Is there way to edit MKV (h264)?

[jiopi]

Seems to be impossible task, tried avidemux, but it doesn't work properly.

Is there a Holy Grail that gives you possibility to edit the container from hell in this day of technologically advanced society?

[Lawbringer]

Please post more information - what's the video resolution, bitrate, etc.

What hardware/software setup do you have? What are you trying to accomplish - just snip a bit here and there, apply effects, etc.?

Bashing the MKV container is not going to help.

[jiopi]

720p-1080p, 5mbps-10mbps, Win7 x64. Edit: cut clips, join them main priorities, also maybe add/ extract audio tracks.

[dylz]

avidemux can do all if not most of that stuff, open mkv > go file append the pick second file to join to first, there's video resize filter's under video filters, you can adjust quality levels and filesize outputs, and to extract audio make sure audio is set to copy go audio in toolbar click save the type Example.mp3 if it's an mp3 or Example.aac if it's a mkv.

[DarrellS]

The new version of Virtualdub can edit MKV but you'll need to re-encode. You can use either the directshow input driver or fcchandler's MKV input plugin. The new version of Virtualdub has an external encoder feature that can use x264.exe or ffmpeg to encode 264 mkv or mp4.

Virtualdub
http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/

using the external encoder
http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act=ST&f=3&t=18840&

opening non supported files in Virtualdub with directshow
http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act=ST&f=4&t=18798&

input plugins
http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act=ST&f=7&t=12664&
(don't use mpeg4 plugin - use quicktime plugin instead) (can't have both moitah and fcchandler's flv plugin in the plugins folder at the same time)

[guns1inger]

Seems to be impossible task, tried avidemux, but it doesn't work properly.

Is there a Holy Grail that gives you possibility to edit the container from hell in this day of technologically advanced society?

Bottom line - the MKV container is designed to be a flexible playback container that allows for multiple audio and subtitle tracks, different audio and video encoding, chapters, stills and a range of other things.

What is is not designed to be is an edit format. No major editor supports it, or is likely to in the near to mid future.

If you want to serious editing, beyond simple trims, you have the wrong container.

Blaming the container may make you feel better, but the real fault lies with you.

[jiopi]

avidemux can do all if not most of that stuff, open mkv > go file append the pick second file to join to first, there's video resize filter's under video filters, you can adjust quality levels and filesize outputs, and to extract audio make sure audio is set to copy go audio in toolbar click save the type Example.mp3 if it's an mp3 or Example.aac if it's a mkv.

The slider doesn't work in avidemux and I can't change frameposition easy enough. I can enter the destination frame number manually but it's too difficult if I'm to use this program for +100 clips.

[jiopi]

The new version of Virtualdub can edit MKV but you'll need to re-encode. You can use either the directshow input driver or fcchandler's MKV input plugin. The new version of Virtualdub has an external encoder feature that can use x264.exe or ffmpeg to encode 264 mkv or mp4.

Will try this.

EDIT: this method seems to work well enough, thanks for the help.

[jiopi]

Bottom line - the MKV container is designed to be a flexible playback container that allows for multiple audio and subtitle tracks, different audio and video encoding, chapters, stills and a range of other things.

What is is not designed to be is an edit format. No major editor supports it, or is likely to in the near to mid future.

If you want to serious editing, beyond simple trims, you have the wrong container.

Yeah, I knew this, thats why the sarcastic OP.

Blaming the container may make you feel better, but the real fault lies with you.

Nice to know I'm responsible for .mkv-container bad editing capabilities.

[DarrellS]

The new version of Virtualdub can edit MKV but you'll need to re-encode. You can use either the directshow input driver or fcchandler's MKV input plugin. The new version of Virtualdub has an external encoder feature that can use x264.exe or ffmpeg to encode 264 mkv or mp4.

Will try this.

EDIT: this method seems to work well enough, thanks for the help.

The new Virtualdub with the built in external encoder is about the only video editor that I use. It won't do any of the fancy transitions that pay software will do but it will do some transitions with the filters in blend mode and the curve editor. If only it could do 264 and AAC passthrough with the external encoder. It can do AC3 and MP3 passthrough though.

I've been trying to push the external encoder version for a few months now but nobody seems to be interested. When youtube drops MP4 then this will be the best option (besides Super) for converting FLV to MP4 or MKV. Virtualdub has been able to encode with x264 for a long time but it saved it to an AVI container and you didn't have much control over the video. With the new version, not only do you have more control with the CLI encoders but you can save to other containers that you couldn't encode to before. You don't need to frameserve to an mpeg encoder anymore if you want to create an MPEG. You can use ffmpeg to encode to MPEG now.

Since H264/AAC is much smaller than MPEG or AVI and my player supports MKV, that's pretty much all I make now.