67 thoughts on “MKVToolNix v8.0.0 released”

1. tophf June 20, 2015 at 00:10

   mkvtoolnix-GUI doesn’t load the file specified on command line here on Win7x64.

   Command line: mkvtoolnix-GUI /path/file.mkv
   1. mosu Post authorJune 20, 2015 at 09:28

      The command-line handling hasn’t been implemented yet. It is on my TODO list for the next release, though. Here’s the issue in which that feature is being tracked: https://github.com/mbunkus/mkvtoolnix/issues/1209
2. marius565 June 20, 2015 at 01:18

   The new mkvtoolnix-GUI does not append video files. However, mkvmerge GUI does append those same video files with no problem. I am using Kubuntu 14.04.2
   1. mosu Post authorJune 20, 2015 at 09:29

      I’m afraid that you’re not providing enough information for me to act on. Can you please send me a screenshot of the settings in the new GUI right before you start muxing? Send it via email to moritz@bunkus.org, please. Thanks.
      1. marius565 June 20, 2015 at 23:25

         I get the same error message even using the drag and drop method instead of the dialog. The error message is as follows “The argument for ‘–append-to’ was invalid”.

         The file output as well as the command line the new mkvtoolnix-GUI used is presented in the pastebin. I will email you that.

         http://pastebin.com/EyEWXAry
         1. marius565 June 20, 2015 at 23:44

            Thanks ! I know now that you are working on it under.

            “appending files appends tracks to wrong tracks”
            1. mosu Post authorJune 21, 2015 at 08:12

               Those two may actually be unrelated issue about the same topic. I’ll fix both, though the issue you’re seeing might be a bit tricky to track down.
3. FreakTek June 20, 2015 at 05:43

   Thoroughly enjoy what you’ve done. My question “Will adding thumbnails to mkv’s be available in the next version?
   1. mosu Post authorJune 20, 2015 at 09:32

      Thanks for your feedback. So far mmg hasn’t had such a functionality either, and I don’t know how such a feature should work. On top of it creating a thumbnail of the video would require the presence of video decoders for each format that Matroska could contain, and that’s not something I’m willing to add (currently no video decoders are used in MKVToolNix, neither audio decoders nor encoders of any kind).
      1. FreakTek June 22, 2015 at 00:34

         I have always been able to add thumbnails by adding them to the attachments tab in mkvmerge GUI and renaming them as follows:
         small_cover.jpg
         cover.jpg
         cover_land.jpg
         small_cover_land.
         I attempted to add them in MKVtoolnix GUI attachments without success. Small feature that I can live without but was curious if it would be available in the future. Once again thank you for all your hard work
         1. mosu Post authorJune 22, 2015 at 08:44

            This is due to a bug in the new GUI. It has been fixed already. The next release which will likely be released within the next two weeks will contain that fix, of course.
4. Ryan June 20, 2015 at 08:34

   First I would like to say thank you for the work you put into this however I would like hoping you could address two issues I am having-

   1.I can find no way to automatically have the input fields clear after adding a job to the queue.This really becomes a frustrating step.

   2.Is there any way to turn off the (adding or appending) dialog box that appears when you add/drag an input to the input field box?

   Tanks again
   1. mosu Post authorJune 20, 2015 at 09:35

      Thanks for the feedback.

      As for 1.: I’m afraid that I’ve simply overlooked that feature. I’ve opened an issue for it (https://github.com/mbunkus/mkvtoolnix/issues/1254) and will likely implement it in the next release.

      About 2.: that dialog cannot be turned off. The reason is that I don’t see a way one could implement both adding and appending via drag & drop without such a question to the user. If that dialog would not exist then dragging & dropping could only ever add new files, never append them, and changing a file that’s been added to be handled as an appended one would be quite some work, too. So this dialog is here to stay, at least for the moment. Sorry.
      1. Wonko June 20, 2015 at 13:15

         Why not implement a drop zone for each option?
         This question dialog is truely horrible and a step backwards.
         1. mosu Post authorJune 20, 2015 at 13:40

            Because invisible drop zones don’t make the functionality any easier to comprehend and discover. I may add an option for always treating drops as adds; that’s how the old GUI worked (in the old GUI you couldn’t append files via drag & drop).
            1. Wonko June 20, 2015 at 13:41

               That would be really great. :)
               I merged a few files today and the queue processing is really nice.
               Thanks for your work!
            2. mosu Post authorJune 20, 2015 at 13:43

               I’ve added an issue for that and will most likely implement that option as it’s easy to do and obviously a time saver for some people. https://github.com/mbunkus/mkvtoolnix/issues/1259
5. Victor June 20, 2015 at 15:53

