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MKV or MP4 for high def ?

  • 07-07-2010 12:29pm
    #1
    iMax
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,489 ✭✭✭


    Interested in opinions on this. Currently in the process of ripping my high def collection & I accidently did one in MP4 format instead of MKV. The resulting file was about hald the size & I couldn't tell the difference on my 42 inch between that & the replacement MKV I did (apart from the MKV being twice the size).

    Am I missing something or is MP4 better for that reason alone ?


Comments

  • #2
    the_syco
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,315 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    MKV is a great container. Try ripping your stuff with the x264 codec, and see how it compares to MP4?


  • #3
    MediaTank
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,059 ✭✭✭MediaTank


    What the_syco said, plus MKV is more versatile as a container format (make sure you use H.264 in it) compared to MP4. For example MKV supports the newer HD sound codecs but MP4 does not. MKV is pretty futureproof too.

    Here's a comparison http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_container_formats


  • #4
    Knasher
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,370 ✭✭✭Knasher


    MKV and MP4 are both container formats, as in wrappers around the audio and video streams so that they can be combined into a single file and streamed together. In general you should get about the same size files from both as they don't add a whole lot of overhead to your files. H264 is usually the video codec that you use with HD content, though there are others, MKV is generic enough to pretty much support anything whereas MP4 is a closed format so Apple would have to extend it to support anything beyond H264.

    The biggest advantage of MP4 is that it is very well supported, the PS3, Xbox, iPhone, Android, PSP, Windows, OS X all natively support MP4, but not all MP4 files are the same as there can be different codecs and even with H264 there are different levels (the PS3 will play High profile but the iPhone won't as it doesn't have the horsepower).

    Personally as the hardware I use can demux MKV files I prefer it over MP4, the main advantage in my mind is its subtitle support. MP4 has very limited support and in practice most of the hardware (Xbox and PS3 anyway) don't support it, therefore you are forced to hardcode your subtitles which in my mind don't produce as nice a result as softsubs.


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