您有很多选项可以导出视频编辑项目、翻录视频光盘或将一批视频文件转换为单一格式。MP4和MKV是两种最流行的视频文件格式，但它们之间的区别尚不清楚。
如果您要决定哪一个最适合您的需要或您应该下载哪个版本的文件，则需要了解一些重要事项。
什么是 MKV？
Matroska Multimedia Container ( MKV ) 是为了取代AVI格式而开发的。“容器”一词很重要，意味着Matroska Video只是各种视频和音频编解码器格式的容器。“编解码器”（编码器/解码器的缩写）是一种描述视频和音频数据应如何表示的算法。不同(Different)的编解码器具有不同程度的质量损失和大小压缩。
“Matroska”这个名字来自俄罗斯的Matryoshka，即经典的木制嵌套娃娃。这是指MKV最重要的特性：它能够同时包含多个媒体流。一个MKV文件可以包含多个视频、音频和字幕轨道。它还支持章节和菜单等元数据。
这意味着，例如，一个视频轨道有注释，一个没有，或者一个轨道有审查内容，另一个没有。您可以在一个文件中包含多种语言的音轨或立体声和环绕音轨。您还可以混合编解码器，让一个音轨为AAC，另一个为MP3。MKV支持任何视频编解码器和任何音频编解码器。
MKV是一种开放文件格式，不需要软件或硬件播放器的许可费用来支持它。
什么是 MP4？
MP4是MPEG-4 Part 14的缩写。它是一种基于 Apple 的QuickTime MOV格式的容器格式。MP4与QuickTime相同，但具有QuickTime所没有的最低指定要求和功能。QuickTime格式支持一些MP4不
支持的编解码器，例如 FLAC 无损音频。
虽然 iPhone 可以毫无问题地播放MP4和Quicktime格式，但如果不先转换或下载专门的播放器应用程序，您就无法在Android手机上播放(Android)MOV文件。QuickTime文件可能包含MP4视频和音频数据，但它们也可以包含DRM（数字版权管理(Digital Rights Management)）以确保只有获得许可的媒体所有者才能播放它。
MP4支持多种视频编解码器，包括HEVC、H.264、MPEG-4、MPEG-2和MPEG-1。它支持AAC、MP3和多种无损音频编解码器。MP4文件支持 3GPP 格式的字幕。
MP4是专有格式，可能会为想要制作播放器设备或应用程序的任何人收取许可费。
视频和音频质量：MKV 胜出
如上所述，MKV和MP4都是容器格式。因此，如果您对两个容器使用相同的编解码器（例如，AVC/H.264）和编码设置，则它们之间的质量不会有差异。实际的编解码器对音频和视频流进行编码，并且可以有多种类型。
除了您使用的编解码器之外，视频(Video)质量还取决于许多因素。这些因素包括比特率、分辨率、帧速率和颜色深度。MKV 确实支持编解码器，这些编解码器可以说比少数MP4(MP4)编解码器提供更好的质量。
支持的音频格式也是如此，其中一些格式提供比MP4更好的技术质量。MP4仅支持“有损”视频格式，但MKV支持使用(MKV)FFV1编码的
无损视频。
流媒体的适用性：MP4 胜出
当MKV和MP4都在 2000 年代初创建时，我们今天所知道的流媒体视频是一个牵强附会的想法，因此它不在列表的首位也就不足为奇了。因此，MKV不是一种适合网络流式传输的格式。但是，MP4已更新为支持两种流媒体协议：HLS和MPEG-DASH。
HLS仅适用于H.264和H.265 ( HEVC )，而MPEG-DASH适用于MP4可以包含的任何内容。HLS是苹果(Apple)设备特有的格式，MPEG-DASH是更开放的格式。这两种技术都允许可变比特率流式传输，使其适合在您的本地网络或网络上流式传输视频。
文件大小：平局
与视频和音频质量一样，使用相同设置和编解码器的MKV格式文件和MP4文件之间应该没有实际差异。但是，由于MKV格式文件可以包含多个音频和视频轨道，因此它们最终可能比(MKV)MP4格式文件大得多。
当然，您将获得空间的更多内容，但如果您对其他语言轨道不感兴趣，MKV文件占用的额外空间就被浪费了。
播放兼容性：MP4胜
您会认为，由于MKV是免费和开源的，因此与MP4相比，它会得到广泛的支持，但事实恰恰相反。MP4几乎得到了普遍支持，尤其是智能电视(TVs)、便携式设备或媒体播放器。大多数操作系统附带的默认视频播放器都支持MP4。因此不难判断哪种格式具有更好的兼容性。
如果您想播放MKV文件，您几乎总是必须下载专门的播放器，例如VLC，或者确保您购买的智能电视或媒体播放器也将MKV列为受支持的容器格式。最重要的是，所有现代网络浏览器都原生支持MP4播放，使其成为网络上几乎无处不在的视频格式。
另一个问题是MKV(MKVs)基本上可以包含任何音频和视频格式。因此，仅仅因为设备支持容器格式并不意味着它可以播放文件中的音频或视频内容。
易于创作：MP4 胜出
由于MP4仅支持有限数量的编解码器，因此播放很少会失败。几乎(Almost)任何东西都可以播放MP4，几乎每个MP4都可以在这些设备上运行，除非有人在创建过程中对它做了一些奇怪的事情。
说起来，如果你想制作MKV，这比制作MP4复杂得多。因此，除非您必须拥有多个媒体轨道、菜单、章节和MKV的所有其他额外功能，否则不值得费心。
多功能性：MKV 获胜
虽然您可能需要特定的硬件或软件播放器才能使用MKV文件，但毫无疑问它是这两个选项中最通用的视频文件格式。首先(First)，您可以选择要用于MKV文件的任何编解码器，尽管如上所述，这也可能是播放器支持方面的一个弱点。
MKV(MKVs)几乎可以在单个文件中包含视频和音频的任何组合。它是为DVD(DVD)和蓝光(Blu-Ray)光盘制作优质压缩备份的最佳格式。由于您可以保留几乎所有的视频和音频内容。如果您想将您的物理光盘收藏移植到Plex 等家庭流媒体解决方案，(home streaming solution such as Plex)这会很方便。另一种方法是制作光盘映像，例如ISO文件，但当然，与压缩的(ISO)MKV文件
相比，这些高质量的视频“片段”是巨大的。
两种格式都有纯音频版本。M4A和MKA。M4A只支持有损AAC编码，而MKA支持(MKA)FLAC等无损格式。
为了进一步增加其多功能性，MKV以其(MKV).mk3d文件格式支持 3D 视频。虽然没有人真正拥有 3D 显示器，但值得注意的是MKV允许保留此类内容，并且 VR 耳机仍然允许观看 3D 电影。
在格式之间转换
