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.MKV file extension What are they and how to play this type of video formats?

UPDATED ✅ Do you want to know which are the best programs and applications to play .MKV videos on PC and smartphone? ⭐ ENTER HERE ⭐ And learn how

More than once we have downloaded a video from YouTube, 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 does not work due to some compatibility problem with the player.

After investigating 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 able to open it.

That’s why this time We will teach you a little about how files with the MKV extension work, how to play them according to your equipment, with what programs to open them and also how to convert them to others if necessary.

What is .MKV format files and what are they used for?

.MKV format files

A file that has the MKV extension at the end of its name is a video and audio container file, hence the unabridged name of this format is Matroska, which refers to the name of the traditional Russian dolls called Matrioska, These as they are uncovered, more of the same model come out, but smaller.

The files have the particularity that a single file can contain one or more video, audio and subtitle streams. in unlimited quantities, which may cause the file weight or size to be higher than normal.

For example, since a single file has several audio and subtitle streams, it can be seen by users of different languages ​​and nationalities, all you have to do is choose the preferred language in the player.

Another peculiarity is that since it is a multimedia container file and not a multimedia file as such, What developers are looking for is for this to become a universal format, and this allows the different content videos to be 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 PCs

In Windows computers we should not complicate our lives, since the Microsoft team, in recent generations, has made sure that its default players are capable of running many video formatsamong these the MKV extension.

Movies and TV app

All we have to do is keep it updated and right click on the file in MKV format, we will give you the “To open with” and we will select “Movies and TV”, but to avoid these steps we can only locate the file and double click on it to execute it immediately.

On Mac computers

On Mac computers, there are several ways to play MKV format 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.

quick time

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 a problem with having two versions of the same program then this is your solution.

The next way is by installing a plugin that allows the native Mac player to play this type of format, all you have to do is enter the official website of Perian.org where you will find the plugin for free.

perian

Once downloaded and installed, you just have to close the QuickTime MOV, in case you have it open, for the program to update and assimilate the component. After this we can open our videos with this extension on the computer no 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 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 BS Player Free and all you have to do is download it to your device to start watching videos with this extension.

BS Player Free


BSPlayer
BSPlayer
developer:
BSPlayer media
Price:
Free

On iPhone devices with iOS

When it comes to an iPhone or an iPad you just have to download from the App Store a media playback application that is compatible with the Matroska format, because natively you will not be able to see this type of video.

Although there are too many apps of this type in the store 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 MKV extension. This is free and works perfectly on your iPhone or any iOS device.

PlayerXtreme


‎PlayerXtreme Player
‎PlayerXtreme Player
developer:
iStreamer
Price:
Free+

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 playing Matroska format files, alternatives that will be useful to you regardless of the operating system you have or the equipment you have.

Media Player Classic

media player classic

This is one of the best media players 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 external codecs.

VLC Media Player

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 play virtually any video and audio format, including Matroska.

BS Player

BS 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 is a very robust one, compatible with MKV and many others.

Cyberlink Power DVD

Cyber ​​Link Power DVD

PowerDVD was designed, as its name indicates, for reading and playing DVDs, but like everything in industries, changes occur from day to day, and the people of cyber link In view of this scenario, he did not want to be left behind, that is why this It turns out to be an excellent program to watch movies and series that are in MKV format.

Real Player

Real Player

It is an open source program and an excellent universal range video and audio player, functional with many formats and operating systems. It was released in 1995 and since then it has been an icon in terms of movies and videos.

How to convert videos from .MKV format to .MP4 or .AVI 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 from this link 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 convert to MP4so you don’t have to do anything else, just hit convert and wait for the process to run.

convert MKV to MP4 with Online Uniconverter

Now to make it from MKV to AVI format we just have to enter the following link from the same people Online Uniconverter and repeat the same procedure. As you can see, the option is already predetermined, in this case it is converted to AVI.

convert MKV to AVI with Online Uniconverter

This is the best and fastest way to convert MKV format files to others for free.

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