Best tool for breaking down a large MKV to smaller files?

[boe_d]

Hello,

I converted a season 2 BD of the TV series Chuck. Most BD have files to select for each episode. This had one large file - with about 6 episodes. I'd like to break it up. I tried SolveigMM and it was easily able to lop off the first episode into a nice 6GB file. However when I tried a few times to do it with the next episode it just got stuck - after 2 hours it still hadn't done anything. I may be using it wrong.

[Aast656]

Use the MKVToonix. By means of the GUI it is possible to split a mkv file in different files.

[boe_d]

Thanks - I have mkvtoolnix installed but have no ideal how to say output from 43 minutes to 1:26 minutes to a new file. (second episode of mkv file). I've used it to combine mkv files but no idea how to break one down at specific times. There are 43 chapters. If I could figure out how to select just chapters 8 through 15 for example I could create an episode.

[Woodstock]

In all of the tools (I use handbrake more than mkvmerge), you have to know how many chapters to specify. If there are 6 chapters per episode, you would put chapters 1-6 in the first file, 7-12 into the next, etc.

The "fun" part is when there are different numbers of chapters per episode. Some anime series can have 4-9 chapters per episode, with each being different. This is why I check the chapter numbers using VLC to play the file, making a list of the episode transitions as I skip through the file.

[boe_d]

In all of the tools (I use handbrake more than mkvmerge), you have to know how many chapters to specify. If there are 6 chapters per episode, you would put chapters 1-6 in the first file, 7-12 into the next, etc.

The "fun" part is when there are different numbers of chapters per episode. Some anime series can have 4-9 chapters per episode, with each being different. This is why I check the chapter numbers using VLC to play the file, making a list of the episode transitions as I skip through the file.

So if I know the chapter numbers (which I do) - how do I select them in mkvtoolnix to output just those chapters into a file to make an episode specific file? I don't know how to do that.

[Woodstock]

I haven't done the splitting in mkvmerge, so I just looked at it; You're correct that it does not seem to have split by chapters, just time codes. Someone who knows better will have to answer this for mkvmerge.

I usually do the splitting in handbrake, because EVERYTHING goes through handbrake on my system, except 3D, and I've only got 1 3D title right now.

[boe_d]

Thanks - I was thinking from the first reply it must be obvious and I was missing it.

[Aast656]

Thanks - I was thinking from the first reply it must be obvious and I was missing it.

The problem of splitting with Handbrake is that this program does not allow a passthrough with video, so it is alwas re-encoded.

If you want to split an mkv with MKVToolnix (which does not re-encode the video), load it in the "Merge" mode. Select the "Output" tab and in the "Splitting" area, chose "before chapters" in "Split mode". Then in "Chapter numbers" you can select the chapters that must be used as cutting points for the splitting.