.
If the MKV file you want to convert does not contain subtitles (in case they're already encoded in the video) leave out line 1 ("LoadPlugin") and line 3 ("TextSub") and keep just line 2 ("DirectShowSource").
Before converting, verify the AVS file works by opening it in MPC (Media Player Classic). If you get a AviSynth error message, you'll need to fix the AVS file.
4. Convert with PS3 Video 9
I'm not going to explain the usage of PS3 Video 9 here, as it's pretty simple. Also you'll need to test for yourself which conversion profile works best for you. But if you have followed the steps above, you should be able to convert the MKV file just like you would any AVI file.
If you need a hint: select "Convert", then "Current conversion" tab. Then just click the "Convert video" button and select the AVS file you just created.
Optional hint
If you go to
Start -> Programs -> Combined Community Codec Pack -> Media Splitter Settings and then under the Options tab enable "Autoload VSFilter" (in Compatibility section), you might be able to skip the whole MKVExtractGUI phase! You probably still need to write the AVS file, but you can get away with just the "DirectShowSource" line (and leave out the others).
Disclaimer
I have neither a PS3 nor a Xbox 360, so I can't test this. But I did succesfully convert various files to PSP format (using PSP Video 9) this way.