   Sorry for my bad english.
   Until the version 7.9.0 of mkvmerge GUI there was the option “Add command line option” in Muxing that I used for save as default some options for the new jobs and in this mode the mkv files that I muxed were ever compatibles with my tv player for blu-ray and dvd. How can I do the same thing with the new MkvToolnix GUI or there isn’t a way and simply that option will be added again in the next versions?
   Oh.. and, just for information, the mkvextract function will be included in the complete version of the new GUI or it was removed from the project?
   1. mosu Post authorJune 20, 2015 at 21:12

      That option is present in the new GUI, too. You can find it on the »output« tab (not in a menu) on the bottom-right. It’s called »additional options«. Clicking the button to the right of that input will show a popup dialog listing all the available options.

      You can also set the options for new job in a similar way from the preferences dialog. In that dialog you can find the options on the »merging« tab.

      The functionality for mkvextract hasn’t been implemented yet, but I still plan to. I’ve only removed the buttons for those parts of the GUI that haven’t been implemented yet in order not to confuse users too much.
      1. Victor June 21, 2015 at 04:50

         Thanks for your answers :)
6. Ruben June 20, 2015 at 19:55

   Hi. First of all thanks for the hard work on MKVToolNix.

   I would like to comment on the new MKVToolNix GUI, which I honestly found underwhelming to say the least. The old one is much, much better in terms of interface and functionality. The new one is too convoluted and the the use of split-screen dividers in some of the tab content is bad.

   I really hope you can improve it or give us your insight to understand why are you deprecating the old onw which works really well and has a really much better and thought-out interface.

   Thanks and regards.
   1. mosu Post authorJune 20, 2015 at 21:22

      Thanks for your feedback. I’ve written about the why in several places, e.g. here and here.

      I know you’re used to the old GUI, but I ask you to give the new one a try.

      Here are a couple of things you may not know about the new GUI that may make working with it somewhat easier for you:

      1. You can toggle the »mux this« state for a track by double-clicking on it in the track list. The »return« key does the same if the track list is currently focussed.
      2. You can select and apply changes to multiple tracks at the same time by holding Ctrl/Shift when selecting a track. This allows you to get quite a lot done without too many clicks.
      3. Right-clicking on several list views (e.g. the track list, the job list) opens context menus with additional actions and options.

      Several design choices are direct results of the feedback gathered over the past years about the old GUI. For example, several users complained that the old GUI has too high to fit on their screen (think of small laptops). The result is that the new GUI has a more horizontal layout instead of a vertical one.

      Another design choice is to be able to select multiple tracks at once. That had been one of the most-often requested features. A feature requested almost as often was being able to continue working with the GUI while a job is running. The chapter editor was always confusing users into thinking that chapters loaded in the editor would be muxed.

      I also have to admit that I cannot really work with your criticism. If you have concrete points you would like to see addressed then I would really like to hear them. But a broad-sweeping and general »it’s shit« is not constructive and not something I will take any action on.
      1. Marcus June 22, 2015 at 06:04

         You got me….
         I’m just too lazy to learn a new GUI.
         For what I do the old GUI is quick and painless which really amounts to remuxing other formats into MKV’s.
      2. Nao June 24, 2015 at 13:54

         Any chance you could update mmg.exe to allow for the ‘deprecated’ notice to be removed after reading it once..? As long as mmg works, since I’m used to it, I’d rather keep using it until I’m forced to switch.

         Also, the new program doesn’t support being used in SendTo (i.e. it doesn’t take a filename as a parameter, because the list box is still empty when I launch it that way, unlike mmg.exe’s…)
         1. mosu Post authorJune 24, 2015 at 18:53

            The next release will have that deprecation warning only be shown once. This has already been implemented.

            The »send to« issue is due to the command line option handling not being implemented in 8.0.0. It has been implemented since, though, and the next release (due within the next two weeks) will contain that functionality. Unlike mmg the new GUI will even allow to use »send to« multiple times, and the files will end up all in the same merge job. The old GUI was starting a new instance each time you used »send to« (or similar functionality like a shortcut on the desktop where you dragged & dropped files on).
            1. Nao June 24, 2015 at 21:21

               Thanks! :)
   2. Lenmaer June 26, 2015 at 20:31

      I agree with you. That new gui is just awful and painful to use. I guess, I’ll then have to forever stay on older versions. Too bad no one listens to us…
      That’s it then with updating mkvtoolnix.
      1. mosu Post authorJune 26, 2015 at 20:42