没有真正的理由将MP4文件转换为MKV文件，但您可能经常希望将保存为MKV的视频转换为MP4——通常(MP4—usually)这样它可以与移动设备、智能电视(TVs)或机顶盒媒体播放器一起使用。您可能还会发现您不需要额外的语言或视频轨道，因此将MKV转换为MP4可以节省存储空间。
在 Windows 或Mac(Mac)计算机上使用视频转换器软件执行转换并不难，但您必须选择MKV中的视频和音频轨道将进入MP4。如果您想保留MKV文件的多语言版本，则必须制作多个MP4文件，每个文件都包含您需要的音频和视频组合。至于字幕，您可能需要从MKV视频容器中提取字幕文件。只要字幕文件与MP4位于同一文件夹中并且具有相同的名称，大多数MP4播放器都会自动提供它。
有关获得最佳视频输出格式的说明，请查看如何(How to Use Handbrake to Convert MKV to MP4)使用 Handbrake 将 MKV 转换为 MP4 。
MKV vs MP4: Which Video File Format Is Better?
Yоu havе plenty of options for exporting a video editing project, ripping video discs, or converting a batch of vіdeo files to a single formаt. MP4 and MKV are two of the moѕt popular video file formats, but how they differ from each other is not immediately clear.
If you’re trying to decide which one is best for your needs or which version of a file you should download, there are some important things you need to know.
What Is MKV?
Matroska Multimedia Container (MKV) was developed to replace the AVI format. The term “container” is important and means that Matroska Video is simply a container for various video and audio codec formats. A “codec” (short for coder/decoder) is an algorithm that describes how video and audio data should be represented. Different codecs have varying degrees of quality loss and size compression.
The name “Matroska” comes from the Russian Matryoshka, the classic wooden nesting dolls. This refers to the most important feature of MKV: its ability to contain multiple media streams simultaneously. A single MKV file can contain multiple video, audio, and subtitle tracks. It also supports metadata such as chapters and menus.
This means, for example, having one video track with annotations and one without, or one track with censored content and another without. You can have audio tracks in multiple languages or stereo and surround tracks in one file. You can also mix codecs and have one audio track be AAC and another MP3. MKV supports any video codec and any audio codec.
MKV is an open file format and doesn’t require a licensing fee for software or hardware players to support it.
What Is MP4?
MP4 is short for MPEG-4 Part 14. It’s a container format based on Apple’s QuickTime MOV format. MP4 is identical to QuickTime but has minimum specified requirements and features that QuickTime does not. The QuickTime format supports some codecs that MP4 does not—FLAC lossless audio, for example.
While an iPhone will play MP4 and Quicktime formats without issue, you can’t play MOV files on an Android phone without converting it first or downloading a specialized player app. QuickTime files may contain MP4 video and audio data, but they can also include DRM (Digital Rights Management) to ensure that only the licensed owner of the media can play it.
