[Dirac12]

I noticed that a lot of people have been requesting xvid/avi files since they can't play mkv files. I think some of you can play it but you just haven't installed the proper codecs to play the files. If your computer is 6 years old or less you can probably run 720p mkv files or at the very least 480p. So if your computer is say 1.8ghz+ single core or dual/quad core you can run the files.

You can use the following site to download the necessary files to run mkv files.

http://www.codecguid...ck_standard.htm

or

http://cccp-project.net/

Hopefully more of you can play the 720p and other mkv files now.

[Neopode]

I kinda have this here: http://www.animesens...p?showtopic=500

but it's okay

[bigman70]

unfortunately my computer is very ancient(10yrs.) and i have a hard time playing some avi. but i stream to my xbox and that does not support the codecs for mkv. and it's impossible to get it because the support for the original xbox mod is gone. so i got avs converter which will change it over but i lose the subs every time if i could get some help that would be great

[DVSkaz]

The reason why this is happening to you is because the mkv use softsubs. In order to properly transcode from mkv to xvid WITH subtitles you must first extract the subs. Google mkvextract and use that or a similar program to extract all the streams (audio/video/SUBTITLE(it will a video stream, separate from the actual video) from that mkv. Then use a decent encoder, like avidemux2, to rebuild the all 3 streams into one avi container with hardcoded subs.

BTW There are many of us who stick to xvid because of a similar issue ... I use an xbox 360 to play all my media, which also doesn't support mkv. Be careful when making xvids for the original xbox however, as it will only be able to playback 480p and NOT 720p (you will get major sync issues). I still do not understand why just about every group uses mkv files in an age where dvds are dirt cheap and just about everyone has an XVID player (xbox/xbox 360/ps3/stand alone divx/xvid player) already setup for use with their main mode of display (TV).

PS - If you are using the programs in my example be sure to go and download the newest xvid codec because avidemux2 doesn't come with that particular codec pre-installed (but it has just about every other one built-in).

EDIT - I just realized that this probably won't be of much help to you, as if your pc is as ancient as you say it is, it will take a VERY LONG time for this process to complete ... I run a dual core 2.2 ghz/4gb desktop and the entire process takes about an hour per 30 min of video (including extracting/rebuilding/encoding). That's why this site is invaluable ... not only does it provide the latest anime FAST, but also provides already converted videos! I just d/l and burn and now I'm set to watch wherever I like ... on my xbox 360, my gfs ps3, or even my old xbox that sitting @ my mom's house!

[Dirac12]

Ok I understand that some people might want to play video on thei 360/Ps3 but I personally would just hook my computer up to my tv through an hdmi or s-video cable in this case. My main reason for posting this topic is for those who are able to play the files but simply haven't installed the right codecs on their computer. This is beacue I found out one of my friends as well as another active downloader on this site never kney that their computers could run mkv's even though they had dual core processors.

[DVSkaz]

Dirac12, on Dec 17 2009, 03:23 PM, said:

Ok I understand that some people might want to play video on thei 360/Ps3 but I personally would just hook my computer up to my tv through an hdmi or s-video cable in this case. My main reason for posting this topic is for those who are able to play the files but simply haven't installed the right codecs on their computer. This is beacue I found out one of my friends as well as another active downloader on this site never kney that their computers could run mkv's even though they had dual core processors.

Why do I want a long cable running through my house on the floor? Also what if someone else is using the pc? Or if I'm just doing something else which requires cpu cycles (seed torrents/burn software/update programs/etc)? Also unless you have some serious spare $$ (about 100 bucks) or your pc is REALLY close (or u have a laptop) you won't be able to get the extra long cables needed!

It just seems wasteful to me, you have a perfectly capable player ALREADY setup to your biggest/best display and you still have to use your pc? MKV files are mainly for college students that live in dorms where all they can do is watch their monitors! I know, I was once there myself not too long ago ...

Okay, that last bit was an opinion but here's the truth. The Matroska container (mkv files) has slightly better compression rates (VERY SLIGHT vs the newest xvid codecs), better seek (native vs player dependent) and is easier to sub (softsubs aren't located in a separate file) vs the avi container. However the avi container is a universally supported standard among media players (99.99% will play an avi contained file if it's in xvid codec). Also the main codec used to encode to the avi container, xvid, is backward compatible with it's predecessor/competitor divx (notice it's just divx spelled backwards?). The downfall of divx is that it's not open source (like xvid), and therefore to legally encode files into divx format you need to purchase a license. FYI the creative power behind the divx codec now works at xvid, basically he just sold the divx rights and made a better one (go capitalism!)...

So to me the real explanation for mkv files is that subbers prefer to work with a format where they can keep using softsubs (no encoding necessary) AND keep their releases to one file only. Yes, this speeds the delivery times of their releases, but it hurts the community as a whole IMHO!

