windows 8 Playing MKV files in the Windows 8 Video App

[Eric Veteran]

Install Codec pack :D

Please read the thread first. DirectShow codecs do not work with the Xbox Video app. :)

[AngelGraves13]

Try LAV Filters.

[Mackster]

Was able to play a mp4 with h.264 stream, high profile 3.1, ac3 5.1 track, in the Metro video player. However, no artwork, no subtitle. If that could work as well, or if someone knows how to make it work without installing third party stuff... then most of my media issues on Windows are solved.

[George P Global Moderator]

I expect the easy way to get videos to work will be using some custom conversion tool for now. I remember people did/do the same to get mkvs to work with things like the Xbox 360 etc without having to use a 3rd party media server app.

[vcfan]

I expect the easy way to get videos to work will be using some custom conversion tool for now. I remember people did/do the same to get mkvs to work with things like the Xbox 360 etc without having to use a 3rd party media server app.

nah, they'll be an mkv parser soon enough. not that hard. i would do it if i gave a flying bleep about mkv. just wait for it,the passionate mkv guys will have it for you.

[George P Global Moderator]

nah, they'll be an mkv parser soon enough. not that hard. i would do it if i gave a flying bleep about mkv. just wait for it,the passionate mkv guys will have it for you.

That's interesting, I honestly don't know much about the difference between media foundation compared to the old direct show and if you can even do the same stuff or if you're forced to write your own app (like VLC for example) if you want all that stuff on the winrt side.

[Joni_78]

Try LAV Filters.

That won't solve the problem, but I'm amazed everyone here still uses Haali splitter, swap to LAV filters. A lot better than outdated Haali splitter. Head to Doom9 to read more.

[George P Global Moderator]

Reading a bit more about Media Foundation etc, it seems that all we'd really need is for people to port their directshow filters into Media Foundation Transforms (MFTs). Though again, I dunno if installing these means that the built in Xbox Video/Music apps gain the support or if you'd have to actually write a whole new app.

[neo1911]

Any update on getting default video player to play mkv files?

[Kasper Hovgaard]

I have often been wondering WHY neither Apple nor Microsoft have ever supported ANY of the open source container formats - not even the most successful ones, such as FLAC and Matroska (MKV) although they have both been around for over 10 years, and become some of the most popular media formats during the last 5 years? :iiam:

From a simple logical-commercial perspective this makes no sense at all. It would cost them nothing to support these formats, and it would increase the popularity of their hardware devices and software even more... so WHY don't they support it?

The only logical answer I can come up with is commercial interests.

Apple is a patent/rights owner when it comes to Quicktime codecs and containers just like Microsoft owns all licenses to the WMx formats.

We have the same situation with Sony, Canon or Adobe who have all developed their own codecs and media standards. None of these manufacturers support MKV either.

All of these companies also make a gigantic profit from MPEG 2/4 licenses via the MPEG-LA consort.

They make extra money each time a hardware manufacturer or a commercial software producer launches a product capable of playing these particular formats, or whenever a TV broadcaster is de facto forced to support Apple's or Microsoft's media platforms.

On the other hand, they would make no money from Vorbis, FLAC, VP8 or Dirac - or if either MKV and WebM became de facto media delivery or streaming standards.

That is essentially why I seriously doubt that we will ever see native MKV support on any Apple or Microsoft device. They insist that you should use their standards regardless whether there is a better format or not.

[theyarecomingforyou]

I have often been wondering WHY neither Apple nor Microsoft have ever supported ANY of the open source container formats - not even the most successful ones, such as FLAC and Matroska (MKV) although they have both been around for over 10 years, and become some of the most popular media formats during the last 5 years?

Because the primary use for such formats is pirated content and neither company wants to be seen to be facilitating piracy. That shouldn't matter?as the same was true of MP3?but Microsoft likes to make things as difficult as possible. That's why .nfo files open with System Information and produce an error message.

Really Microsoft should embrace commonly used formats like MKV and FLAC.

[Growled Member]

Really Microsoft should embrace commonly used formats like MKV and FLAC.

I agree. It's a shame that they do not.

[George P Global Moderator]

Even if they're not supported by MS I'm pretty sure that even a metro player could be written to support them so it's not a lost cause really. Heck if flac was used as much as mp3 is then maybe things would be different.

[TPreston]

I have often been wondering WHY neither Apple nor Microsoft have ever supported ANY of the open source container formats - not even the most successful ones, such as FLAC and Matroska (MKV) although they have both been around for over 10 years, and become some of the most popular media formats during the last 5 years? :iiam:

In the piracy scene, Outside there there is feck all use its all either iso mp4 or bluray.

It took them years to get tagged mp4 I wouldn't hold my breath for mkv.

What if I want Chapters ?

MP4 did it first.

Subtitles ?

