Introduction

MKV is a popular video format that supports multiple audio and video codecs. However, some older devices or software may not support the newer codecs used in MKV files, which can cause playback issues. To address this, you can convert your MKV files to an older video codec and audio codec that is more widely supported. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to convert MKV files to an older video codec and audio codec, with a focus on using MP3 as the audio codec.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you’ll need to have the following software installed on your system:

• FFmpeg: a powerful command-line tool for converting and manipulating video and audio files. You can download FFmpeg from the official website: https://ffmpeg.org/
• Install the libmp3lame codec:

sudo apt-get install libmp3lame-dev -y

Steps to Convert MKV Files to Older Video Codec and Audio Codec

1. Open a terminal window on your system.
2. Navigate to the directory where your MKV file is located.
3. Run the following command to convert the MKV file to an AVI file with MPEG-4 Part 2 video codec and MP3 audio codec:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:v mpeg4 -b:v 5M -c:a libmp3lame output.avi

1. In this command, we are using the -i option to specify the input file (replace input.mkv with the name of your input file), the -c:v mpeg4 option to specify the MPEG-4 Part 2 video codec, the -b:v 5M option to set the video bitrate to 5Mbps (you can adjust this value as needed), and the -c:a libmp3lame option to specify the MP3 audio codec.

2. Wait for FFmpeg to finish the conversion process. This may take some time, depending on the length and size of your input file.

3. Once the conversion is complete, you will have a new file named output.avi in the same directory as your input file.

4. Test the output file to ensure that it plays back correctly on your target device or software.

Conclusion

Converting MKV files to an older video codec and audio codec can help ensure compatibility with older devices and software that may not support newer codecs. By following the steps in this tutorial, you can easily convert your MKV files to MPEG-4 Part 2 video codec and MP3 audio codec using FFmpeg. Remember to experiment with different video and audio bitrates to find a balance between file size and quality that works for your needs.

Demo — Code Walkthrough