MP4 supports several video codecs, including HEVC, H.264, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, and MPEG-1. It supports AAC, MP3, and multiple lossless audio codecs. MP4 files do support subtitles in the 3GPP format.
MP4 is a proprietary format and may attract licensing fees for anyone who wants to make a player device or application.
Video and Audio Quality: MKV Wins
As mentioned above, both MKV and MP4 are container formats. So, if you use the same codec (e.g., AVC/H.264) and encoding settings with both containers, there will be no difference in quality between them. The actual codecs encode the audio and video streams and can have several types.
Video quality depends on many factors besides the codec you’re using. These factors include the bitrate, resolution, frame rate, and color depth. MKV does support codecs that arguably offer better quality than the small selection of MP4 codecs.
The same is true for the supported audio formats, with some offering better technical quality than MP4. MP4 only supports “lossy” video formats, but MKV supports lossless video using FFV1 encoding.
Suitability for Streaming: MP4 Wins
When both MKV and MP4 were created in the early 2000s, streaming video as we know it today was a far-fetched idea, so it should be no surprise that it wasn’t at the top of the list. As a result, MKV isn’t a format favored for web streaming. However, MP4 has been updated to support two streaming protocols: HLS and MPEG-DASH.
HLS only works with H.264 and H.265 (HEVC), while MPEG-DASH works with anything MP4 can contain. HLS is a format specific to Apple devices, and MPEG-DASH is the more open format. Both technologies allow for variable bitrate streaming, making it suitable for streaming video on your local network or over the web.
File Size: It’s a Draw
As with video and audio quality, there should be no practical difference between an MKV format file and an MP4 file using the same settings and codecs. However, because MKV format files can contain multiple audio and video tracks, they can end up much larger than MP4 format files.
Of course, you’re getting more content for the space, but if you aren’t interested in additional language tracks, the extra space MKV files take up is wasted.
Playback Compatibility: MP4 Wins
You’d expect that since MKV is free and open source, it would have broad support compared to MP4, but the opposite is true. MP4 has almost universal support, especially for smart TVs, portable devices, or media players. The default video players included with most operating systems support MP4. So it’s not hard to decide which format has better compatibility.
If you want to play MKV files, you almost always have to download a specialized player such as VLC or make sure that the smart TV or media player you buy also lists MKV as a supported container format. Most importantly, all modern web browsers have native support for MP4 playback, making it a near-ubiquitous video format on the web.
Another problem is that MKVs can contain essentially any audio and video format. So, just because a device supports the container format doesn’t mean it can play back the audio or video content in a file.
Ease of Creation: MP4 Wins
Since MP4 only supports a limited number of codecs, playback will rarely fail. Almost anything can play an MP4, and just about every MP4 will work on those devices unless someone has done something strange to it during the creation process.
Speaking of which, if you want to make an MKV, it’s a much more complex process than creating an MP4. So unless you must have multiple media tracks, menus, chapters, and all the other extra features of MKV, it’s not worth the bother.
Versatility: MKV Wins
While you probably need to have a specific hardware or software player to use MKV files, there’s no doubt it’s the most versatile video file format of the two options. First, you get to choose any codec you’d like to use with MKV files, although, as mentioned above, that can also be a weakness in player support.
MKVs can contain almost any combination of video and audio in a single file. It is the best format for making good-quality compressed backups of your DVD and Blu-Ray discs. Since you can preserve almost all of the video and audio content. That’s handy if you want to port your physical disc collection to a home streaming solution such as Plex. The alternative is to make disc images such as ISO files, but of course, these high-quality video “rips” are enormous compared to a compressed MKV file.
Both formats have an audio-only version. M4A and MKA. M4A only supports lossy AAC encoding, while MKA supports lossless formats such as FLAC.
To add even more to its versatility, MKV supports 3D video in the form of its .mk3d file format. Although no one really has a 3D display anymore, it’s notable that MKV allows for such content to be preserved, and VR headsets still allow for 3D movie viewing.
Converting Between Formats
There’s no real reason to convert an MP4 file to an MKV file, but you may often want to convert a video saved as MKV to MP4—usually so it will work with mobile devices, smart TVs, or set-top media players. You may also find that you don’t need the extra language or video tracks, so converting an MKV to MP4 can save storage space.
Using video converter software on your Windows or Mac computer to perform a conversion isn’t hard, but you will have to choose which video and audio track from the MKV will go into the MP4. If you want to keep multi-language versions of an MKV file, you’ll have to make multiple MP4 files, each with the combination of audio and video you need. As for subtitles, you may have to extract the subtitle files from the MKV video container. As long as the subtitle file is in the same folder as the MP4 and has the same name, most MP4 players will automatically make it available.
For instructions to get the best video output format, check out How to Use Handbrake to Convert MKV to MP4.
