MKV to MP4 Guide

[Neohybrid_kai]

Sorry if this seems to be the wrong place, since I want to ask about converting from MKV to AVI hardsubbed for my DiVX player

I managed to convert the file using PS3 video9 into the format I wanted, lowres xvid avi with mp3, but the subtitle was lost. I used VirtualDub to embed the .ass file and, while it works, but this entire process took two phase, I have to do it manually Is there a way to convert the mkv to avi in one go (with the typesetting/styling intact)? because I plan to leave my PC on converting when works.

[AnimeFan188]

Originally Posted by Daiz

Spazthemax, if you want to convert softsubbed MKVs for your PSP, I would heartily suggest XviD4PSP. Despite its name, it actually converts basically everything for a boatloat of different devices.

To make it simple:
1. Have CCCP
2. Go to CCCP settings page 2 and check "Autoload VSFilter"
3. Convert videos for PSP with XviD4PSP

I tried this with:

[gg]_CANAAN_-_-01v2_[3561386D]

Which gave me a 305mb MKV file.

While converting it to AVI format, I got a window labeled "AVI Import Filter", with the
message "Reconstructing Missing Index Block (Aggressive Mode)".

I eventually ended up with a 157.95mb AVI file which only included 19.47 minutes
of the episode, instead of the full 24.

What happened, and what can I do about it?

BTW, my computer is a Sony VAIO VGN-FJ290, using Windows XP.

[[Sakuretsu]]

Sorry for off-topic but..

I'm thinking to encode my own version of K-ON Blu-Ray Disc releases.

Any simple program or process that I can turn 1080p to 720p? I know how to convert mp4 to mkv with no hassle as of now..

Thanks!

[chikorita157]

Converting Video files on a Mac
Although Macs don't have that many encoding tools at allow you to convert MKVs or any video file to a format compatible with iPods and other devices, There are a few programs that allow you to convert these files and don't require much in way of steps to convert it to a suitable file.

Quicktime Pro and Perian
If you own a copy of Quicktime Pro, you can easily convert your video file to a MP4 which will be compatible to a device depending on what you select. Also, Quicktime Pro can hardsub your fansubs, so you don't really need to play around with other programs
1. Open the Video File (It can be any video file, including MKV if you installed Perian)
2. Click Export under the File Menu
3. Under Export, You can select to convert to any of Apple devices (iPhone/iPod/Apple TV) or MP4 format. Select MPEG-4 when converting to devices other than Apples (such as Sony's Playstation 3 or XBOX 360). When you select Export to MP4, you need to first select MP4 as the file format (Not ISMA, or it won't playback on PS3/Xbox 360) H264 as the Video Format, current for resolution (or HD resolutions if your video is in HDTV format) and also recalculate your bitrate (I suggest using a bitrate calculator to determine the best quality). You should also adjust the datarate of the audio if you wish. Once you are finish, just press Save and it should start encoding.

Handbrake
Handbrake is a good and also a open sourced video converter, but it cannot hardsub the subs. Handbrake is useful for ripping DVDs and converting into formats compatible with your devices (MP4). To convert a file, just click "Source" and then select the video file to convert. Then, depending on your device you want to convert to, just select the profile that matches your device and press Start and it should start encoding.

Handbrake have support for subtitles only on DVD movies, not MKV, although it's still helpful as a video converter. Handbrake is also available on Windows.

FFMpegX
FFMpegX is just a frontend to ffmpeg, a open source Unix encoder (costs $15 dollars, although you don't have to register it, but you should to support the developer). You have to manually download the files ffmpegx provide URLs to on the first one and locate them so that the files used for encoding can be used. Afterwards, drag the file you desire to convert to the From area. There are already presets that you can already use, but to hardsub your fansubs, you need to use the mencoder as the encoder in H264 format. This can be done by going to filters and checking the VOB Subtitles option. Note that this only adds the subtitles, but it won't have full support for ASS, so you are stuck with regular subtitles.

Also, make sure you have the best bitrate as possible. You can easily calculate the bitrate for best quality by clicking "Best" button under the bitrate calculator.

Before converting, you may also want to check the Audio bitrate if it's sufficient enough. (192 kbps or higher will give the best experience without any audio distortion with lower bitrates)

There are also profiles to convert to PSP/iPod/iPhone if you wish to use it, but you need to use menencoder mentioned earlier to burn the subtitles stored in a MKV file.

Sometimes, files encoded by ffmpegx may not recognize on the PS3, so you may need to do a reencode using Handbrake to a compatible format.

