.MKV vs .MOV vs .MP4 - Why on earth are they different qualities?

Doju · Sep 27, 2009, 07:55 PM

I have a 720p HD file of House Season 6 Episode 1 in the .MKV format. Wanting to use it in iTunes, I then converted it to .MOV and was surprised by the stark loss in color. I then took the .MOV and converted it again to .MP4, and the quality looked just as good as the .MKV, if not better. And on top of that, it was over 200MB smaller than the lower quality .MOV and equal/lower quality .MKV.

Why is this? I'm kind of annoyed, because converting it again takes ages, and I can't go right from .MKV to .MOV in Quicktime Pro, I recall. What's the deal?

See pictures for comparison:

1) .MKV
2) .MP4
3) .MOV

str1f3 · Sep 28, 2009, 12:03 PM

That's odd since it has never happened for me. There has been debates about how much better is .mp4 than .mov in terms of quality but I've never seen an actual change in the color profile. All the first part of the process does is remove the mkv container and use a .mov container and does not alter the video. As for the second part of the process, since it is only pass-through encoding, it should take about a third of the time that VisualHub or Handbrake does and uses far less system resources.

Has this been the case only with this file or all your mkv's?

CWallace · Sep 28, 2009, 12:05 PM

If the MKV's video is in .h264, you should be able to export it direct to a MOV file using these instructions originally provided by forum member str1f3:

-Load the movie in Quick Time Pro

-Save as a Self Contained Movie (this saves it in .mov) and is very quick.

-File - Export - Export as "Movie to MPEG-4" - Options - Select File Format "MP4" - Select Video Format: "Pass Through".

Doju · Sep 29, 2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by str1f3

That's odd since it has never happened for me. There has been debates about how much better is .mp4 than .mov in terms of quality but I've never seen an actual change in the color profile. All the first part of the process does is remove the mkv container and use a .mov container and does not alter the video. As for the second part of the process, since it is only pass-through encoding, it should take about a third of the time that VisualHub or Handbrake does and uses far less system resources.

Has this been the case only with this file or all your mkv's?

All MKVs, unfortunately.

@CWallace: That's exactly what I do, only the last step has nothing to do with .MOVs, it just creates an additional .MP4.

mr666 · Sep 27, 2011, 03:14 AM

The three sample screenshots show no difference in color "profile". It is a difference in brightness and contrast.

Sep 27, 2009, 07:55 PM	#1
Doju macrumors 65832 Join Date: Jun 2008	.MKV vs .MOV vs .MP4 - Why on earth are they different qualities? I have a 720p HD file of House Season 6 Episode 1 in the .MKV format. Wanting to use it in iTunes, I then converted it to .MOV and was surprised by the stark loss in color. I then took the .MOV and converted it again to .MP4, and the quality looked just as good as the .MKV, if not better. And on top of that, it was over 200MB smaller than the lower quality .MOV and equal/lower quality .MKV. Why is this? I'm kind of annoyed, because converting it again takes ages, and I can't go right from .MKV to .MOV in Quicktime Pro, I recall. What's the deal? See pictures for comparison: 1) .MKV 2) .MP4 3) .MOV Attached Thumbnails __________________ MacBook Pro 13", 2.53 GHz, 4GB RAM -- 24" Cinema Display -- 16GB iPhone 4 -- 500GB Time Capsule -- 2.26GHz Mac mini - 64GB Wi-Fi iPad
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Sep 28, 2009, 12:03 PM	#2
str1f3 macrumors 68000 Join Date: Aug 2008	That's odd since it has never happened for me. There has been debates about how much better is .mp4 than .mov in terms of quality but I've never seen an actual change in the color profile. All the first part of the process does is remove the mkv container and use a .mov container and does not alter the video. As for the second part of the process, since it is only pass-through encoding, it should take about a third of the time that VisualHub or Handbrake does and uses far less system resources. Has this been the case only with this file or all your mkv's?
	0

Sep 28, 2009, 12:05 PM	#3
CWallace macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Seattle, WA	If the MKV's video is in .h264, you should be able to export it direct to a MOV file using these instructions originally provided by forum member str1f3: -Load the movie in Quick Time Pro -Save as a Self Contained Movie (this saves it in .mov) and is very quick. -File - Export - Export as "Movie to MPEG-4" - Options - Select File Format "MP4" - Select Video Format: "Pass Through".
	0

Sep 27, 2011, 03:14 AM	#5
mr666 macrumors member Join Date: Sep 2009	The three sample screenshots show no difference in color "profile". It is a difference in brightness and contrast.
	0


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