         If you had bothered to at least read the comments on this blog post or on Doom9 (where you’ve copy-posted the same generic »everything is shit« text) then you’d have seed that I do listen to specific critique. I am listening, I am fixing bugs left and right, implementing tons of wishes from users. I’m just not paying much attention to broad and generic statements such as yours because »just awful and painful to use« is not constructive criticism, it’s blowing off steam, putting others down and trying to paint yourself a victim of evil developers.
         1. Lenmaer June 26, 2015 at 20:59

            Well, you can ask around. The majority of fansub groups come to same conclusion. The same conclusion that was taken when header removal was forced onto us. We agreed not to update mkvtoolnix anymore no matter what improvements or fixes it’ll get in the future. 7.9.0 works fine as it is, we’ll then forever stick to that one.
            1. mosu Post authorJune 26, 2015 at 21:17

               You’re totally missing my point, Lenmaer. I’m more than open to discuss particular issues, ways to improve the new GUI, ways to make your life easier, new functionality you might like to have. I’ve been doing that with a lot of people over the last seven days: here, on Doom9, in private emails, in my bug tracker, on IRC. I’ve already implemented nearly all of their wishes and put a lot more onto the wishlist for 8.2.0. The goal is to have the new GUI be as easy to use as the old one while offering a much richer set of functionality.

               This kind of back and forth is constructive. Everyone profits from it: the reporters, bystanders, even you if you decide to give it a try again in the future.

               What you’re doing is the opposite: you make a broad statement that it’s total shit, that you’ve discussed the issues in private and that you’re not going to share it. No one profits from that. The issues you have won’t be addressed (I’m not a psychic, after all). Maybe others have the same issue and would have liked to see them addressed; they don’t profit either. You on the other hand will miss out on all the new functionality that’s coming.

               That’s why I cannot react to such generic statements.

               By all means please voice your criticism with specific features. Or specific usage concepts. We can definitely discuss those! Or ask about the why and how; those I can explain and maybe convince you.

               I’d also ask you to keep an open mind for future releases. 8.1.0 will be out tomorrow (or on Sunday at the latest), and as I’ve said before it improves a lot of things, both real bug fixes as well as new functionality. Maybe some of your concerns have already been addressed in that release. If not I can only reiterate that I’d like to hear about it in a constructive way.
            2. Lenmaer June 26, 2015 at 21:41

               Well, first every window’s too small, even when we maximize the software. Things that could be easily seen before are now totally obfuscated by menus being at the right instead of underneath like they used to be before.
               And we, fansub groups, unlike casual muxers, like to fill in as much infos as possible. The current layout isn’t capable of showing the full name length of files. They’re either trunked or you have to scroll a lot to see their name. But if you scroll then you don’t see their type anymore, codecs, etc that are at the beginning. So it’s always back and forth scrolling.
               Yes we know the the input window can be resized but not enough to accommodate the specifics of fansub groups.
               Like said, the property window being to the right now is a major issue for us.
            3. mosu Post authorJune 26, 2015 at 21:46

               Thanks for that point of view. So far users had usually decried how high the old GUI’s window was and that it didn’t fit onto their screen (think small laptops). Hence me going for a wider version initially.

               This is something that I’m absolutely willing to improve. For 8.2.0 I could implement a mode (to be enabled via the preferences) that places the three major panes (file list, track list, track properties) on top of each other, similar to the old GUI. That will require scrolling, though – the old GUI’s equivalent was having to switch sub-tabs. Would this work for you?

               I’ve already tried to put the most important track properties at the top of that property list.
            4. Lenmaer June 26, 2015 at 21:47

               There’s also the output filename that was moved in another tab.
               Having it in the main window saves time and manipulations, especially when you’re doing remuxes because you v2d some files.
            5. mosu Post authorJune 26, 2015 at 21:48

               I’m already thinking about moving the output file name somewhere where it can be seen from every tab. See https://github.com/mbunkus/mkvtoolnix/issues/1266
7. givrr June 22, 2015 at 00:42

   Is there a way to see/edit the currently attached contents in a MKV file with the new GUI?

   Right now, attached fonts/images aren’t displayed in the input or attachment tabs when I load an MKV containing some.
   1. mosu Post authorJune 22, 2015 at 08:45

      This is due to another bug in the new GUI; see issue 1256. The next release which will likely be released within the next two weeks contains a fix for this already.
8. JukeboxJezabel June 22, 2015 at 18:34

   In Windows 8.1 with mkvmerge GUI in the sendto menu if created by the user you can open a file or files and see it in the input panel. With the new mkvtoolnix gui sending a file through the sendto menu (shortcut put in by the user) only the program opens and files have to be dragged manually. I appreciate the work you are doing and I would like to sincerely thank you for it. I like the old gui and I hope that ultimately you will leave it in as an option.
   1. mosu Post authorJune 22, 2015 at 18:43