[AnimeMaster2]

this is completely hard to understand, i know you tried to make it simple but all that to convert 1 file is not simple. No i haven't tried it yet since i am on my way to work now, but i will give it a try after work, but it still seems like a PITA to do.

[mammothb]

Regarding the use of PS3 video converter for GHDpro's method, i think use SUPER video converter is easier, as you can customize more of the choices for yourself, if you want to converter it to fit iPhone or other devices

[chikorita157]

Mentioned in a post why you shouldn't really use SUPER:

SUPER shouldn't be suggested in general. It installs a rather nasty amount of broken DirectShow filters that may, or may not, break your Windows media experience.

If you have a XViD Copy that have the subs hardcoded, you are better off using Handbrake, which is a open sourced video converter and it already have the profiles to encode for PS3, iPhone, iPod, etc.

[greenskye]

I'm trying to follow this guide, but I can't find the following files in my copy of mkvtoolnix I'm using the windows distribution linked to in this guide. Any help?

Originally Posted by martino

list of files that need to be copied
cygz.dll
libcharset.dll
libebml.dll
libiconv.dll
libmatroska.dll
mkvextract.exe

I have mkvextract.exe and a file called libiconv-2.dll but nothing else in the folder is even close to these file names.

[Scha]

Hello!

I have a question about encode mkv files (like in Picture 1), but I can't figure it out myself.

I'm encoding from DVD source. My goal (after using MKVtoolnix Extractor) looks like:

Spoiler:

Picture 1

At Picture 1 you are able to select the Video Track and the Audio track separately, also it shows informations about the codec.
I looked around, and at most fansubs it looked like this, and you can extrace the correct h264 and audio data.

But if I encode it looks like this:

Spoiler:

Picture 2

I'm unable to extract the data, and no matter what I tried, it always ends like this.
I don't know if that matters at all, and what the cause is, but I want to do it correctly.

Do I have a wrong x264 .exe, or is the procedure false?

Programms I tried and looked like Screenshot 2:

Fairuse Wizard 2
StaxRip 1.12
MeGUI 0.3.1

Also I ask myself what the deeper meaning from encoding .VOB to .mkv is, since you mux it again into .mkv with the audio stream aftewardsr? >.>
I know it's only the container, but after demux of VOB, I don't have access to the h264 file. Isn't it possible to demux VOB directly into h264, so you can mux it with the audio afterwards?

Only programm that worked like in Screenshot 1 with video and audio extraction, and giving me a .h264 file after mkvExtraction was
the program Handbrake. But it's somewhat limited in options. It would be nice if it would work out with MeGU(m)I. Maybe Handbrake uses his
own x264 Codec, and others are outdated or "wrong"?

I'm a bit desperated, since I'm a bit new to the encoding/decoding stuff, it's quite frustrating. ^^;

Edit: Well, looks like it works, when I use the container .mp4 and then demux it with MP4box, but I'm confused why it doesn't work with
the container .mkv, hmm. When I use mkvmerge with the produced h264 Codec with audio (+ Subtitles) and mux them together, I have the same
problem like Picture 2 again...
Also, does a demux mean, that data is touched, or is it somewhat lossless to mux and demux stuff?

Thanks for any help in advance,
and sorry if it was asked before.

[Mithinco]

Format Factory works wonders in my experience. It works with mkv with soft subs! I made a tutorial here. You have to use version 1.90 if you want custom settings. It's also free and you can grab it here.

I've tried PSP Video 9, Xvid4PSP, and Videora with no luck when it comes to mkv with subtitles (softsubs).

[Dive12891]

I used the first method and was able to convert just fine. I want to do this to be able to put these videos on my Zune but the zune player says that it does not support the codec used to make the files Zune Error Page It supports MP4 made with H.264 for video and LC-AAC for audio. I looked through the script and as far as I can tell it uses both of these. Am I not seeing something? and Is there a fix for it?

[martino]

It's most likely something to do with levels... but let's just say that I no longer have time to keep updating this guide, the script, and provide support. So unless there's a helpful soul with some time that understands what the first post goes through then you're on your own. You'll have more luck browsing through the other posts and seeing if those approaches don't help you; more specifically http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...499#post950499 and http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...84#post2573484 for example.

[zebra]

Since it's related , I'll post it here.

I convert my videos with mkv2vob. Works fine and the files play on my PS3. The quality is awesome, too.
Only one thing I don't like: The font of the subtitles or should I say the lack of an outline. They are simply white. And that makes them hard to read on light background. Is there a setting in mkv2vob that I'm missing that would convert the subs with the original (good to read) font? Or is it possible to edit the sub of the mpg file and edit an black outline myself? Or do I need another program entirely?

