Chaning a MKV into any format without any quality lost?

[SignedupGuest]

I have this MKV. I throw it in VirtualDubMod and the bastard goes *** of *** and the first numbers never stop

How would I convert to any other format that VirtualDubMod can use so I can edit it?

edit: I had this problem with a TS in the past. I had used MPEG_Streamclip.exe. But MPEG_Streamclip.exe will not work with mkv....

[buzzqw]

simply demux it with mkvextract gui

and do what ever you want

BHH

[SignedupGuest]

When I start that program I this error:

mkvextract.exe and/or mkvmerge.exe file not found in the same MKVextractGUI folder. Copy them into this folder and try again.

It will still start, but when I click on "..." and select my file I get this error:

Error creating Chilg Process.
CreateChildProcess(exeName, CommandLine, FChildstdoutWr)"

Then when I hit Uncat it will make a other file with the same name. After the long wait, I get this error in Media Player Classic

Invalid first byte of EBML ID: 00

Then MPC gives me a error about not having the codecs. VBM tell me no video stream has been found.

edit: Any other suggestions?

[Baldrick]

you need mkvtoolnix, extract the files to same folder as mkvextractgui

[SignedupGuest]

you need mkvtoolnix, extract the files to same folder as mkvextractgui

Bah, with my good luck today my ISP Sha_w cut me off. But anyway...

I tried both programs. Both do not work. Even with no errors. The first program posted still give me the same error as original. While the new program you posted give me lots of error in VirtualDubMod.

Maybe a program to convert from mkv to wmv/mpg? I am at a lost at why its doing this in the first place...

[SignedupGuest]

Going 2 bed soon... any other ideas?

[SignedupGuest]

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 83 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 41 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 250 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 208 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 417 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 375 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 584 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 542 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 750 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 709 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 917 ms) had only a forward reference (maybe
broken file).

ECT to:

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 911203 ms) had only a forward reference
(maybe broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 911369 ms) had only a forward reference
(maybe broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 911453 ms) had only a forward reference
(maybe broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 912037 ms) had only a forward reference
(maybe broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 912120 ms) had only a forward reference
(maybe broken file).

[!] MKV: A frame of stream 2 (at 912204 ms) had only a forward reference
(maybe broken file).

[!] MKV: Video frames seems to be weirdly ordered.

[!] Couldn't locate decompressor for format 'ÿÿÿÿ' (unknown).
VirtualDub requires a Video for Windows (VFW) compatible codec to
decompress video. DirectShow codecs, such as those used by Windows Media
Player, are not suitable. Only 'Direct stream copy' is available for this
video.

[SignedupGuest]

Have I stumped the whole video editing community or is my tread title not good enough ?

[celtic_druid]

Looks like native AVC. As the popup states when you first run VDubMod; its mkv support is out of date and native AVC is one such feature that it can't handle.

mkvtoolnix is the way to go as already suggested. mkvextract will give you a raw H.264 stream though. You can then remux that to mp4 though using yamb/mp4box. No quality loss. You could then use AVIDemux to edit.

[SignedupGuest]

How do I make a h.264? I made one yesterday but I do not remember how...

[SignedupGuest]

God I am starting to hate this format... Its such a pain....

[SignedupGuest]

Why arent there any new release of virtualDubMod anyway?....

[SignedupGuest]

ok Wilisoft.... first program that actually works....

Problem is it turns it into a avi and there is a watermark...

[SignedupGuest]

ok... my last tread was deleted....

It all comes down 2 this: How can I change a mkv to avi

edit: ok looks like River Past Video Editor will work...

[celtic_druid]

There is a fundamental flaw in VDubMod. Like regular VDub it is based on VfW which simply can't handle the advanced features of mkv. That I guess is one reason for the lack of updates. The other is that changes made to VDub 1.6.x made updating complex.

For no quality loss from mkv to avi, you would need to use mkvextract and then avc2avi. The audio may need re-encoding before muxing to avi and if the video is VFR, then it will be out of sync.

[digitalfreaknyc]

Dude...i'm having the same problem.

I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE this format.

I have an HD file clip in MKV and I have no idea how to change it into an AVI or even a MOV...or MPG2. I don't care what it is but I just want it out of it.

I've tried the other two programs and all i get are errors.

[Baldrick]

Just don't download clips in that format then or just play them with videolan and be happy...don't convert...

It will take some time until video tools will have good support for mkv,mp4 with h264 video...

[SignedupGuest]

Try River past video cleaner. If that works, then you will need to get a full version.

[redwudz]

SignedupGuest, you've put yourself between the site administrator and one of the 'mod's. You should have followed your own advice from your signature. Your comment about 'finding' a full addition could be interpreted as advocating Warez and will get you problems here. I suggest you modify your response.

Moderator redwudz

[Supreme2k]

You may also want to think about what you want to say before you post. There's really no need to post several times in such a short span, one after another.

[SignedupGuest]

Redwudz: Good advice, they are legit software 2. They actually give you a output. I changed "find" to "get". Edit: ah you a mod... I made that signature after I trashed a mod because he did not know what he was talking about, then he closed my tread :P

You may also want to think about what you want to say before you post. There's really no need to post several times in such a short span, one after another.

Check the dates man. Old tread....

I just lose it when I cannot save streaming video or a video I have is giving me problems. Ive wasted so many countless hours on this bs (throughout the years) I just get very angry when it doesn't work... I had also gotten in trouble of downloading all these videos (ISP problems), so I was pretty angry I could not edit them.

.... this forum make me look bad... I always come here when I am pissed off... :P

[digitalfreaknyc]

Just don't download clips in that format then or just play them with videolan and be happy...don't convert...

It will take some time until video tools will have good support for mkv,mp4 with h264 video...

