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If you have obtained a file with the extension .mkv then you have a Matroska video/audio multimedia file. Matroska is a container like MOV and AVI , providing support for a huge number of different video, audio and subtitles compression formats. It is not really intended for media content distribution on a large scale, but is achieving it anyway. This is partly due to its incredible support for several subtitle formats including SRT , SSA and USF text subtitles, or VobSub streams coming directly from the DVD. The team is also currently working on a DVD-like menu structure for the format.
For the absolute best and user-praised free instructions on how to Play MKV files on your computer (Windows, Linux, Mac), please view our <A href="http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/how_to_play_mkv.cfm]How To Play MKV files[/url] article in our Guides section
You can also learn how to play MKV content on an Xbox 360 console.
With Windows, It is recommended to install the Matroska Splitter software. It is a DirectShow splitter for Matroska video files. You need this in order to open .mkv files. However, it only opens the Matroska container, please remember that the video and audio streams held within can be virtually in any possible format, such as DivX or XviD. For this reason it is recommended you check your Matroska files with AviCodec to check what codecs you need and then return to the AfterDawn download section to get them. Media Player Classic is highly recommended for playing Matroska files.
Download Matroska Splitter from: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/codecs_and_filters/matroska_splitter.cfm
Download Media Player Classic from: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/video_players/media_player_classic.cfm
Download AviCodec from: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/codecs_and_filters/avicodec.cfm
Download DivX codec from: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/codecs_and_filters/divx_play.cfm
Download XviD codec from: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/codecs_and_filters/xvid.cfm