Here are my configs, if it matters:

Spoiler for mkv2vob config:

Thanks in advance for any help

Edit:

Apparently my problem is that mkv2vob converts the .SRT file instead of using the .ASS sub with the fonts. what is really a shame since the program works good and fast. And it's so damn comfortable D:

Since I didn't find a solution I tried the alternate guide from the first page (the one using mkvtoolnix and PS3 Video 9)and created a mp4 file succesfully. The .ass sub is fine now, but now it won't play on my PS3, woot XD It says the data isn't compatible. Did I encode something with Video 9 that I wasn't supposed to?

I was also asking myself if it's possible to convert my videos with mkv2vob (since it was way faster, with same bitrate) to m2ts and add the subs after? Extracting them works fine with mkvtoolnix (even the fonts are extractable).

[Ichipoo]

Originally Posted by greenskye

I'm trying to follow this guide, but I can't find the following files in my copy of mkvtoolnix I'm using the windows distribution linked to in this guide. Any help?

"list of files that need to be copied
cygz.dll
libcharset.dll
libebml.dll
libiconv.dll
libmatroska.dll
mkvextract.exe"

I have mkvextract.exe and a file called libiconv-2.dll but nothing else in the folder is even close to these file names.

I'm having this problem as well. I downloaded mkvtoolnix from the link OP provided and I have NONE of those files as well.

[RaZoR No1]

isnt still there a program, which can convert it with subs?
xvid4psp shows me the softsub but i cant tick it and after converting it wont work.

[kate59588]

Originally Posted by Neohybrid_kai

Sorry if this seems to be the wrong place, since I want to ask about converting from MKV to AVI hardsubbed for my DiVX player

I managed to convert the file using PS3 video9 into the format I wanted, lowres xvid avi with mp3, but the subtitle was lost. I used VirtualDub to embed the .ass file and, while it works, but this entire process took two phase, I have to do it manually Is there a way to convert the mkv to avi in one go (with the typesetting/styling intact)? because I plan to leave my PC on converting when works.

Software that may help you a lot on video conversions is Pavtube MKV Converter , which can easily convert MKV files to other format without losing quality and support 5.1 channel well.

What's more,it handles subtitles well.

Download free trial version and have a try. There is no function or time limitation so you can make full use of it.

software info: www.pavtube.com/mkv-converter/

[RedSwirl]

I haven't read this whole thread (it's late over here) and I'll try some of this in the morning, but I just want to know how to do one thing: turn an MKV softsub into an MP4 hardsub and retail the .ass styling.

Also, why didn't martino just link me to this thread when I asked about this very thing in the Playback forum.

Oh, and Zebra, I had that "unsupported data" problem with PS3Video9 for a while too. It seems you have to specify a framerate - most of the time 23.976. That solved the problem for me, but there's still the subtitle issue.

Somehow I got PS3Video9 to hardcode subtitles on a couple videos, but I haven't been able to reproduce the effect.

[RedSwirl]

Originally Posted by Mithinco

Format Factory works wonders in my experience. It works with mkv with soft subs! I made a tutorial here. You have to use version 1.90 if you want custom settings. It's also free and you can grab it here.

I've tried PSP Video 9, Xvid4PSP, and Videora with no luck when it comes to mkv with subtitles (softsubs).

That method still loses the styling (but let's you reconfigure it a bit). That's okay for shows that just use baseline subtitles.

If you're dealing with something where the sub group has put stuff all over the screen though (like the opening to Durarara or something), all of that styling is ruined and makes everything harder to read.

[RedSwirl]

Originally Posted by GHDpro

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.

I just tried this on my PS3 and it works perfectly.

My one problem is that I still end up with a really huge file after the conversion. A 300MB MKV will come out a 900MB MP4. Is it the bitrate that determines that or is that just the nature of the container?

[Kikuchi]

I have this file I want to convert, but I'm miserably failing :

- Tried to use the alternative guide. I can create the script and load it in the converter but it gives me a 102202 error :/
- Tried using Format factory, and it worked... except that it can't "get" various lines of dialogue. The subtitle file is a plain .srt file. In french if that matters.

The file I want to convert is a 1280*720 h264/aac mp4 file with .srt subtitles. I want to hardsub it for my 360.

Could any one please help me ? I've been trying really hard to do something with it by myself but my time is running out : I need to get this done by the 16th >_<

Thanks a lot to anyone who will bother to help me.