From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Matroska Multimedia Container is an open standard free container format, a file format that can hold an unlimited number of video, audio, picture or subtitle tracks inside a single file.^[1] It is intended to serve as a universal format for storing common multimedia content, like movies or TV shows. Matroska is similar in concept to other containers like AVI, MP4 or ASF, but is entirely open in specification, with implementations consisting mostly of open source software. Matroska file types are .MKV for video (with subtitles and audio), .MKA for audio-only files and .MKS for subtitles only.

Matroska is an English word derived from the Russian word matryoshka (Russian: матрёшка, IPA: [mɐˈtrʲoʂkə]), which means nesting doll (the common Russian egg-shaped doll within a doll). This is a play on the container (media within a form of media/doll within a doll) aspect of the matryoshka as it is a container for visual and audio data. The loose transliteration may be confusing for Russian speakers, as the Russian word matroska (Russian: матроска) actually refers to a sailor suit.

History

The project was announced on 6 December 2002^[2] as a fork of the Multimedia Container Format (MCF), after disagreements between MCF lead developer Lasse Kärkkäinen and soon-to-be Matroska founder Steve Lhomme about the use of the Extensible Binary Meta Language (EBML) instead of a binary format.^{[citation needed]} This coincided with a long coding break by the MCF's lead developer, during which most of the community quickly migrated to the new project.^{[citation needed]}

Goals

The use of EBML provides extendability for future format changes. The Matroska team has openly expressed some of their long term goals on Doom9.org and hydrogenaudio.org.

List of Goals

• creating a modern, flexible, extensible, cross-platform multimedia container format;
• developing robust streaming support;
• developing a menu system similar to that of DVDs based on EBML (although this feature seems to have been abandoned);
• developing a set of tools for the creation and editing of Matroska files;
• developing libraries that can be used to allow developers to add Matroska support to their applications;
• working with hardware manufacturers to include Matroska support in embedded multimedia devices;
• working to provide native Matroska support in various operating systems.

Software support

Listed below is software that has native Matroska support.

Media players

Media centers

Tools

Hardware support

Oppo

Two of OPPO Digital's Blu-ray players, the BDP-83^[8] and BDP-80^[9], support Matroska files streamed over the network, or from USB.

Samsung

Starting in 2009 Samsung added Matroska support to its Blu-ray players and series 6 and series 7 HDTVs.^[10]

LG

LG has added Matroska support to Blu-ray players^[11] as well as select HDTVs^[12]

Sigma Designs

Sigma Designs produces systems-on-chip for OEMs. Several of the devices which use these chips support the Matroska format. Examples are:^[13]

• Conceptronic Gigabit Full HD Media Player (Sigma Designs SMP8635LF chipset)^[14]

• Western Digital WD TV (1st Gen.) (Sigma 8635 chipset)^[15]

• Western Digital WD TV (2nd Gen.) and Live (Sigma SMP8655 Secure Media Processor)^[16]

Realtek

Realtek RTD1073 or RTD1283 series are usually paired with Matroska support:

• AC Ryan Playon!HD^[17].
• Xtreamer^[18].

Cowon

The both the Cowon A3^[19] and the O2^[20] support the Matroska container.

Archos

The Archos 5 Internet Tablet (Google Android based) supports the Matroska container.^[21] It is the first Archos portable media device to do so.^{[citation needed]}

RAmos

The RAmos T11RK and T12 portable media players support the Matroska container. Multiple embedded subtitles are supported in the .srt format, as are multiple audio tracks, in AC3, AAC, MP3 or DTS. They are both based on the Rockchip RK2806 chipset.^{[citation needed]}

Content in Matroska

Initially the uptake of the format was low. It was used almost exclusively for DVD rips of anime, as the container allowed the viewer to choose between the original language track and a dub with the option of subtitles. It also allowed for variable frame rates. In recent years, however, Matroska has seen wider use due to the warez scene adopting it as a format of choice for high definition content ripped from HDTV and next generation video discs (HD DVD and Blu-ray). The format usually carries H.264 video, one or more AC3/AAC/DTS/Vorbis audio tracks and sometimes one or more subtitle tracks (coupled with TrueType or OpenType fonts).

License

Although CoreCodec owns the copyrights and trademarks for the Matroska specification, the specifications are open to everybody. The Matroska project is an open standard which is free to use and the technical specifications are available for both private and commercial use. The Matroska development team licenses its libraries under the LGPL, in addition there are parsing and playback libraries available under BSD licenses.^[22]

See also

Free software portal

• LiVES
• Comparison of container formats
• Open source codecs and containers
• Combined Community Codec Pack
• SubStation Alpha (SSA/ASS Subtitles)

References

External links

• Official Matroska Homepage