Set of tools for creating, altering and inspecting the Matroska file format. Split , merge, extract and get information about MKV video files. It also supports video codecs and subtitle formats.
Matroska (MKV) files have become the de facto standard for compact HD video files. To create MKV files from various sources or to modify the structure of existing Matroska files, MKVtoolnix offers an open-source solution to inspect, modify, or produce new MKV files with the audio, video, and subtitle streams of your choice.
Actually, MKVtoolnix is not one tool but a toolbox that integrates various Matroska-related open-source utilities. Mkvinfo provides you with a list of all the elements contained in a Matroska file, its tracks, and even the codecs used. Mkvmerge joins the streams of various media files in a single MKV file, while Mkvextract performs the opposite operation – it takes out a selected stream out of the container and save it as a standalone file. Mkvpropedit is used to modify the properties of an MKV file without extracting its contents or build a new one. With this utility, you can change the segment information elements (such as the title) and the track headers (the default track, the language code, etc.).
All of these functions are wrapped up in a convenient interface called mkvtoolnix-gui. This GUI turns all those more or less cryptic program names into more accessible options and tags, such as Multiplexer (to create new MKV files), Info tool, Header editor, or Chapter editor. Useful as it is, the interface itself (and some of the language used in it) is not the most straightforward video tool you may come across. Designed by experts, it does seem to be designed also for experts or, at least, for those who really know what a MKV file is and how it works internally. If you want to make the most of the various tools included in MKVtoolnix, you will need to do your homework first.
One great thing about this tool that all users will surely appreciate is its batch-oriented working flow. The last two tags in the program’s main interface, namely Job queue and Job output, will let you design all your multiplexing or stream extraction one at a time and launch them all in one single operation. Given that some of these operations may take some time to finish (especially if you use large BD video files as source), this batch processing approach is certainly a great add-on to this suite of tools.
Do not mistake this program with the average video conversion and compression tool – MKVtoolnix gathers a set of professional and high-quality MKV-related utilities aimed at video connoisseurs looking for an uncompressed HD video compact container for their beloved movies and other video files.
v61.0 [Aug 31, 2021]
New features and enhancements
- all: IETF BCP 47/RFC 5646 language tags: implemented support for officially registered IANA language tag extensions.
- mkvmerge: track selection: when using language tags for selecting which tracks to keep, mkvmerge will now use component-based language tag matching instead of comparing them verbatim. This means that only those components (language, region etc.) the user specified will be required to exist and be equal. For example, if a file contains three subtitle tracks with languages `es` (generic Spanish), `es-MX` (Spanish as spoken in Mexico) and `es-ES` (Spanish as spoken in Spain), the user can use `--stracks es` to match all three tracks or be more specific with e.g. `--stracks es-MX` which would only match one track. Similarly inverting the selection with e.g. `--stracks !es` would get rid of all three tracks, not just the one for the generic Spanish.
- MKVToolNix GUI: multiplexer: deriving track languages from file names: the GUI can now detect full BCP 47/RFC 5646 language tags in file names. Part of the implementation of #3173.
- MKVToolNix GUI: multiplexer: deriving track languages from file names: the default list of boundary characters now includes `-`. Part of the implementation of #3173.
- MKVToolNix GUI: multiplexer: the GUI now defaults to the "lower" process priority setting for new installations in order to leave more room for other applications, especially interactive ones. Up to and including v59 the default was the "normal" process priority. v60 changed that to "lowest", which turned out to be much slower on Windows for no real gain over "lower". The setting will be auto-corrected by the GUI if the settings file were saved last with a version between v60.0.0.0 & v60.0.0.17 & "lowest" & it is still set to "lowest".
- HEVC dumper development tool: the tool has been renamed to `xvc_dump` and extended to be able to dump AVC/H.264 bitstreams, too. It now also detects the type of bitstream framing (ISO 14496-15 vs. ITU-T H.264/H.265 Annex B).
Bug fixes
- all: IETF BCP 47/RFC 5646 language tags: fixed a corner case of wrongfully allowing scripts/variants not listed in any of the entries in the prefix list when the prefix list contains prefixes restricting scripts/variants and a prefix solely with the language at the same time (example: the variant `ekavsk` with its prefixes `sr`, `sr-Cyrl` and `sr-Latn` where e.g. `sr-ekavsk` and `sr-Cyrl-ekavsk` should be allowed but not `sr-Bali-ekavsk`).
- mkvmerge: HEVC/H.265: the frame type of B frames was often wrongfully signalled as P frames instead, both with `BlockGroup` (missing second references) and `SimpleBlock` ("discardable" flag not set) elements.
- mkvmerge: SSA/ASS packetizer: the frame numbers will now be re-calculated when appending SSA/ASS tracks so that frame numbers of appended tracks are always strictly higher than frame numbers of the track they're appended to.
- mkvmerge, MKVToolNix GUI's chapter editor: BCP 47/RFC 5646 language tags: when BCP 47 language tags are used with a language code that isn't part of ISO 639-2, the programs will now write a legacy language element set to `und` ("undetermined") instead of not writing such an element at all or writing one with an invalid code. Fixes #3174.
- mkvmerge, MKVToolNix GUI's chapter editor: BCP 47/RFC 5646 language tags: the programs will ensure that the legacy and IETF language elements written will be unique within the scope of the same "chapter display" element.
- mkvinfo, MKVToolNix GUI's info tool: in summary mode the frame type was reported wrong for `BlockGroup` elements in which the `ReferenceBlock` elements were located behind the `Block` element.
Build system changes
- all: `std::codecvt_utf8` is now used instead of Boost's `utf8_codecvt_facet`. The bundled copy the latter in `lib/boost` has therefore been removed.
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