How to play MKV files
An
MKV file is a
Matroska file.
Matroska is an open source
container format. It is an alternative to the popular
AVI and
MP4 formats and it also surpasses them in many areas. This article exists to help you understand what an
MKV file is and how you can play it back perfectly on your PC.
Containers, Codecs and Players
Many people who download a file with the extension MKV will often try to play it back with video player software they have installed on their systems. Most of the time this doesn't work (hence, the reason you are here). While a great selection of players support the playback of Matroska files, often the proper
decoders for the streams contained in the files are missing. It is important to understand exactly what Matroska files are.
MKV files contain video and audio streams (may also contain subtitles). The streams are likely compressed and have been produced with an
encoder. In order to play these streams a
codec is required.
Codec, as a word is an abbreviation of
Coder /
Decoder. The video stream located in the MKV file has been "coded" by the source and now it must be "decoded" by the end user who wishes to play it.
So to summarize, Matroska is a container format file that stores multiple streams (video, audio and subtitles). These streams may require you to install decoding software and filters to playback depending on what player you use. For most MKV files you find, there is a player not based on
DirectShow (so you probably won't have to install any extra decoding software or filters) that has support for Matroska files,
VideoLan Client (VLC).
The Easiest Method (VLC)
With the VLC player you are actually getting two things; a fine player with support for Matroska, and support for most video and audio streams you will find in an MKV file. This means that you most likely will not have to install any extra codecs or filters, depending on what your streams are.
You can get
VLC for Windows from this URL.
Click
File and click the
Open File option.
Now, click the
Browse button next to the first white line at the top of the window with title "Open.." and navigate through your harddrive for the video you wish to watch and select it. After you have selected the video, click
OK and VLC will start playing the video you chose.
