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What is difference between MKV and MP4?

Converting MKV to MP4, and hardcoding SRT files into MP4

  • 2 related questions about creating/editing MP4 files to play on my Sony Bravia TV: 1) converting MKV files to MP4, and 2) hardcoding subtitiles - specifically SRT files - into my MP4 files. Ok, Hivemind, I've got some pretty basic video editing "stuff" that I'd like some help with. I'm sure some of you know how to do these things better than I do, or at least in the "best way" that there is to do them, so I'd like to query you all on how to accomplish these tasks. 1) What's the best way to convert MKV files to MP4 to play on my Sony Bravia TV? I've got a bunch of MKV files that I'd like to convert to MP4 files to be able to play on my Sony Bravia TV. The MKV files won't play on the TV, and are really large files anyway – like, file sizes of 4 to 6 GB. I'd like to make MP4 files out of the MKV files, which preserve the quality of the MKV files as much as possible, but are only about 2.5 to 3 GB in file size. I would normally use Handbrake for this, but that program seems to have gotten rid of the ability to choose your file size. Plus, I don't know if that is the best program to accomplish this anyway, and even if it is, I don't know what settings to use for it. What suggestions do you guys have to accomplish this task? The more detailed instructions that you can provide me with (i.e., what settings I have to choose in whatever program I use to do this), the better. 2) What's the best way to hard code SRT files into MP4 files, without sacrificing video quality? Again, I feel like Handbrake should be able to do this, if I knew what settings to choose. The TV will only play MP4 files, and won't load external SRT files to be played along with the video files. So hard coding the video files with the subtitles seems to be my only option. I just don't want to sacrifice video quality or substantially increase the file size when doing this. Thanks.

  • Answer:

    http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/298094-How-to-convert-any-video-AVI-or-MP4-or-MKV-with-burned-in-subtitles, a pretty explicit walk-through, to the process. Remember that the filetype is only important at the start and finish-- all the files involved are just containers for video and audio streams, and each of those streams has its own encoding format, aka codec. You'll also be demuxing (demultiplexing, in this context meaning splitting audio from video) and remuxing (multiplexing/re-combining a+v). Don't let this make you nervous-- the most likely outcome is that they'll re-mux in sync.

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You might try Freemake Video Converter (Windows). Videohelp.com and Doom9.net are the definitive sites learning file-conversion; Doom9 is more about DVD Backup (ahem) and both sites learn towards Windows platform as there is the greatest variety of free tools. Both sites are friendly to the subtitle-using community, and both sites are loaded with guides of all kinds. Both mp4 and mkv filestypes are just containers for video and audio streams; most like the mkv has H.264 video and AAC audio; if you want shrink it, you'll have to cut the bitrate in proportion to the filesize change-- sounds like about 45-50% is what you're talking. But fortunately, mp4 and Sony Bravia are both cool with H.264, so you don't need to introduce a new video codec. Also, I think you'll want to do both steps at once if possible; making two transcodes (first to shrink, second to hardcode subs) will reduce quality compared to a single pass. http://www.videohelp.com/tools/GOTSent might be right up your alley. Your usage isn't exactly what it was designed to do, but it appears capable of doing what you need in a single pass. PS-- be patient-- transcoding can take time. Put your computer to work overnight and while you're away.

Sunburnt

whoops, that should be AC3 audio, not AAC.

Sunburnt

Renaming my .MKV files to .MP4 worked for me.... and I have no idea why. I read somewhere that .MKV was just an Apple proprietary wrapper format for DRM purposes, and many files that are putatively .MKV can actually be played as .MP4's. I got into this because my Samsung BD player refused to even SEE .MKV files, but in fact plays them fine when I simply rename them to .MP4.

pjern

MKV's an open format, MP4.. I'm not sure, but it does strongly reek of Apple. Sometimes renaming a file will get it past a file-filter that is really the only thing preventing a player from working, but it must support both codecs inside.

Sunburnt

Try GotSent or MKV2PS3, both remux mkv files to MP4, and are quite fast. There is no re-encoding taking place as far as I've heard, it's just changing the container, not the actual file. Takes about five minutes for a 2 gig file. MKV2PS3 has had some issues, and there's another program that sometimes needs to be used to strip certain metadata from the file. Other than that, great solution, and free.

Ghidorah

In regards to #2, hardcoding subs to mp4s is not really much of an option. Handbrake will "soft" code subs in, but will only play them on an iOS device with Subtitles turned on. The only way I've been able to get subs to mp4s is to hardcode the subs into an avi file, then convert to mp4. Sorry that doesn't help much. WRT to file size, I'd suggest fooling around with your video bitrate settings to get the file size to where you want it. Alternatively, go http://www.oldapps.com/handbrake.php or http://mac.oldapps.com/handbrake.php for older versions of Handbrake that give you the output file size option.

kuanes

Thanks for all the responses, everyone!

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