Problem Converting MKV file with MKVtoVOB

[AllenM]

Downloaded MKVtoVOB a couple of days ago and tried to convert an .mkv file but each time under "status" I get the message "Can not parse .mkv file". Can someone tell me exactly what this means in this context and what can be done to correct the situation? I've converted the .mkv files with a commercial app (which doesn't belong to me) and burned a good DVD but I would rather use this program if possible since it will output mpeg as well as vob. And it's free!

System: Windows XP Home, AMD Athlon XP 2700+, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Seagate video drive, NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 4000.

[Baldrick]

What mkvtovob do you mean? THe mkv2vob from http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=131782 ? Or some other mkvtovob software?

And as mkv is a container it can contain different video and audio codecs and not all converters supports every video and audio codecs combinations.

[AllenM]

Yes, the one from Doom9.

OK on MKV being a container. Yes, I was aware of that. Here's the information that I received about the video when I opened it in MediaInfo:

General #0
Complete name : D:\Ready To Burn\The Tudors2.mkv
Format : Matroska
File size : 599 MiB
PlayTime : 58mn 15s
Bit rate : 1437 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2008-02-15 01:11:45
Writing application : VirtualDubMod 1.5.4.1 (build 2128/release)
Writing library : libebml-0.5.0 & libmatroska-0.5.0

Video #0
Codec : AVC
Codec/Family : AVC
Codec/Info : Intel H.264
Codec profile : High@L5.1
Codec settings, CABAC : Yes
PlayTime : 58mn 11s
Bit rate : 1179 Kbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 400 pixels
Display Aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Resolution : 12 bits
Chroma : 4:2:0
Interlacement : Progressive

Audio #0
Codec : AC3
Bit rate mode : CBR
Bit rate : 192 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : L R
Sampling rate : 48 KHz

Maybe I need some other codec for this particular type file. But wouldn't that have been a problem when I converted it with ConvertXtoDVD? That program created and burned a perfectly playable DVD from this file.

[Baldrick]

The mkv2vob from doom9 doesn't create a compliant dvd-video, it creates a special vob file just for the ps3.

ConvertXtoDVD has better mkv support and converts to dvd-video.

[AllenM]

Baldrick,

Thanks for the info about mkv2vob. I knew it had been originally developed for the PS3 but since it now offers output files in MPEG and several other formats in addition to VOB, it was my understanding that it was suitable for other uses now but maybe not. I saw a post by the author somewhere but I can't recall where I saw it.

The reason why I preferred not to buy ConvertXtoDVD is that I rarely have occasion to use .mkv files. My only reason to use them now is because I'm following an HBO series, The Tudors, which I download from a Bit Torrent site and it happens to be in .mkv format.

[Baldrick]

Buy the Tv-series on blu-ray when they are released instead. DOn't download WAREz.