Open Software at its Best

Open Software at its Best

If you are “stuck up” with windows with mkv file following reproduction would help.
Both MKV format and VLC Player are Open Source and Linux based.
MKV file is a container with Linux libraries (codecs).
Best thing is to dual boot Windows with Linux Distribution.
There are many Linux distributions and won't elaborate except saying I am Using Peppermint Linux which is minimalistic with a Chrome Browser (I use Firefox instead) and web utilities.
Then I download my requirements at my leisure (all open source and free).


Following is a reproduction.

From Humble Beginnings

Before we talk about what the files are, let’s talk a little history. MKV files, also known as Matroska Video files originated in Russia in 2002. The lead developer, Lasse Kärkkäinen, worked with the founder of Matroska, Steve Lhomme, and a team of programmers to create this comprehensive multimedia container file format. It got its name from the Russian word for Nesting Dolls, matryoshka.
The Matroska project was developed as an open standards project which means that it is open source and is completely free for anyone who wants it for personal use. The company also has a lot of resources on their website, including a list of playback options. As time went on, the format was improved and in 2010, it became the basis for the WebM multimedia format.

What Are MKV Files?

Contrary to popular belief, MKV files are not an audio or video compression format. In reality, MKV files are actually multimedia container formats. This essentially means that it is a container that can incorporate audio, video, and subtitles into a single file even if they use a different type of encoding. For instance, you could have a MKV file using VP8 video with Vorbis audio, or more commonly, using H.264 for video and something like MP3 or AAC for audio.
MKV container files were designed to be future proof, meaning that the files would not become outdated. For this reason, Matroska developers included several key features. These include fast seeking, chapter, menu, and metadata support, different selectable audio and video streams, online streaming compatibility, subtitle (hard-coded and soft-coded) support, and error recovery (allows for playback of corrupted files). The container itself also supports almost any audio and video format, which makes it highly adaptive and easy to use.
Because it isn’t an industry standard, not all media players support it yet, even though support is rapidly growing. There are two main options for playing MKV files. These include, using an MKV compatible media player or downloading the appropriate codecs.

Best Option: Use VLC Media Player

The best choice to play MKV files is VLC media player. Downloading and installing the program is easy if you follow these directions. Begin by navigating to the official download page at videolan.org (and beware of going anywhere else, because a lot of crapware vendors have fake VLC download sites.
Once you have downloaded the appropriate file simply run it to install VLC. The entire installation process should take no more than two to three minutes. The best part is that you don’t need to worry about bloatware coming with the program because it is a clean install, as long as you get it from the right place.
To associate MKV files with VLC, you can right-click on one of them, click Properties, and then the Change button on the General page to switch out the default application. Find VLC media player in the list, and select it.