How do I playback .MKV in Windows 7/Windows Media Player 12?

[Kyang]

...

Edited October 10, 2009 by Kyang

[powerade01]

Last time I asked this, I probably missed the response, but once I do this, can I still toggle the subtitles?

Lets keep it ontopic please :) PM him if you have a question about his nonrelated solution to what I asked :)

[Kyang]

Lets keep it ontopic please :) PM him if you have a question about his nonrelated solution to what I asked :)

Ah, sorry. I'll delete the post in question.

[pat50]

For about 2 years now through Vista and now Win 7 I have always used the https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?act=announce&f=12&id=11 codecs for watching the full spectrum of Video formats.

I like also Media Player Classic - Home Cinema x64.

I have read a lot of Forums about different aspects of windows 7 and I do believe that we all should be patient and wait till the beginning of November for some solutions to win7. I have noticed for some reason that lots of suppliers of products, drivers and complementary programs are hanging off till Oct 22 world wide release of windows 7.

After saying that it makes you wonder how much marketing power M$ have over the software world!

[John Freeman]

Im sure it did :rolleyes: just more myths lies and propaganda to promote rubbish unsupported containers.

Well you people have tried just about everything else...

Regardless the method above solves OP's problem dosnt change the quality or filesize and without the use of any splitters codecs or players, And the rusulting files will play in any software player/editor and pretty much anything with a screen (every console/Streamer/Bluray/PMP/PDA Phone...) :p

Couldnt agree more. Mkv is just a useless, standartless container that should die in a fire.

[Leo Natan]

I'll give all the idiots who say anything bad about MKV one reason: Seamless branching. There are of course countless more reasons, but you don't care. You only care what your dumb iPods can play.

DivX Tech Preview: MKV on Windows 7

http://labs.divx.com/mkvwin7preview

This is the best method for Windows 7. It does not install any of the DivX codec crap, it just enables MKV integration with Windows 7, so WMP, WMC, Explorer, etc can all read the MKV format.

[Faks]

Windows media Player 12 is basic .. :(

my recommendation is to use VLC player or other popular player .

also there are few solutions find Codec's packs and install them sometimes helps .

Any Way GL&HF !

[Leo Natan]

The KMPlayer is also very good, and the interface is much better than VLC. :)

[iamwhoiam]

I use CoreAVC (not free) with Haali Splitter and it does a perfect job.

[Julius Caro]

Windows 7 has built in support for H264. So if you're playing MKVs that are encoded in H264, you will one thing:

- The splitter ( Haali Media splitter), which demuxes the thing.

And wmp12 will be able to at get the streams, and the installed codecs will take care of the rest. Win7 already has support for h264, divx, etc. But I had to install the AC3 filters to get audio in some videos. So install that one as well.

I would ignore all those posts that suggest to install a bunch of stuff. Given win7's extended codec support, only the splitter is needed. I think during the installation it asks you whether or not you want it to work to get the video thumbnails in windows explorer.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Julius Caro

[Leo Natan]

The problem with Windows 7's h264 codec is that it only supports up to L4.1 encoded files. If the file is encoded with a level above that (read the Wiki article to see the difference), it will bug.

[Andre]

Just use the latest MPC-HC (64 or 32 bit) with EVR custom output.

- no need for external codecs or splitters, everything is built-in. Personally I was using ffdshow before, but under Win7 there's no real need to do so any more if you use EVR output mode and let MPC handle the codecs.

- plays pretty much everything

- hardware acceleration support

[John Freeman]

I'll give all the idiots who say anything bad about MKV one reason: Seamless branching. There are of course countless more reasons, but you don't care. You only care what your dumb iPods can play.

How about the lack of proper tools to work with mkvs? Like edit i mean? Or do anything else except watching them for that matter? Its almost impossible without remuxing into a proper container.

[darth_vader]

How about the lack of proper tools to work with mkvs? Like edit i mean? Or do anything else except watching them for that matter? Its almost impossible without remuxing into a proper container.

Try MKVToolnix.

[Leo Natan]

How about the lack of proper tools to work with mkvs? Like edit i mean? Or do anything else except watching them for that matter? Its almost impossible without remuxing into a proper container.

