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Video Conversion

Convert XviD to MKV — Free Online Converter

Convert XviD MPEG-4 Video (.xvid) to Matroska Video (.mkv) online for free. Fast, secure video conversion with no watermarks or registration....

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Works Everywhere

Any browser, any device

How to Convert

1

Upload your .xvid file by dragging it into the upload area or clicking to browse.

2

Choose your output settings. The default settings work great for most files.

3

Click Convert and download your .mkv file when it's ready.

About XviD to MKV Conversion

XviD, the open-source MPEG-4 Part 2 codec born from reverse-engineering DivX, became the standard codec for scene releases and internet video sharing during the 2000s. The name — DivX spelled backwards — declared its community-driven, anti-proprietary philosophy. XviD files in AVI containers, typically at the iconic 700 MB CD-rip size, were the dominant format for sharing movies before H.264 and MKV took over.

MKV (Matroska Video) is the modern open-source container that succeeded AVI as the preferred format for high-quality video distribution. Matroska supports virtually any video and audio codec, multiple subtitle tracks, chapter markers, and rich metadata — all features that AVI fundamentally lacks. Converting XviD to MKV brings scene-era content into the modern container ecosystem.

Why Convert XviD to MKV?

AVI has severe technical limitations that make XviD files problematic for modern workflows. AVI does not support variable frame rate content, has unreliable subtitle embedding, lacks chapter marker support, and has a practical file size limit of 2 GB (or 4 GB with OpenDML extensions). MKV eliminates all of these limitations while maintaining the open-source philosophy that both XviD and Matroska share.

MKV also enables proper soft subtitle support. XviD scene releases commonly shipped with separate SRT subtitle files — MKV can multiplex these directly into the container alongside the video, creating a single self-contained file with selectable subtitle tracks. For anyone managing a legacy XviD collection, MKV remuxing is the most straightforward upgrade path.

Common Use Cases

  • Remuxing XviD scene releases into MKV to embed external SRT subtitles as selectable tracks
  • Consolidating XviD video, audio, and subtitle files into single MKV packages for media servers
  • Upgrading XviD collections for Plex, Jellyfin, or Kodi libraries that handle MKV metadata better than AVI
  • Adding chapter markers to XviD movie files that were impossible in the AVI container
  • Preparing XviD content for streaming setups that prefer MKV's modern container features

How It Works

For remuxing (container change only), FFmpeg copies the XviD MPEG-4 Part 2 video and MP3 audio streams directly into the MKV container without re-encoding — this is nearly instantaneous and introduces zero quality loss. External SRT/ASS/SSA subtitle files can be multiplexed in the same operation. For full transcoding, the video is decoded from MPEG-4 ASP and re-encoded to H.264 or H.265 within MKV for better compression and modern device compatibility.

Quality & Performance

Remuxing preserves 100% of the original XviD quality — the video and audio bitstreams are copied without modification. Full transcoding to H.264 can produce better visual quality at the same file size (or the same quality at a smaller file size) due to H.264's superior compression efficiency. XviD's typical 800-1500 kbps at 480p can be matched at 500-900 kbps in H.264 with equivalent visual quality.

FFMPEG EngineModerateMinimal Quality Loss

Device Compatibility

DeviceXviDMKV
Windows PCPartialPartial
macOSPartialPartial
iPhone/iPadPartialPartial
AndroidPartialPartial
LinuxPartialPartial
Web BrowserNoNo

Recommended Settings by Platform

YouTube

Resolution: 1920x1080

Bitrate: 8-12 Mbps

H.264 recommended for fast processing

Instagram

Resolution: 1080x1080

Bitrate: 3.5 Mbps

Square or 9:16 for Reels

TikTok

Resolution: 1080x1920

Bitrate: 4 Mbps

9:16 vertical, under 60s ideal

Twitter/X

Resolution: 1280x720

Bitrate: 5 Mbps

Under 140s, 512MB max

WhatsApp

Resolution: 960x540

Bitrate: 2 Mbps

16MB limit for standard, 64MB for document

Discord

Resolution: 1280x720

Bitrate: 4 Mbps

8MB free, 50MB Nitro

Tips for Best Results

  • 1Use remux mode (stream copy) for a lossless, near-instant container upgrade that preserves the original XviD quality exactly
  • 2Multiplex external SRT subtitle files during conversion to create self-contained MKV packages
  • 3Add chapter markers for movies to enable scene navigation in media players
  • 4If re-encoding, use H.264 at CRF 18-20 to match or exceed the original XviD visual quality in a smaller file
  • 5Batch-remux entire XviD scene release collections to efficiently upgrade them for modern media servers

XviD to MKV conversion brings the open-source scene release era's content into the modern open-source container ecosystem, with options ranging from lossless remuxing to full H.264 transcoding for maximum efficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Remuxing copies the original video and audio streams into the MKV container without re-encoding. It is nearly instant and completely lossless.
Yes. MKV natively supports multiple subtitle tracks in SRT, ASS, SSA, and other formats. External subtitle files from your XviD scene releases can be multiplexed directly in.
Remux if you want a fast, lossless container upgrade. Transcode to H.264 if you want better compression, wider device compatibility, and are willing to spend time on the encode.
Yes, but they may need to transcode MPEG-4 Part 2 on the fly for some clients. Re-encoding to H.264 in MKV eliminates transcoding overhead on media servers.
Yes. MKV has full chapter support. You can add chapter markers during conversion — something that was impossible in the original AVI container.

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