AVI formats? (or MP4)

[Reddington]

Hi all. The last few days I am unable to find any of my TV shows in my usual AVI formats (which I know were less of late anyway but always managed to find one) or even MP4 formats. 
They all seem to be MKV which dont play on my TV or the players with it.
Is this a new trend or just bad luck for me the last few days?

[Sid]

It's a trend but not a new one: it's been going on for years.

Incidentally, it's a really trivial exercise to convert most* mkv files to mp4. See http://pirates-forum.org/Thread-7000-FLV...#pid144180



* avoid any torrents labelled x265 or HEVC. It's not that you can't easily deal with them also, it's just that it's not quite so trivial.

[Reddington]

It's a trend but not a new one: it's been going on for years.

Incidentally, it's a really trivial exercise to convert most* mkv files to mp4. See http://pirates-forum.org/Thread-7000-FLV...#pid144180



* avoid any torrents labelled x265 or HEVC. It's not that you can't easily deal with them also, it's just that it's not quite so trivial.

Thanks Sid 
Yes I know it has slowly been happening for a while and getting worse.... I just found it weird that the last 3 days everything that I have searched has ALL been in MKV format only. Seemed quite strange that i couldnt find anything else.
I was just curious if others had found this phenomenon to not find ANY alternative.

If I was to convert them I would be wanting to convert to AVI as one of my players will only play that one successfully. Previously I have used programs to convert but that has been hit and miss a bit with quality.

Would you have a recommendation for converting MKV to AVI?

[RobertX]

Aiseesoft Total Video Converter.

Converts like any good pro program you can find.

It's on TPB.

[Sid]

Would you have a recommendation for converting MKV to AVI?

Definitely: I'd recommend not doing it. In fact I would strongly recommend not doing it.

It will take longer (OK, perhaps only a few minutes longer, but think about how many times you would be repeating the operation) and it will reduce the quality of the image. Again, not by a huge amount, but why reduce quality at all? [MKV to MP4 won't reduce the quality and takes a single mouse click and less than a minute.]

I'd suggest you first take a closer look at the electronic devices you already have: laptops, games consoles, even phones can be used to play movies and direct the output to your TV screen. Smart TV's can play files directly without an external player.

If you really have nothing buy a new media player, Blu Ray or even DVD player: any player you can buy these days, even a non-branded $15 DVD player, will play mp4's. And if you have a few more bucks, you could even get one which plays MKVs, and perhaps even HEVC/h.265 files.

[Whitney27]

I have a flat screen TV, only three years old and it plays all MP4 and AVI files without a problem, I plug my one terrabyte HDD into the TV and no probs. When it comes to MKV files, some play and some don't which I find frustrating (perhaps the ones that won't work are the HEVC files mentioned above). I use Any Video Converter and I recently converted several files from MKV to AVI. From what I've read here, I am gathering that it is better to convert these files to MP4 which I will go back to do now. The files in question were Bluray downloads and were not HEVC. Any advice would be great.

I will also check out Aiseesoft Total Video Converter. The converter I currently use is a very old version which I don't want to upgrade because the new interface is difficult to navigate, I find the older version much simpler.

Cheers, Jel

[Sid]

When it comes to MKV files, some play and some don't which I find frustrating (perhaps the ones that won't work are the HEVC files mentioned above).

That's certainly possible, and I'd even go so far as to say it's probable. [Since it sounds as though you haven't been specifically avoiding downloading HEVC's.]

If you can identify a specific torrent containing a file which won't play then we could look into it further.

I use Any Video Converter and I recently converted several files from MKV to AVI. From what I've read here, I am gathering that it is better to convert these files to MP4.

Yes

I'm not familiar with AVC (or the specific wording of the options that are available within it) but the key thing is that you only want to change the "container" from MKV to MP4. It might refer to the operation as "re-muxing". You want to avoid "re-encoding" or doing anything to change the "video stream".

Whatever options you select, it shouldn't take more than a minute (or two at the very most) to complete the operation. And if you play the files side by side (say the original in windows media player and the remuxed one in VLC) then they should visually identical. If it takes longer, or if there is a visible difference in quality, something is wrong.

[joew771]

I agree with Sid. Avoid any torrents labelled x265 or HEVC. They are unplayable on most players, not only yours. Personally, I still haven't figured out a way to play them, but as far as the others go, converting from mkv to another format is certainly ok. I use a few different progams but the easiest I think is the one Whitney27 mentioned, Any Video Converter.

https://thepiratebay.org/search/any%20vi...ter/0/99/0

It may not have the best video quality, but it's not so bad, and it's fast and easy.

[wytch6]

Hi does anyone know what happened to the FUM group. They used MP4 & Avi formats which was REALLY good for me, they seem to have just.......vanished.

[RobertX]

Well, uploaders come and go.

I once used WinAVI: https://thepiratebay.org/torrent/1154604...acked_Inst