[Nick Sykora]

I recently switched over from Android to the Nokia Lumia 920 and am very disappointed in the media player app selection (or lac there of) I've found.

Converting the files is a ridiculous solution as these files should just "work".

Any suggestions out there?

[vedichymn]

Convert your media, or use a streaming server/app, you're not going to find a better answer at the moment.

[Tyresian]

I'm sorry, but these formats are not natively supported on any mainstream OS (including desktop) so I do not see them being on mobile OSes soon unless it is through an app. I do not know if there are licensing issues or what. Perhaps this is an opportunity to develop an app which I would be more than happy to look into. I just have a feeling that there are legal reasons or some other limitation that is preventing this.

Also these are very special formats that very few people use. Though I would love both formats natively supported on Windows RT.

[mmacleodbrown]

Im a heavy FLAC user and reluctantly agree that not many people use it, but mkv is a very popular format, so many movies are in this format now..

[ryude]

While I understand your frustration, let me just say that mp4 is a much better format than mkv. It's supported by almost every mobile OS and it has higher quality per Kb.

As far as alternatives (to anything really), I highly doubt MS will allow those apps to be published on the store.

[Undersky]

While I understand your frustration, let me just say that mp4 is a much better format than mkv. It's supported by almost every mobile OS and it has higher quality per Kb.

Mp4, just like mkv, is just a container. It can contain the exact same stream of video and audio (say, a h.264 / AC3 combo, which is very common). Ergo, there isn't any difference between their quality, as it's the codec that decides it. This is also why you can remux an mkv to a mp4 rather quickly, without re-encoding it (and with that lose even more quality).

The plus side of mkv is that it's an open format. The negative, of course, is that it's hardly never (if ever?) native supported by OS's.

[Tyresian]

I can't agree that MP4 is better unless you know of a way for it to support AC3 or some equivalent multi-channel audio and have a method for me to convert a video to such a format. I have never seen a way to successfully convert a HD video with multichannel (5 channels or more) audio.

[Undersky]

I can't agree that MP4 is better unless you know of a way for it to support AC3 or some equivalent multi-channel audio and have a method for me to convert a video to such a format. I have never seen a way to successfully convert a HD video with multichannel (5 channels or more) audio.

No problem, mp4 has support for 5.1.

You're probably talking about some remuxing software (making a mkv playable on a PS3 or Xbox by turning it into a mp4). Those softwares I've seen converts the audio into stereo. Probably due to licensing issues. AC3 belongs to Dolby and requires licensing. h.264 is also a licensed technology, but often, in the pirate scene, an open source library called x.264 is used.

But mp4 as a container has support for 5.1, both as AC3 and AAC.

[SnailUK]

The formats provided on WP8 devices are actually all in the hardware, so the chipset will do all the work to decode them in hardware, thus saving battery usage.

I'm sure at some stage apps will come along with .MKV/.FLAC/.whatever support, but they'll be using the CPU to decode them, so there will be performance and battery issues, because of those formats.

[tebugg]

i find mkv more used nowadays than mp4. the lumia 920 will not play ac3, it just throws out an error. mp4 does support ac3 but there is no app at the moment on the store that will play that combination. most mp4's are h264 with aac muxed. mkv is much more common to have h264 with ac3 muxed. windows store just needs an app that has the codecs in it natively that will just use the phone hardware to decode. the first app that comes along and is able to do that on windows phone and do it without many bugs will make alot of money.

[aubreyq]

...but mkv is a very popular format, so many movies are in this format now..

Many pirated movies, for sure. My feeling is that Microsoft won't natively support .MKV because it carries a stigma of supporting pirated videos. What else could it be?

[pkvillager]

I rip my own movies to MKV for playback on my HTPC. There would be no reason for me to want those files to be playable on any phone they are 20+GB. If I wanted those movies on my phone I would just handbrake them to a smaller file size and a supported format and only keep the stereo track.

Now if this was the Windows 8 forum **** yes I would like MKV support on the new UI video player. Currently Im stuck with shark007 codecs and WMP.
As for flac, that would be nice I have a bunch but small percentage of my library.

[Laura Knotek]

Im a heavy FLAC user and reluctantly agree that not many people use it, but mkv is a very popular format, so many movies are in this format now..

I use .flac and .ogg and needed to install codecs to allow those formats to play in desktop Windows Media Player.

[wpoblation]

I bet some entity will sue Microsoft if they allow MKVs.

[tebugg]

I bet some entity will sue Microsoft if they allow MKVs.

isnt mkv open source? isnt h264 (x264) open source? isnt ac3 open source? who would sue them?

you dont really need MS to have it native in their OS, just need the apps to have the codecs. (its the same with windows operating system)

[mmacleodbrown]

Many pirated movies, for sure. My feeling is that Microsoft won't natively support .MKV because it carries a stigma of supporting pirated videos. What else could it be?

Oh please, that is just so not true and a very narrow view as with any format, things are open to abuse
I used a program called makemkv(beta) to rip my entire DVD collection to my home server for all the obvious benefits that brings

[Hiiiiiiiii]

What about .wav?

[cliveontoast]

remux the videos is what I have done.

mkv to mp4, a 3 hour video in 7 minutes. How To Perfectly Convert MKV to MP4 for Apple TV | Apartment Therapy That's what you should do. which I found on a mac website for subler Quick Free Remux MKV to MP4 for Windows [Archive] - MacRumors Forums

[tk-093]

Oh please, that is just so not true and a very narrow view as with any format, things are open to abuse
I used a program called makemkv(beta) to rip my entire DVD collection to my home server for all the obvious benefits that brings

If you're in the United States, what you just described, ripping DVDs, it also against the law because those ripping apps circumvent the encryption technology on the disks. You can thank the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for that.

[BokiV]

This is one of the main features i miss on my 8x... I hope with good news that wp8 is getting momentum, we will get those apps. You need to remember that VLC had great problems getting on the ios too!

[Funky Cricket]

Three letters. VLC.
They are currently in development of a Win8 "not metro" app, soon to be followed by windows phone 8.
The current x86 app works fine on windows 8. I use it everyday (an older one at that in portable app style).

I hoping vlc comes to the phone before june and also fixes that .wav playing issue.

[Skeeder]

First, a phone doesn't have the quality to justify .flac.
Second, .mkv is a great format for ripping, but I concur, MP4 is a lot smoother.
Third, you adopted a early platform, polish comes with time, patience will help you as updates roll out.

[Als Paladin]

nokia n9 with meego supports .flac out of the box, maybe .mkv too

[Matt174e]

The Xbox Music app can barely play an Mp3...

[shamrock soft]

You can play flac files now using free Flac Player from Shamrock Soft.
Flac Player - Flac Player | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)
Shamrock Soft - shamrocksoft

Shamrock Soft developed and published first free Windows Phone player which plays exclusively flac files. Now Flac player is able to download files from Sky Drive Microsoft cloud and playback them offline. If application became popular we will extend functionality with ability to download files from internet using URL. Shamrock Soft are also planing to develop separate version for Windows Phone 8 with ability to playback flac files from SD card.