[bigman70]

all i can say is itidakimasu!

[bigman70]

once again thank you very much i have been waiting for a way to do this forever i might just buy a better computer finaly.....ohh joyous of joy's

[DVSkaz]

BTW I'd just like to also point out that if you are having problems playing ANY type of container/codec on your pc (including mkv) the simplest solution is to use VLC. Youi can get it from videolan.org, it's freeware! Also it plays just about everything with ZERO codecs to download and install/configure, plus it's not as cpu intensive because of it's limited on screen menu (just the simple play/stop.pause/seek functions are ons creen) and it uses it's own internal decoder for all streams, so you don't have to have 2-3 stream decoders running all at once (which can happen when the file has 1-2 video streams, depending on soft or hard subs, plus the audio stream).

EDIT - this is for Windows users ... if you're running linux I recommend XBMC for it's compatibility and low cpu usage.

*Disclaimer for XBMC -

Depending on the pack you download it may or may not include the proper codecs.

[ZiegZeon]

VLC kills the subs. It renders the subs poorly and most of the time it doesn't render the fonts embedded in the MKV container. My best suggestion, Media Player Classic which is already built-in in most codec packs like CCCP and K-Lite.

[DVSkaz]

ZiegZeon, on Jan 1 2010, 09:20 PM, said:

VLC kills the subs. It renders the subs poorly and most of the time it doesn't render the fonts embedded in the MKV container. My best suggestion, Media Player Classic which is already built-in in most codec packs like CCCP and K-Lite.

Uhh ... ypu must be using an old version of VLC (make sure it's at least version 1.0.2). I never have any issues with fonts, or for that matter anything ... VLC is my goto player when MPC is having issues (sometimes happens when i don't feel like messing with my CCCP or AC3 settings because the tweaks I'm using conflict with certain encoder signatures). Also while MPC can handle upscaling better, multiple audio streams (why would u want do to that I dunno), and is more customizable (u have direct access to the decoder options) it is much more complicated to use. For example the 2 codec packs u listed DO NOT come with MPC, u have to get them separately. Also CCCP is notoriously difficult to customize (has 1000s of options), not to mention that fact you will also need to set up AC3 (not to hard though). Also by using separate decoders it uses increased resources, so if you are having difficulties playing mkv files due to a slow pc, u want to stick with the single decoder VLC uses.

Personally on my pc I use MPC, but then again I'm sorta of PC geek so that stuff doesn't phase me, plus my pc runs dual core 2.2 ghz/4 gb ram/2gb vram (SLI). However I rarely play anything on my pc (21" screen sucks compared to my 48" flat screen) in which case I use WMC on my xbox 360.

[Hanekurai]

Well, I have VLC 1.0.2 and it worked fine for older mkvs, aber since one month or so, it always changes fonts itself and if not, the picture is really unwatchable (pixelized)... Hope there will be a new release not so far away, as it's the only player that can play mkvs in a supportable way.

[DVSkaz]

VLC has been updated to version 1.0.3 for some time now ... but I have never had any issues playing anything besides .mov files since version 1.0.1! I recommend removing all traces of VLC from your pc and then installing the newest version. The sub title issues you are experiencing may be from the a known issue in pre 1.0 versions ... you could select different decoders based on language in the preferences. After 1.0 the default selection for your language will work 99.9999% of the time. Also about the pixelation you are experiencing I have no idea, unless you are trying to upscale to a digital tv (not playing to your monitor) the only cause would be your video hardware/software (card/drivers).

Post a vid on youtube of your playback and i'll be glad to take a look, with a video I could easily see whether it's your card or the drivers.

[nekogrrl_77]

Hi,
Another person with an old PC here. It's 2001 HP. I'm trying to get a new one but that doesn't help me right this minute. I don't just like xvid for the ease of playing on the old bawx. It saves space, too. I don't have room for a lot of gigantic mkv files. Most of them are 2-300 MB+ in size and I can't keep running out to buy new storage. And don't even bring up TB drives. That's too much stuff to lose in one go if something went wrong with the thing. I'm also responsible for providing shows to the anime club I attend. We use flash drives to take things back and forth. The smaller the files, the more episodes per drive and the fewer things for me to keep up with.

[Hanekurai]

Thx. DVSkaz. Wasn't here for a while.. Well, I don't think the problem is serious. And I've got the newest Version of VLC, I'm absolutely sure about it. Maybe it's really a problem of the graphic-card. At least, I can live with it. I prefer avi anyway for the simple reason that I can play it anywhere with whatever I want... But don't be afraid. I'm not the one asking for XVids here. I simply make them on my own.

I hope mkv will surpass his last drawback to avi once in a while, but I don't think it will happen in near future...