Matroska and You (MKV Multimedia Container)

Many of you are probably saying, "Mawhatska?" to yourself right now, but in a few years time MKV files will become the MP3 of video. The Matroska Multimedia Container is an open standard audio/video container.

Origin
The English word 'Matroska' is derived from the Russian word 'Matryoshka', which translates to "nesting doll". As the name suggests, the Matroska format can hold an unlimited amount of video and audio streams within.

Although Matroska is gaining in popularity at a very rapid pace, it is hardly a newcomer to the scene. The Matroska project was created in 2002 with the intent to create a flexible audio/video container with future needs in mind.

Open Source
The Matroska project is open source, which means it is completely free to use. It also means that the source code is free to use for programmers to adapt and create their own features or add-ons.

Another benefit of being an open source project is that electronics manufacturers can build MKV support into their products without having to pay any royalty fee. This can help drive manufacturers to add support to their products at a lower cost and has been some of the major hindrances of other video formats such as MP4 and AVI.

Multiple Audio Tracks - One advantage of MKV files is the ability to store multiple audio tracks. This enables commentary tracks or alternate versions to be stored in a single file.

Multiple Subtitle Tracks - MKV offers the inclusion of subtitles in multiple languages also within the same file.

Chapter Support - Another advantage over MP4 is chapter information, similar to a DVD menu.

Audio Support - MKV includes support for both Dolby Digital 5.1 (AC3) and DTS Audio. MP4 files mainly support AAC audio, which has less hardware support.

Getting MKV to run on your computer
Ready to start reveling in HD content with some MKV files? Hold your horses. Your computer won't recognize these files natively. You will have to install a few free programs to get your computer up to speed on the new container format.

The easiest way to add MKV support is to install a program such as VLC Media Player which can handle almost any format. If you'd rather use your current media player, you must add support for MKV codecs. MKV files can use many different video and audio codecs. You can install each of these individually or use a codec pack to install many codecs at a time. Another option is a program called FFDSHOW, which works with the media player to automatically download any codec as they become needed.

Here is a more in-depth guide to installing MKV support on your computer.

Media Center Extender with MKV support?
Sure MKV files look awesome on your PC, but who wants to watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster movie on their computer monitor? Next, we'll take a look at media extenders and some of the more popular ones on the market today.

With all of these features, MKV finally sounds like a video container that has a shot of replacing discs completely. Do you think computer files will replace packaged media altogether or are you nostalgic for your collection of shiny little discs?

More Info:
Matroska.org Home Page
MKV File Extension (Afterdawn)