As a media consumer, you might have bumped into the MKV vs MP4 debate. That’s because they are the most common video formats on the internet today. Both of them are containers for storing media data, but they work quite differently. That makes them suitable for different situations.
Here’s everything you need to know about the MKV vs MP4 debate:
Device Compatibility
Compatability is often the first thing to consider when choosing a file format and it’s easy to see why. Some containers are not compatible with all devices.
In this case, MP4 works on more devices and systems than MKV. It can also play on virtually any device and is suitable for video editing. That’s part of the reason most online platforms use MP4 as their default format.
Video Audio Support
MP4 supports Xvid and MPEG4 videos along with ACC and MP3 audios. These are the industry standards that can easily make MP4 content. However, there’s one format that falls short in the audio section. MP4 supports ALAC, which is less efficient compared to MKV’s FLAC lossless audio.
MKV, on the other hand, allows users to select subtitles of ASS/SSA and selectable audio. That makes it a good option while ripping DVD/Blu-ray content. You can work on sections of the video without any problems.
Quality of Output
When it comes to the quality of output, there is no clear winner between MKV and MP4. Both formats produce the same quality.
Generally, MKV files are a bit bigger than MP4 content. That’s because MKV allows additional info such as multiple audio tracks and subtitle tracks. If you encode with x264 + AAC and all the other setting are similar, then the quality will be the same.
The Verdict?
Well, it depends on what you intend to do with the file. MP4 is a better choice for video editing, while MKV is a great format for ripping DVDs and Blue-rays.