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John Jackson
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Asked: 2024-05-09T18:05:48+00:00 In:

How does VLC convert MKV File to MP4?

I’m curious to understand the process of converting an MKV file to the MP4 format using VLC media player. Could you walk me through the steps involved in this conversion process? I’d like to know how VLC handles the different codecs and containers during the conversion, and what settings or options are available to optimize the output file for various use cases, such as streaming or playback on different devices. Additionally, I’m interested in learning about any potential quality trade-offs or limitations that may arise during the conversion process.

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  1. Mehmet Akar
    Best Answer
    Enlightened
    This answer was edited.

    To convert an MKV file to MP4 using VLC, open the file in VLC, go to Tools > Codec Information, select the video and audio codec to convert, then go to Media > Convert/Stream to convert and choose MP4 as the output format.

    How does VLC convert MKV File to MP4? The Guide

    I think converting video files from one format to another is a common task for many users. MKV (Matroska) and MP4 are both popular video container formats, but MP4 tends to have better compatibility across different devices and platforms. Here are the detailed steps to convert MKV to MP4 using the free VLC media player:

    1. Open VLC media player and go to Media > Open File (or press Ctrl+O) to browse and open the MKV file you want to convert.
    2. Once the file is open, go to Tools > Codec Information (or press Ctrl+J). This will open the media information window.
    3. Under the “Codec Details” tab, look for the video and audio codec information the file is currently using.
    4. Make a note of the video codec (e.g. H.264, HEVC) and audio codec (e.g. AAC, MP3) as you’ll need to select codecs to convert to MP4.
    5. Next, go to Media > Convert/Stream (or press Ctrl+R) to open the conversion window.
    6. Click the “Add” button to browse and select the MKV file you want to convert.
    7. Under the “Convert/Stream” section, click the “Convert” icon.
    8. In the “Profile” dropdown, select “Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4)”. If your original audio codec is different than MP3, you can select the appropriate MP4 profile.
    9. Click the “Settings” button next to the selected profile to customize the conversion settings if needed.
    10. In the settings window, go to the “Video Codec” tab and select the video codec (e.g. H.264) you noted down earlier that was used in the original MKV file.
    11. Similarly, go to the “Audio Codec” tab and select the original audio codec used.
    12. You can adjust other settings like video scaling, bitrate, framerate etc. if desired.
    13. Once done, click “Start” to begin the conversion process.

    By following these steps, VLC will use the original video and audio codecs from the MKV file and simply repackage the streams into an MP4 container. This helps preserve video and audio quality during conversion.

    Some useful user insights:

    • Many users prefer MP4 over MKV as it’s more widely compatible across devices like phones, tablets, smart TVs etc.
    • Converting files for different devices/players that don’t support MKV is a common use case.
    • Users recommend using VLC due to its free availability and simplicity compared to other conversion tools.