XBox 360 MKV Playback Problems! (Find Help Here)

[LqHnyBear 23]

(I originally posted this on the old support forums for MB2 but I think it's still relevant info. Hopefully it can get added to the tutorials.)
 
 
If you're like me, you use MB over your XBox 360 and if you're like me you've had nothing but issues with your MKV files especially as of late. These are my finds and they are based upon the fact that you have a properly installed MB and are already capable of watching some MKV files on your XBox, these fixes are only to correct specific issues.
 
***Problem #1*** "ARGH! My MKV plays but it's stuttering like crazy."* (Jerky video playback)
 
***Solution:*** This is most likely caused by either subtitles or menus added to the MKV file. To correct this. Download MKVToolnix and use mkvmerge.exe to remove the subtitles and menus like this;

 

 - Open mkvmerge GUI and load your problem MKV

 - Uncheck the boxes next to any subtitles or menus.
 - Make sure the check marks next to the Video and Audio stream are still checked and hit "Start Muxing" The resulting file should play with no issues at this point.
 
 

***Problem #2*** "OMFG WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS STUPID THING?!?!? I have audio but no video.* (Audio is playing fine but the screen is black)
 
***Solution:*** Don't know how or why but this fixes it;
 
 - Open mkvmerge.exe and load your problemed MKV (mkvmerge.exe is a part of MKVToolnix)
 - Click on your video stream under "Tracks, chapters and tags:"
 - Click on the "Extra Options" tab and for "Compression" select none. Do the same as step 3 for the audio stream.
 - Make sure the check marks next to the Video and Audio stream are still checked and hit "Start Muxing" The resulting file should play with no issues at this point.
 
 
***Problem #3*** "Ok I've tried everything and nothing works. 'Bounces head off desk'."* (No worries, you're not alone.)
 
***Solution:*** You unfortunately may need to re-encode your video files. This isn't as scary as you might think and as long as you're running a decent computer it shouldn't take more than a couple hours to re-encode your file. Here's what to do;
 
 - Grab a program called Handbrake and a program called MediaInfo and install them. When installing MediaInfo select "Text" for Output format. Once you've installed Handbrake change the "Priority level" to Normal in options under the "System and Logging" tab.
 - Drag and drop your video file onto the MediaInfo icon and remember one bit of info, under the video section, "Bit rate"
 - Now drag and drop your video file onto the Handbrake icon and change the "Output Settings" to "MKV File" then reference the following links to set the rest of the settings. Video Tab, Audio Tab, Advanced Tab
 - With all these settings set I recommend saving the profile for future use. Then the only thing you need to set each time is the "Bit rate" on the "Video" tab.
 - Press "Start" and wait for your encode to finish. I strongly recommend leaving your computer alone until it's done. (If you use my settings exactly, you will see no difference in the video quality of your file and it will play perfectly on the XBox.)
 

 

*If none of this works for you, maybe you've found a new problem for me to beat my head against the wall about. lol Post it in here and I'll try to help you.*
 
**My Setup Is**
 
 - Intel i5-3350p
 - 16gig of ram
 - 20TB Raid 0 (Where all my videos are stored)
 - 256GB SSD (Where Windows/MB3 are stored)
 - Win 8.1 Pro 64-bit
 - Shark007 Standard Codecs (32bit and 64bit v1.7.6 at time of posting this)
 - XBox 360 (I do not use Transcoding and all files play over the 360)
 - MB3/MB3 Classic - Current Release
 
I find it doesn't matter what bit rate your files are at or size. I play files well over 7GB on my xbox with 5.1 audio with no issues. Make sure you have the "Optional Media Update" update found in the xbox live market place installed on your xbox it allows for AAC audio and a few other things it doesn't talk about.

[swhitmore 781]

I have low quality issues for my MKV's, but I'd like to find a solution that doesn't involve remixing the thousands of videos I have

[LqHnyBear 23]

I have low quality issues for my MKV's, but I'd like to find a solution that doesn't involve remixing the thousands of videos I have

 

What codecs are you using? I use to have the same issue with the K-Lite Codecs which is why I switched to Sharks codecs. I find everything runs flawlessly when I just use the Recommended settings in both codec apps.

[Info1 13]

Thanks for this information.


I will try number #1 as I have a couple that seem to be in this state.


For solution #3 I think you need to add more information. The Xbox will give a black screen for MKV files encoded with AAC audio. You need to recode these to AC3 and this will resolve the issue. I use MKV2AC3 for this. It is free and you don't have to set a bunch of options.


Thanks for the share.


m

[swhitmore 781]

Hmm, I'm using k-lite. I'll play around with the codecs.

[LqHnyBear 23]

Hmm, I'm using k-lite. I'll play around with the codecs.

 

Because of the way k-lite codecs work they will almost always have mkv playback issues. I'd try a complete uninstall of the k-lite codecs and go with the Shark007 codecs. I fought this change myself for quite awhile but I was glad I did it. Sharks codecs are so much simpler and I haven't found a file yet that doesn't play perfectly on my PC or Xbox.

[LqHnyBear 23]

The Xbox will give a black screen for MKV files encoded with AAC audio. You need to recode these to AC3 and this will resolve the issue.

This is not dependant on the Xbox it's dependant on your codecs. I use the shark007 codecs and I have 100's of videos with AC3 audio that play perfectly in surround sound on my Xbox.

[ebr 15430]

Because of the way k-lite codecs work they will almost always have mkv playback issues. I'd try a complete uninstall of the k-lite codecs and go with the Shark007 codecs. I fought this change myself for quite awhile but I was glad I did it. Sharks codecs are so much simpler and I haven't found a file yet that doesn't play perfectly on my PC or Xbox.

 

Except that I'd start with LAV as that is even simpler than Shark...

[Wailter 0]

From forum se7ensins, I known:

Xbox 360 has strict requirement for the input formats and only WMV, AVI, H.264 and MPEG-4 are compatible with Xbox 360. In other words, it's impossible to directly play MKV on Xbox 360. It is pity since MKV is an open standard free container format and very popular so far.

To play MKV on Xbox 360, you'd better to convert MKV to Xbox 360 more compatible formats.

[techywarrior 689]

That's why I rip all my stuff with m2ts containers. H.264 encoding and everything works perfect on Xbox360.