What is the video file format “MKV”?

The video file format MKV, acronym of its name «Matroska Video», is a container format called «open source», that is to say in free format. It allows you to gather in a file several multimedia tracks.

This .mkv format offers its users very high definition quality, ranging from classic 720p or 1080p to 4K. BlueRay technology uses MKV for its copies. In addition, the MKV is compatible with all video and audio streams, such as DivX, RealVideo, or MP3 or AAC.

A brief history of the MKV format.

The MKV project was announced on December 6, 2002. Founder Steve Lhomme, and developer Lasse Kärkkäinen, along with a team of programmers, collaborated to create this multimedia container. The company offers many solutions and resources on their site, with many improvements, while retaining the spirit of a free container and accessible to all.

Released on May 1, 2003, the .mkv format is called “Matroska”, meaning “Russian doll”. As its name suggests, the format includes many possibilities of sounds, videos, chapitrages and subtitles.

How to export and use MKV video?

A .mkv ensures excellent quality. However, this format is not easily read by all devices. To do this, you will need to export the .mkv in a container format read by most programs. You can, for example, convert it using the VLC Media Player which is accessible on Windows, Mac and Linux. Simply click “convert” and then “save” to ensure a successful video export.

To use and play a video .mkv, without going through compression, check that you have software such as nstallé VLC that allows reading this format. There are also decoder filters that you can find on the Matroska website, by clicking in the category «Additional Information on Reading».

On which media can we upload a MKV file?

Formatted for high quality HD, a .mkv file can be uploaded to many video hosting sites such as Youtube, Dailymotion and Vimeo. With a subscription, WordPress also integrates this video format.

If you want to upload your MKV videos to social networks, Facebook allows you to download them.  To upload your content on networks such as Instagram or TikTok, you will first need to compress your video to mp4, the format most recommended by these platforms.