And by "lack of proper tools" you probably mean lack of VirtualDub support? Or Windows Movie Maker? :rolleyes:

[John Freeman]

And by "lack of proper tools" you probably mean lack of VirtualDub support? Or Windows Movie Maker? :rolleyes:

Adobe Premiere, Sony Vegas (last time I tried) to name a few.

[Julius Caro]

The problem with Windows 7's h264 codec is that it only supports up to L4.1 encoded files. If the file is encoded with a level above that (read the Wiki article to see the difference), it will bug.

a lot of files back then reported high profile level 5.1 because of a problem with the x264 open source encoder. the vast majority of the encoded videos are not actually L5.1 even if they report it, and I think very few videos do that now

[powerade01]

Windows media Player 12 is basic .. :(

my recommendation is to use VLC player or other popular player .

also there are few solutions find Codec's packs and install them sometimes helps .

Any Way GL&HF !

Just use the latest MPC-HC (64 or 32 bit) with EVR custom output.

- no need for external codecs or splitters, everything is built-in. Personally I was using ffdshow before, but under Win7 there's no real need to do so any more if you use EVR output mode and let MPC handle the codecs.

- plays pretty much everything

- hardware acceleration support

The KMPlayer is also very good, and the interface is much better than VLC. :)

I am not intrested in alternatives thank you :)

I'll give all the idiots who say anything bad about MKV one reason: Seamless branching. There are of course countless more reasons, but you don't care. You only care what your dumb iPods can play.

This is the best method for Windows 7. It does not install any of the DivX codec crap, it just enables MKV integration with Windows 7, so WMP, WMC, Explorer, etc can all read the MKV format.

I just have had past bad expirences with DivX and codec packs are indeed useless.

Windows 7 has built in support for H264. So if you're playing MKVs that are encoded in H264, you will one thing:

- The splitter ( Haali Media splitter), which demuxes the thing.

And wmp12 will be able to at get the streams, and the installed codecs will take care of the rest. Win7 already has support for h264, divx, etc. But I had to install the AC3 filters to get audio in some videos. So install that one as well.

I would ignore all those posts that suggest to install a bunch of stuff. Given win7's extended codec support, only the splitter is needed. I think during the installation it asks you whether or not you want it to work to get the video thumbnails in windows explorer.

The splitter crashes WMP12. I installed it, tried to open a couple of MKVs and it crashed.

[Julius Caro]

It works perfectly for me, never a crash. I think it worked even in the beta.

[bob21]

I'll give all the idiots who say anything bad about MKV one reason: Seamless branching. There are of course countless more reasons, but you don't care. You only care what your dumb iPods can play.

Thats why god (ISO) invented M2TS (another container which has leapfrogged MKV) Of course its not just IPods that cant play MKV thats a humongous understatement considering its only use is to share pirated movies on-line by incompetent fools who think its some kind of magic that shrinks their files.

The only purpose of a media container is to store the streams so that devices can playback the files, A container that 99% of desktop computers don't even regonise as a video is a crap container. By comparison MP4 the ISO standardized container for h.264 will play in any software player/editor and pretty much anything with a screen (every console/Streamer/Bluray/PMP/PDA Phone...) :p

@op If you don't want the Crap Crap Crap Pack/Splitters/Media Players muxing to a mainstream container is the way to go.This isnt transcoding it takes seconds and the quality/size is the same

Edited October 10, 2009 by bob21

[Shivek]

So if I install the DivX MKV thingy, would I be able to play all MKV in WMP12 fine? Would I be able to toggle subtitles?

Also I got another question, does WMP12 play AVI files with AC3 audio fine out-of-the-box?

[bob21]

Also I got another question, does WMP12 play AVI files with AC3 audio fine out-of-the-box?

Yes

[Shivek]

Really? Without any AC3 filter codec and all?

[bob21]

Yes :)

[Udedenkz]

Just wandering, are there any programs that convert MKV to MP4 (for thumbnails extraction purposes only)? Something that all keeps subtitles, all audio tracks, and doesn't take forever - I tried two - one, which is shown in this thread, took forever and forced me to select one language/ one set o' subs, and the other didn't add subs.