Mp4 has it.

FLAC Audio ? DTS ? Any of the HD Audio Formats [ TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc ] ?

There's a container & disk format for that! Bluray

How about 3D Support since that is getting popular..

No container change needed

How about if I don't want to pay the MPEG-LA for the rights to use it in my hardware ? MP4 is not a "free" container, it's full of patents.

Was its been released as the MPEG are developing its replacemetn.

MKV is superior in every single way outside of Native support. Why ? Because pirates use it.. why? Because it's Better.

Anyone can make a container that holds anything, Lets use the humble zip file itll hold anything even text files! Now all we need is every manufacturer to get decent hardware and software support shouldnt take long.

It's the same reason it took a while to get MP3 support in lots of hardware players, or Xvid/DivX support..

The above offered enhanced compression not needless incompatibility.

I've encoded or remuxed almost all of my DVD's and Blurays into H264 MKV's.. Best video with best audio, chapters, subtitles if needed. Telling me or anything else to go backward to MP4 is like telling people to go back to AVI, or RM. It's inferior, in almost every way.

And ive mine tagged with all the metadata inside including the poster and have better audio compression all with out of the box support on all devices.

Its fine as a container for open codecs like ogg but we already have perfectly good and supported containers for highly compressed and lossless media

[theyarecomingforyou]

In the piracy scene, Outside there there is feck all use its all either iso mp4 or bluray.

It took them years to get tagged mp4 I wouldn't hold my breath for mkv.

And yet everyday consumer products support such formats without issue.

[ViperAFK]

mp4 is also huge in the piracy scene, its the current standard for SD scene releases, does that mean microsoft shouldn't support mp4? The piracy argument is completely stupid and pointless, mkv isn't exclusively used for piracy.

[LaP]

Alternatively you can just convert the files to a standard MP4 container.

Why would he does that ?

He's using windows not linux. It's supposed to be easy and painless.

[TPreston]

And yet everyday consumer products support such formats without issue.

And in the same time mp4 has become ubiquitous from browsers to broadcast to catch up tv. If you see digital video anywhere or record it chances are its mp4. Its now at the end of its life and mkvs hardware support is still pathetic the software support is even worse.

[ctrl_alt_delete]

I use media player codec pack 4.2.5 and play the MKV files through windows media player. I also use media player to stream to my dlna TV so I can watch 3D content easily whether they're encoded in MKV or AVI.

I'm really not sure why you would want to use the windows 8 video player....it doesn't support "off the shelf" codecs.

[LaP]

Wow i see some people are still trying to defend MS, Apple nor any other company for not supporting mkv files. Spin it the way you want a media player without mkv support these days is fail. There's absolutely no good reason outside of collaborating with the mpaa (if this is one dunno) for not supporting it.

[ctrl_alt_delete]

Wow i see some people are still trying to defend MS, Apple nor any other company for not supporting mkv files. Spin it the way you want a media player without mkv support these days is fail. There's absolutely no good reason outside of collaborating with the mpaa (if this is one dunno) for not supporting it.

it's not even about defending anyone. there are probably hundreds if not thousands of media players out there than can be downloaded to support the MKV container. you can even download codecs for Windows Media Player to support MKV so you can then stream to your TV or xbox without a need to convert. I watch 3D MKV files all the time streamed from my laptop to my LG TV.

the average person have no clue what MKV files are and those who know about MKV files should know how to install a codec or download a player that supports it. it's that easy Microsoft or apple or any other company does not have to support it, just that they make facilities in their applications that facilitate the addition of the codec. I don't get what your problem is really. I really don't get it. please explain to me what your problem is because right now it seems you want a company to go out their way to include something that you can easily include in your install yourself.

if you want to call it defending, then so be it. but stop the nonsense that you think they should cater to your needs when you can easily do it yourself.

[LUTZIFER]

Shark007 Codecs is awesome. A must have.

[LaP]

I don't get what your problem is really. I really don't get it. please explain to me what your problem is because right now it seems you want a company to go out their way to include something that you can easily include in your install yourself.

My problem ?

I don't have any problem. It's just that people lose time writing an essay about why mkv support is not important (it's for pirates, mp4 is better, bla bla) while the simple fact is mkv is a popular file container and a self respecting media player should support it out of the box. End of story.

[Brandon Live Veteran]

That's why .nfo files open with System Information and produce an error message.

Um, no.

Why would he does that ?

He's using windows not linux. It's supposed to be easy and painless.

I don't remember any Windows marketing suggesting that pirating videos or playing obscure non-standard video formats would be "easy and painless." Besides, converting MKVs to MP4 using HandBrake is pretty easy and painless.

[vcfan]

mobile.hd media player works great with MKV. its fast and seeking is even faster than when I use a filter with WMP. its $3.49 though,but its still cheap.