Converting mkv to avi without losing resolution

Discussion in 'Blu-ray players' started by DurtyD, Nov 21, 2008.

  1. DurtyD

    DurtyD Member

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    I'm trying to convert mkv files with a resolution of 1080p to an avi file without losing the resolution. I've tried divX converter and AVS video converter, but failed. They would only convert to 720p. Is there a setting for any of these two softwares that I would have to change? or is there some other software I can use?
     
  2. JaguarGod

    JaguarGod Active member

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    What format is the file inside the mkv? If it is an avi, all you have to do is extract it using mkvextract.

    http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MKVExtractGUI

    .mkv is a container. Think of it as a .zip. Inside of it there will be video, audio, and subtitle files. Maybe the video is already .avi, so there is no need to convert (re-encode) anything.

    What do you need to convert it for? avi offers no benefit over .mkv...

    If you re-encode the video, you will lose quality. The only chance is to use uncompressed avi, but then you will have something like 30GB video files...
     
  3. odin24

    odin24 Regular member

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    AVI is a container just like MKV, your're on the right track though JaguarGod. MKVextractGUI will in fact demux your MKV, but once you've done that you need a way to remux back to AVI.

    DurtyD, I am certain your MKV is of the AVC (h264) codec. If you really need to convert to AVI use AVIdemuxGUI, you can load the MKV directly and remux to AVI, literally this will take only minutes, no recoding involved.

    May I ask though, what device are you using for playback?
     
  4. DurtyD

    DurtyD Member

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    JaguarGod, I did try extracting it with MKVextractGUI and it is a AVC h264 codec. And when I remux it, it would go back to MKV. Odin24, you are right about it being a AVC h264 codec. I haven't tried using AVIdemuxGUI yet. But I'll try that. The device I'm using is a Philips DVP5990 DVD player that upconverts/plays media to 1080p HDMI. It also has a USB media link/port.It plays WMV and DivX Video (which of course is AVI). I'm trying to convert mkv to avi to see if it is possible to play it on this device by using a flash drive through the USB port. I don't know if anyone has tried doing this, but I wanted to give it a shot.
     
  5. JGrafix

    JGrafix Member

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    I had a question using AVI-Mux_GUI, when I tried this the ending file was still MKV not AVI. Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong? I am only needing to convert 3 files to burn through a program that I use, It will not recognize mkv files. Any help would be great.Thanks
     
  6. odin24

    odin24 Regular member

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    1. Load your file.
    2. "Generate data source from files"
    3. Start
    4. Use the drop down box to select which format

    Unfortunately your player will not play your file. It plays DivX encoded files... probably with the .divx extension, and maybe AVIs with the DivX codec. As of yet I haven't heard of an upconverting DVD player that plays AVC h264 media. Even if it did, it up converts SD media, not neccesarily plays HD media which your source is already.

    If you really want the HD experience the PS3 plays these files with slight modification to the container, in full HD... no upconverting. Maybe put one on your Christmas wish list.
     
    Last edited: Nov 23, 2008
  7. JaguarGod

    JaguarGod Active member

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    Yeah, PS3 is very good for video files. Saw one for $300 on sale at Walmart and it came with a $100 gift card. Final price would have been $200. Definitely a bargain at that price. Be on the lookout for PS3 at low prices especially around this time.

    I generally do not like changing containers (I use my PC for all media and most is .mkv so I can have multiple subs and audio) or re-encoding video files. No matter how good you set the settings or apply filters, there will be some quality loss. Also, it takes quite a bit of encoding time unless you sacrifice quality for time.
     
  8. odin24

    odin24 Regular member

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  9. JaguarGod

    JaguarGod Active member

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    Oh, the reason I do not like changing containers is that I use .mkv. Also, my sources are usually DVDs.

    The only time I change containers is from anything to .mkv. Matroska containers are pretty much identical to having a DVD only using H.264 (when I encode), the file size is much smaller, so I can fit up to 600 minutes per 4.7gb DVD and suffer no visible quality loss. The only downside is that encoding time, but I just let the PC run overnight for those tasks.

    Thanks for the links though. Those are very helpful especially the PS3 guide. That I might start doing because the PS3 at the moment is my PC :p
     
    Last edited: Nov 25, 2008
  10. Xplorer4

    Xplorer4 Active member

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    I dont have a drop down box with avi in it(on the save screen) only MKV.

    Also, divx dvd players play divx and xvid files in avi container and divx container.
     

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