More than once we have downloaded a YouTube video, be it a tutorial or a song that we really like and It turns out that after downloading when trying to play the file, it doesn’t work due to some compatibility problem with the player.
After inquiring into the reason for this situation We discovered that what we have downloaded is in Mastroka Video File format and simply the player we use is not capable of opening it.
That’s why this time We will teach you a little how files with the MKV extension work, how to play them according to your equipment, with which programs to open them and also how to convert them to others if necessary.
What is it and what are .MKV format files used for?
A file that has the MKV extension at the end of its name is a video and audio container file, hence the unabbreviated name of this format is Matroska, which refers to the name of the traditional Russian dolls called Matrioska, As these are uncovered, more of the same model come out, but smaller.
The files have the particularity that a single file can contain one or several streams of video, audio and subtitles in unlimited quantities, which may cause the file size or weight to be larger than normal.
For example, when a single file has several audio and subtitle streams, it can be seen by users of different languages and nationalities, it is enough to choose the language in the preferred player.
Another peculiarity is that as it is a multimedia container file and not a multimedia file as such, What the developers are looking for is for this to become a universal format, and this allows the different videos contained in different extensions.
How to open and play .MKV format files on smartphones or computers?
Next we will see how we can play a file in MKV format depending on our device and operating system.
On Windows PC
In Windows computers we should not complicate our lives, since the Microsoft team, in the last generations, has taken care that its default players are capable of running many video formatsamong these the MKV extension.
The only thing we have to do is keep it up to date and right click on the file in MKV format, we will click on “To open with” and we will select “Movies and TV”, but to avoid these steps we can just locate the file and double click on it to run it immediately.
On Mac computers
On Mac computers, there are several ways to play MKV files, since naturally Apple products are not compatible with this format. The native Mac player is QuickTime MOV and although it is true that it does not play MKV, there are two little tricks that can help you play this and many other formats with your native player.
The first thing you can do is download an older version of your player, which is the version QuickTime MOV 7this particular version is capable of playing them, so if you don’t have problems with having two versions of the same program then this is your solution.
The next way is installing a plugin that allows the native Mac player to play these types of formats, all you have to do is enter the official page of Perian.org where you will find the plugin for free.
Once downloaded and installed, all you have to do is close QuickTime MOV, if you have it open, for the program to update and assimilate the component. Once this is finished, we can open our videos with this extension on the computer without any inconvenience.
On Android mobile phones
On a mobile device with Android operating system things get even simpler This is because we will only need to download an application that meets the requirements and that is capable of play the Matroska format without problems.
For this task we have chosen the following application that you can find in the Play Store for free, this works perfectly with SRT formats, perfect when watching a subtitled series or movie.
the app is BSPlayer Free and it is enough to download it to our device to start watching videos in this extension.
On iPhone devices with iOS
When it comes to an iPhone or iPad you just have to download from the App Store some multimedia player application that is compatible with the Matroska format, because you won’t be able to watch this type of video natively.
Although in the store there are too many apps of this type that are capable of fulfilling the required functions, only a few can do it correctly, and there are fewer that we can find for free, that’s why We have to recommend you the following tool, PlayerXtreme, with which you can play files with the MKV extension. This is free and works perfectly on your iPhone or any iOS device.
List of the best applications and alternative programs to play a video with .Mkv format without cuts or jumps
Now we will show you a few options when it comes to playing files in Matroska format, alternatives that will be useful regardless of the operating system you have or the equipment you have.
Media Player Classic
This is one of those that exist, it is capable of playing almost any video format and when it comes to MKV it is the best, it can even be said that this is its native format. It is currently an open source project and accepts a large number of codecs external to it.
VLC Media Player
This is a monumental video and audio player compatible with any device and operating system, developed by Video LAN. Its people are constantly working to deliver a product with all possible codecs, It can reproduce practically any video and audio format, including Matroska.
B.S. Player
another excellent player very useful both on mobiles and computers when playing videos and audios in different formats. It was released by the Webteh company and it is a very robust one, supporting MKV and many others.
Cyberlink PowerDVD
PowerDVD It was designed, as its name indicates, for reading and playing DVDs, but like everything in industries, changes occur day by day, and the people of cyberlink In view of this panorama, he did not want to be left behind, that is why this It is an excellent program to view movies and series that are in MKV format.
realplayer
It is an open source program and an excellent universal range video and audio player, functional with many formats and operating systems. It was launched in 1995 and since then it has been an icon in terms of movies and videos.
How to convert .MKV videos to .MP4 or .AVI format quickly and for free?
To convert files in MKV format to any other format such as MP4, we just have to access a free online converter and once we are there we will give you in “Add your files” and we choose the one we want from our computer.
As we can see in the image, the option for is already predetermined, so you don’t have to do anything else, just hit convert and wait for the process to run.
Now to make MKV to AVI format We should only enter the same people of OnlineUniconverter and we repeat the same procedure. As you can see, the option is already predetermined, in this case it is converted to AVI.
This is the best and fastest way to convert MKV format files to others for free.
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