The reason why we need to convert MKV into another file container format like MP4 is that many programs don't support the playback of MKV files. MKV files cannot be successfully open on a variety of devices. As a wide-range compatible file container format, I would say, the MP4 coordinates much better with various programs than the MKV. It is a good news that to convert MKV to MP4 is not complicated at all, and nowadays most video converters can achieve the conversion between MKV and MP4.

Can VLC Convert MKV to MP4?

  VLC media player is acclaimed as one of the most popular media player software. It is previously known as VideoLAN Client and commonly known as simply VLC. The best qualities of the VLC media player prompt it as the top-notch software. It is a free, open-source, portable and cross-platform media player software and is available for desktop operating systems as well as mobile platforms such as iOS, Android and iPadOS.

  This program has its own set of codecs for most of the video and audio formats, enabling you to operate it without installing any codecs. Besides being professional in converting files from one format to another, it is also a great playback software for Windows, Mac and Linux. Furthermore, the detailed information of the played video can also be revealed by the software, including its codec, metadata, etc.

What is MKV File?

  MKV is also known as a Matroska Multimedia Container format that holds unlimited video, audio, picture and subtitle tracks all in one file. It is a completely open sourced file format similar to MP4. Compared with MP4 file format, it is less compatible and has a lower popularity amongst the media containers. It is based on Extensible Binary Meta Language and supports several videos as well as audio compression formats. One character of the MKV to distinguish it from other video extensions is that it is a container rather than a codec.

  There are different file extensions that are associated with the MKV format, namely MKV for video, mka for audio and mks for subtitles.

  As far as the compatibility of the MKV is concerned, you might find many systems that do not support the playback of files with MKV extension or container format. Therefore, it is necessary to convert MKV into another file format, such as MP4.

  The next part of the article shows you how to make the conversion from MKV to MP4.

How Does VLC Convert MKV to MP4?

  The VLC is a great media player as well as a streaming media server. As a packet-based media player, the VLC plays almost all video content, including some damaged, incomplete or unfinished files. Have this yellow cone-like media player installed on your desktop and start the conversion process as in the coming sections.

Step 1: Open the program. From the top-left corner of the interface, click the Media tab. Towards the bottom of the list, there is an option of Convert/Save. Click on it, or you can alternatively use the hot keyboard by typing Ctrl+ R.

Step 2: You are moving to the dialogue of Open Media. Onto the File selection panel, click the "+Add" button to select local files. When we click the "+Add" button, it opens up the Window's file picker, and you can select the file which you want to convert it into another format. Once done with the file selection, the file appears in the file selection area.

Step 3: Now with the "Convert/Save" button is enabled, click it to enter the next interface. The location of the source file shows on the top of the interface. Move down to the settings panel and tap the Profile option to pop out a down-drop list. Scroll down until you see the "Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4)" option. Set it as the output format. You can also set the output directory for the output file in the "Destination file" box. Then click "Start" to convert the file.

  The length of the conversion process depends on the size of the original video. When the video is in conversion, the progress bar at the bottom showcases how far we are approaching the end of the conversion. When it finishes conversion, you can find the converted MP4 file at the location you have specified.

  There is more than one method to convert the MKV into MP4. But I would call the method of using a video converter as the most straightforward way as it doesn't involve with any technical operation such as using the command line in the solution of FFmpeg. And as another question, since solutions of converting MKV to MP4 differ with each other, will it make any difference in maintaining the quality of the original video if you use different conversion methods.

Will I Lose Quality After VLC Convert MKV to MP4?

  Whether the conversion of the MKV file causes lose in its quality depends on what solution you are using to convert. There are both lossy and lossless ways of converting an MKV file into MP4 format. Let's talk about this more specifically.

  We like all the files to be lossless within a conversion process. However, being lossless sometimes means that you couldn't do anything about it, including changing the video quality or the video resolution. Therefore, we need to compromise the quality of the original file to create a new file.

For lossless conversion, you are only transferring the video from MKV container format to MP4 format, or duplicate the original file with the same quality. There is no modification on the video. It can be achieved by using the solution of command line such as FFmpeg. Nothing will be changed in rewriting the command line.

For lossy conversion, in most of the cases, you want to change the video quality or the video resolution so that you can get a new video with an optimized effect. The software you are using for conversion will re-code the video. It is generally defined as lossy conversion, which can be achieved by using Handbrake and VLC media player.

  The concept of converting a file in a lossless or lossy way can also apply to other types of conversion such as converting M4V to MP4, WMV to AVI. As long as the quality or the video resolution is modified, it generates a lossy file.

Best Alternative to VLC Convert MKV to MP4

  The secret of preserving original quality of the source file is not to change any parameters of the original file. Can we modify the original file without losing any quality? The answer is positive. In the market of video converters, Leawo Video Converter stands out in the region of file conversion. It can convert the file at a 6X faster speed and 100% preserve the original quality of the source file. What's more, it can even reduce the video size without losing the quality.

  • Leawo Video Converter
  • Leawo Video Converter

    1. Convert video and audio files between 180+ formats without quality loss
    2. Support 720P, 1080P and even real 4K video output
    3. Create photo slideshows from photos stored on camera, computer, camcorder, etc
    4. Built-in video editor to trim, crop, add watermark, apply special effect, etc
    5. 2D to 3D converter with 6 different 3D movie effects available

  As the best software for both video conversion and audio conversion, Leawo Video Converter empowers users to convert video or audio contained in more than 180 formats from one to another. Other than converting file in the same type, trans-conversion between video and audio is also supported by the Leawo Video Converter. It acts as the best software for converting audio to video.

  Apart from converting the file from one format to another, Leawo Video Converter is designed with many other features such as smarter settings, multilingual support, external subtitle addable as well as audio track selectable.

  Most of the portable devices like iOS devices, Android devices and Microsoft Windows devices are supported to be set as the output profile with Leawo Video Converter. The high compatibility of Leawo Video Converter saves the user a lot of time in choosing a proper format to fit the output profile.

  From what we introduce in the previous sections, we know VLC media player is another stand-out converter software. How to pick one from the Leawo Video Converter and the VLC? We make a table to sort it out.

Comparison items Leawo Video Converter VLC
Quality lose 100% preserved in the output file Certain lose in the quality within conversion
Supported formats More than 180 formats Depending on the operating system it is running on
Features More bonus features like user-friendly interface, more editing functions and subtitle addable and audio selectable Open source app with many bonus features like playing game and converting file
Other affiliated features A media player A media player
Supported operating systems Windows, Mac Android, iOS, Windows, Mac

  According to the comparison items listed, Leawo Video Converter performs better in preserving the original quality of the source file, having more bonus features and more supported output formats. Leawo Video Converter is a program consists of a qualified video converter, a video editor and an entertaining media player.