Convert .MKV to .AVI?

  • Thread starter Joey D
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Joey D

Joey D

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I have a bunch of .MKV video files of home videos we had converted from tape to DVD by a family friend. I wanted to back up the DVD's on my computer since my parents have a tenancy to misplace things, when I ripped them I could only do so as .MKV files. These files are 4-7GB each and are owning the space on my HDD. I figured converting them to .AVI would reduce the file size and still allow me to have a copy of the home movies that looks halfway decent.

The problem is the only freeware converter I found (MediaCoder) will only convert the files into .AVI with subtitles. I don't know why my parents had the videos subtitled but whatever, I know they can be turned on or off through the menu.

Are there any other programmes I can try? I'd prefer something freeware since I don't see the point of paying $50 for a programme to do this.
 
I've used Any Video Converter for the last few years to put my movies on both my Zen and Touch. It has mkv input listed and should be able to rip it to something you can use.
 
SUPER is worth a crack too. It's free and pretty much does conversions of every format know to man. It looks a little confusing as there are so many options but once you have the hang of it, it's a breeze. Their website can be frustrating to navigate through as well, as it acts like one big tutorial almost demanding that you read it before downloading the well hidden file. I took the liberty of finding it for you: http://www.erightsoft.info/GetFile.php?SUPERsetup.exe
 
I'd honestly just keep them in .MKV, since it has built in soft subtitle support and, generally, has better video quality for a given file size. Likely you just ripped the DVD's at some insane quality setting... Though .AVI is a tad easier to find a player for as a novice computer/media person. But I'd just try to re-encode them at a lower quality setting, since 23 minutes of 720p video can be made into about 330 megs with virtually no loss of quality, so I'd imagine much better results with 480p DVD quality video.
 
I'm still running into issues with the subtitles showing up and I tried all the converters. I'm using MakeMKV to rip the DVD's, any thoughts on a better program to use? I'll just keep them in an MKV format because they do look better.
 
Do you have to rip them to mkv? If you'd like yet another program to try, give DVD Shrink a look. It's another one I've been using for a while for my movies.
 
No they don't have to be avi. Basically I just want some sort of video file on my computer so when my parents lose the DVD's of our home movies from when I was little, I have a backup of them.

I'll try the DVD Shrink though, thanks!
 
Handbrake does all, and does it brilliantly. Also, if you have a multi-core machine, its 64-bit version is dangerously quick, too.

I've used this to convert .mkv to H.264 .mp4 in full HD wonderfully. didn't take very long, and I have a rather slow computer. From what I gather above, this is exactly what you need. It supports subtitles fully, in a toggle track, external .srt, and burned-in. In a word, it's brilliant.

Oh! And it rips DVDs in many formats, with a very handy "target filesize," which you look like you could use.
 
Avidemux 2.5 and Sony Vegas 9 Pro are the two I'm currently using, but not without major issues. Apparently, my Atom 330 can't handle either of them well. So, I'm pressed to assemble my new "ultimate" PC, though I still want to wait. Both USB 3.0 and SATA III are here, but not the hardware to take advantage of them. Not completely true, but they're way-beyond-expensive for my tastes.

Oh, Avidemux is free, but not Vegas 9 Pro. Though, you can get free trial of it, to see if it's worthy of your $80.
 
All these are great programs that everyone's mentioned. I'd also just recommend gong to www.videohelp.com for any other video questions or demos to try the software before you buy (if needed, some are free).

Jerome
 
If I convert my .mkv files to .mp4, will the PS3 read them? I've got a few .mkv videos that I'm gonna try converting with Handbrake and hopefully they work on my PS3.

I believe you can stream .mkv files to the PS3, but I don't really want to get into that hassle on my Mac.
 

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