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Format

Matroska

Summary

Name
Matroska
Version
1-4
Identifiers
PUID: fmt/569
Format type
Video
Family
EBML
Description
The Matroska Multimedia Container is an open standard free container format, based on the Extensible Binary Meta Language (EBML). Matroska file extensions are .MKV for video (with subtitles and audio), .MK3D for stereoscopic video, .MKA for audio-only files, and .MKS for subtitles only. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Working Group: Codec Encoding for LossLess Archiving and Realtime transmission (cellar) is tasked with the standardisation of Matroska. The EBML specifications are work-in-progress, and can be found here: https://github.com/Matroska-Org/ebml-specification/blob/master/specification.markdown
Note
Format specification: https://matroska.org/technical/specs/index.html
File extensions
mkv, mk3d, mka, mks
Source
Axiell / Axiell

Relationships

Has priority over

Internal signatures

Matroska Video

Note
0x1A45DFA3(EBML-Level 0 element), {0-32}, 0x428288(DocType element), string=matroska, 0x4287(DocTypeVersion element). The specification allows for ASCII text before the EBML header and considers the level 0 EBML header element to be the beginning of the EBML document. For now this signature is offset to 1024 bytes to allow for some ASCII text to precede the header, but to assume the EBML header of a Matroska multimedia format will begin near the beginning of the file and to mitigate against wasteful processing of large files that are not Matroska multimedia.

Byte sequences

Min Frag Length
Absolute from BOF
Offset
0
Max offset
1024
Byte Sequence
1A45DFA3{0-32}4282886D6174726F736B614287
Endianness
Big-endian

Changelog

  • Updated in V101

    Release date
    15 February 2022

    Matroska: Updated link to reference files. Submitted by Heidelberg University library.

  • Updated in V100

    Release date
    16 December 2021

    Matroska: Added file specification. Submitted by Axiell.

  • Updated in V98

    Release date
    27 October 2021

    Matroska: Given priority over MPEG 1/2 Audio Layer 3 fmt/134 due to rare clash condition. Submitted by Nationaal Archief, the National Archives of the Netherlands.

  • Updated in V86

    Release date
    27 July 2016

    Matroska 1-4: Change named to Matroska 1-4. Edited description. Added family relationship and added offset of 1024 to signature and edited signature description.

  • Added in V69

    Release date
    19 July 2013

    Matroska Video: Signature developed through PRONOM Research.

    Matroska Video: Outline Entry Submitted by Axiell CALM Ltd.