Don't have a choice. Some people insist on making their HD material in MKV and that can't be burned to make an HD DVD without converting it.

[celtic_druid]

You would prefer they upload the massive original MPEG-2? They would have gone with mkv so that they could use AVC video, possibly together with some non mp4 compliant audio such as AC3.

Generally speaking mkv is chosen because some of its advanced features are required and the trouble people run into when converting is due to the use of these features, not just the fact that it is an mkv file.

If you had say a mkv with VBR mp3 audio and CFR VfW video, then you can simply remux to avi, no issues at all, just a slightly larger file due to mkv's lower overhead.

[davidsonm]

Ok guys, first of all yes you can convert MKV video files with VFR to AVI (CFR) while retaining all of the visual quality of VFR.

Now please keep in mind that I have only been using this method so far on MKV Rurouni Kenshin episodes. I have not tested this method on other MKV encodes so I don't have a wide enough frame of reference to be able to say how succesfull or not this will be with other MKV VFR encodes (like H264 MKV..)

The episodes I have tested and confirmed this to have worked on used MKV VFR Divx5 video.

First the programs you will need:

For extracting the timecode + all the VFR video frames into a new CFR avi file:

MKV2vfr (command line program, outputs V1 timecode file*)
http://haali.cs.msu.ru/mkv/

or (optional alternative)

MKVExtractGUI (as long as you get MKVExtractGUI to go with MKVtoolnix it will have GUI, outputs V2 timecode file)
I got a few episodes however that would make TC-GUI say invalid timecode with this program so I decided to stick with MKV2vfr for this guide, but you may wish to experiment with this program as well.


For taking the extracted AVI file (either going to be too long or too short in time length until we do this part) and timecode file we got from either of those first 2 programs and creating a NEW AVI ~120 FPS CFR file.

TC2CFR (use TC-GUI that comes with the zip package)
http://bengal.missouri.edu/~kes25c/#c3

Now firstly we need to extract a CFR AVI and timecodes file from the original MKV file/video.
For example now, I will be doing this with the MKV of Rurouni Kenshin episode 81.

Now you see, since I'm not really used to doing command line stuff just for simplicity I've moved the mkv2vfr program and the original MKV file into a new folder in the root of my C drive called EP81. I've also renamed the MKV file from the goofy name it had to simply Kenshin81.mkv (easier to type in command window later)



Now I'm going to assume you guys know your basic DOS commands. We need to get into that C:\EP81 directory now in the command window and make mkv2avi extract the AVI and timecode file.



Ok now all done, if succesfull your C:\EP81 directory will now have those files in it.



Now we move onto the 2nd part, using TC-GUI to take the timecode file and the extracted AVI and make a new CFR avi file that retains most/all of the original VFR frames and also retains the original length of the video.

But first we need to do something to the timecode file to make TC-GUI understand how to read it. For some reason mkv2vfr outputs a V1 timecode file but doesn't label it properly. All you have to do is open up the timecode file and add this line:

# timecode format v1

So the timecode file will look like this:



After you insert that line and save over the original timecode file with it, you're done that part.

Now you need to open up TC-GUI and select the tab that says tc2cfr. Once selected you can add in the appropriate files you've made. For output file just make it whatever file name you want but should make it different from the source avi.



Now you will notice that at the bottom it has the FPS setting. This setting is default to 120000/1001 "119.88" This setting has to be the lowest common denominator of the lowest and highest (approximate) frame rate of the VFR video. If you remember seeing the timecode, you can tell just from looking at that file that the min frame rate is approximatly 24 FPS and the maximum frame rate is 30 FPS. In reality this is more closer to 23.98 and 29.97 but I will show you that using a lowest common denominator calculator I found on the net, it is indeed 120 FPS. Really simple math that shouldn't need a calculator anyway but here it is just to show:



In reality it would be a bit less because of the FPS being a bit less then 24 and 30 so we'll leave the FPS setting for this encode at 120000/1001 "119.88".

Now just click run and it will make the output file. Once the output file is done, you have your new ~120 FPS CFR AVI file that has taken enough of the VFR frames into account that you will not notice a stuttering or lesser quality from the original.

Now you can re-encode this new AVI as you wish, perhaps to MPEG2 for DVD authoring, or whatever you want to do with it's up to you.

- Mark

[davidsonm]

Oh and lesson learned: Try to avoid having to re-encode MKV to AVI altogether if you can.

- Mark

[digitalfreaknyc]

You would prefer they upload the massive original MPEG-2? They would have gone with mkv so that they could use AVC video, possibly together with some non mp4 compliant audio such as AC3.

Generally speaking mkv is chosen because some of its advanced features are required and the trouble people run into when converting is due to the use of these features, not just the fact that it is an mkv file.

If you had say a mkv with VBR mp3 audio and CFR VfW video, then you can simply remux to avi, no issues at all, just a slightly larger file due to mkv's lower overhead.

Yes I would. You can burn an MPEG2. You can't burn an MKV.

And it's only a music video. 5 minutes. It's not a full movie. Those are almost always TS's.

[celtic_druid]

If you are converting to MPEG-2, then probably AVISyth with DirectShowSource("whatever.mkv", fps=119.88, convertfps=true) would have the same effect.

You can burn an mkv, you can burn anything, data is data.

Guess the people encoding/uploading don't prefer MPEG-2 TS.

[digitalfreaknyc]

If you are converting to MPEG-2, then probably AVISyth with DirectShowSource("whatever.mkv", fps=119.88, convertfps=true) would have the same effect.

You can burn an mkv, you can burn anything, data is data.

Guess the people encoding/uploading don't prefer MPEG-2 TS.

Sure you can burn it.

But it can't be played in an HD DVD player. MPEG2 can.