How to remove empty space in MKV files?

[Flare]

First, I apologize if this has been asked before, or if this is the wrong section.


I've noticed that my MKV files are the size of the discs I ripped, and I'd like to make them smaller.

I can do this by converting to another format, but is there another way to simply remove the empty data in the file?

[Woodstock]

Have you tried tools like Handbrake to recode the files to be smaller?

"Empty space" is hard to define, because it's rarely "empty". But recoding a MKV file, as ripped from a DVD or BD, to a smaller MKV file can make it anywhere from 10% to 90% smaller at the same resolution. Typical anime gets to be about 90% smaller, although some only shrinks 50-60%. Movies depend on the resolution and how much action they have.