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Why do people choose MKV>MP4

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Djlatino

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I'm referring to 300mb encoders/groups
Encoders have the option of MP4 yet no one uses it. MP4 is supported by ALOT of devices which is a huge advantage over MKV. MKV has that really bad "smoothing" to cover up pixels(forgot the name) which I HATE!
I need elaborate responses.
 
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Before this discussion escalates, I just want to remind people that MKV is a container, not a codec. The file size in entirely dependant on what you use to encode the video and audio. Most people tend to use it with x264 and it is this which can make things appear not so smooth (although it is entirely dependant on what codec settings you have).

One of its real strengths is the ease with which you can mux in video, audio and even subtitle streams. For example, you could have 5 different video streams, each with their own audio and subtitles.

MP4 is similar to AVI in that you are restricted to two streams, video and audio. Most use it because of its wide compatibility, although a lot of hardware manufactures are beginning to support MKV.
 
okone said:
Before this discussion escalates, I just want to remind people that MKV is a container, not a codec. The file size in entirely dependant on what you use to encode the video and audio. Most people tend to use it with x264 and it is this which can make things appear not so smooth (although it is entirely dependant on what codec settings you have).

One of its real strengths is the ease with which you can mux in video, audio and even subtitle streams. For example, you could have 5 different video streams, each with their own audio and subtitles.

MP4 is similar to AVI in that you are restricted to two streams, video and audio. Most use it because of its wide compatibility, although a lot of hardware manufactures are beginning to support MKV.
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Exactly, "container" is what its called, Thanks for correcting me :)

Thats the kind of reply I'm looking for by the way.

5 streams? Thats pretty insane. Who needs more then 2? Video and Audio always is good for me.
 
Djlatino said:
Exactly, "container" is what its called, Thanks for correcting me :)

Thats the kind of reply I'm looking for by the way.

5 streams? Thats pretty insane. Who needs more then 2? Video and Audio always is good for me.
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Not just audio/video streams. You can also embed the subtitles which as far as I know is not possible in MP4 container.
 
Well going by your logic, we should have stayed with AVI forever because at one time nothing other than AVI (xvid/divx) was supported. Before that it used to be MPEG and DAT formats which were universally supported. We gotta keep moving forward ya know. Devices might not support mkv now but in future it will become a standard for sure. Many TVs being manufactured can already play mkv directly off a usb drive. So its only a mater of time.
 
Djlatino said:
Can't you put subtitles to any container? or am I wrong.
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No. MKV allows subtitles to be added as if they were a seperate stream. Essentially this means you can turn them on and off in media players.

To only other way to achieve a similar result is to create a seperate subtitle file (usually .srt or .sub) that you have to load with the file, be it avi or mp4.

You can also hardcode subtitles to a video stream. The obvious downside is that you cannot get rid of them.
 
First reason of all MKV as a way higher compression then mp4..
You can stick a full size 720p video into a 4-500mb mkv.. Meaning no quality loss or audio loss.. You can still keep the same 5.1 stereo...

mp4 would shrink the video which if shown enlarged would distort the video... audio sometimes is affected...

So truthfully mkv is like winrar... and mp4 is like a zip file... mkv can hold way more and still be less like a mp4
 
Loonycgb2 said:
First reason of all MKV as a way higher compression then mp4..
You can stick a full size 720p video into a 4-500mb mkv.. Meaning no quality loss or audio loss.. You can still keep the same 5.1 stereo...

mp4 would shrink the video which if shown enlarged would distort the video... audio sometimes is affected...

So truthfully mkv is like winrar... and mp4 is like a zip file... mkv can hold way more and still be less like a mp4
Click to expand...

MKV has the same amount of compression as a MP4. MP4 can also keep the audio, it basically has all the options as a Matroska file can have excluding the streaming subtitles.
 
okone said:
No. MKV allows subtitles to be added as if they were a seperate stream. Essentially this means you can turn them on and off in media players.

To only other way to achieve a similar result is to create a seperate subtitle file (usually .srt or .sub) that you have to load with the file, be it avi or mp4.

You can also hardcode subtitles to a video stream. The obvious downside is that you cannot get rid of them.
Click to expand...

In handbrake, you can insert subtitles just like you could in MKV though.
 
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