Why MKV??

Everything related to MakeMKV
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digiot
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 4:47 pm

Why MKV??

Post by digiot »

I am trying to figure out why I would copy my Blue-Ray Discs to MKV instead of just leaving them as Ripped folders from AnyDVD??
I am not going to be transcoding anything I just want the highest quality at the least amount of time and effort.
I do this with my DVD collection so why not with Blue-Ray? Also How long does it typically take to rip a full Blueray-Disk on say a 4X or 8X reader?
Thanks.
setarip_old
Posts: 2136
Joined: Wed Dec 09, 2009 1:31 pm

Re: Why MKV??

Post by setarip_old »

Hi!

The purpose/advantages of using MakeMKV are listed right here on the home page and the "Why MKV" page, as follows:
MakeMKV is your one-click solution to convert video that you own into free and patents-unencumbered format that can be played everywhere. MakeMKV is a format converter, otherwise called "transcoder". It converts the video clips from proprietary (and usually encrypted) disc into a set of MKV files, preserving most information but not changing it in any way. The MKV format can store multiple video/audio tracks with all meta-information and preserve chapters. There are many players that can play MKV files nearly on all platforms, and there are tools to convert MKV files to many formats, including DVD and Blu-ray discs.

Additionally MakeMKV can instantly stream decrypted video without intermediate conversion to wide range of players, so you may watch Blu-ray and DVD discs with your favorite player on your favorite OS or on your favorite device.

Why MKV
Matroska file format (and Matroska video in particular) has a number of advantages.
MKV is open and free. No one holds patents or licenses and anyone can implement it freely. As a result nearly every software player and many hardware devices support it. The best software players out there ( VLC, MPlayer ) have full MKV support and are absolutely free.
MKV files do not have evil features attached.
You can play them on any capable hardware. No need for HDCP-certified video card or any "trusted" environment.
You can copy them to your laptop and watch anytime, even if your laptop lacks DVD or Blu-ray drive, or any drive whatsoever.
One file is one title. If you don't want to watch dozen trailers before the movie, you don't have to. And fast forward button always works, too.
There are no restrictions where to play the file. There are no region-based restrictions. You have control over the content you've paid for.
MKV files are easy to change. Want to remove unneeded audio track from the file? Thought about converting MPEG-2 video into H264 to make the file 5 times smaller? All of it can be easily done with free software.
MKV files are compact. For exactly the same content MKV files are about 10% smaller than DVD files and roughly 40% smaller than Blu-ray files.
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