      That’s due to the command line options not having been implemented yet. It’s on my TODO list for the next release (in fact I’m working on that feature right now) which will likely be released within the next two weeks.
9. edo June 22, 2015 at 19:40

   As I see, for some people (including me) the transition from one GUI to another is and will be a little traumatic, although it surely has many good reasons behind it.
   (Argh, I really wish there could be a way to better blend it with GNOME desktop environment!)
   Could you please leave a standalone “legacy” package for mkvmerge while you focus you development on MKVtoolNix? (also, how can I prevent the Warning dialog to pop out each time?)
   Please don’t get me wrong, it’s been years you are doing your work in an awesome way, it’s just that maybe not everyone of us is ready yet.
   1. mosu Post authorJune 22, 2015 at 19:54

      Well, I always wished that shitty wxWidgets-/GTK based dialogs had proper integration into KDE ;) Meaning yeah, different Linux desktops have different looks, and the different toolkits do look foreign in the respective other world.

      The warning will be changed to only be shown once and not every time in the next release. Currently you cannot turn it off.

      I won’t include the old GUI in new releases indefinitely, but I do keep old releases around almost indefinitely, at least for those distribution versions that I still support (e.g. the Ubuntu packages that I’ve provided are available here). You can keep an older version of mmg around as long as you like.
      1. edo June 22, 2015 at 20:27

         thank you very much! :)
10. Michael June 22, 2015 at 20:30

    Having issues appending files with new GUI for version 8.
    I get the following:

    The file no. 1 (‘C:/Users/win7-tst-s/Downloads/Video/tstfailnewmkvgui/DISC2.DVDRip.x264.mp4’) is not being appended. The argument for ‘–append-to’ was invalid.

    ** The old GUI appending is fine for version 8.
    1. mosu Post authorJune 22, 2015 at 20:44

       This is due to a bug: appending is not working at all in release 8.0.0. It has been fixed since, and the next release due within the next two weeks will contain that fix.
11. x264 Encoder June 23, 2015 at 00:23

    Hi i have a question this Warning after the Start of mmg.exe stress/nervs me extreamly!
    I find no Option to deactivate this.
    Who i can turn off this please?

    PS: Im not use the new Gui, i dount like it! Then its over, i never update again.
    1. mosu Post authorJune 23, 2015 at 09:01

       See here.
12. vincent June 23, 2015 at 04:43

    OMG.
    The new GUI “remembered” file names, which is not what I need. I need names by new files not some previous file names. Now I need one more step to do the work.

    But still, thank you for doing the work!!
    1. mosu Post authorJune 23, 2015 at 09:02

       This is due to a bug in 8.0.0 that’s been fixed since the release. The next version which is due within the next two weeks will contain that fix. See this issue.
       1. vincent June 25, 2015 at 21:44

          Thanks.
13. FRauANtje June 24, 2015 at 11:50

    1. Left from “tracks, chapters and tracks” the old mkvmerge-gui had “up-” and “down-buttons”, which are very useful. Much more easy to change track-order than in new gui (eg for handicapped people).
    2. Could you again think about adding chapters every x mins by mouseclick as future feature? I think many people would like it, when they have sources without any chapters.
    Thank you very much :)
    1. mosu Post authorJune 24, 2015 at 18:57

       I don’t want to clutter the whole GUI with buttons like the old GUI was. It makes it more confusing to use in my opinion, especially if not each and every function available via a menu is also available via a button.

       I’m not completely against it, though. If I decide to do that then it will likely be optional (meaning you will be able to turn those buttons on and off in the preferences) with default to off.

       BTW, someone else suggested I add keyboard shortcuts for re-ordering tracks, e.g. Ctrl+up / Ctrl+down or something like that. Would that work in your case, too?

       The second thingy is something I’m definitely willing to implement. I’ll open an issue for it so that I won’t forget about it.
       1. FRauANtje June 25, 2015 at 09:09

          Hi,
          thank you for both suggestions (optional buttons or keyboard-shortcuts). Both (or at least one of them) will help a lot.
          1. mosu Post authorJune 25, 2015 at 23:20

             I’ve already decided to implement those buttons as an optional feature. I’m still undecided about the keyboard shortcuts, though.

             I cannot promise I’ll get it done in time for 8.1.0 which I plan on releasing on Saturday, though. If not then it’ll likely be done with 8.2.0.
    2. chessplayer June 25, 2015 at 22:47

       Hi,

       I would like to strongly second that (both of these suggestions, in fact). Especially the up/down functionality is crucial in my case, since my “smart” tv does not offer a preference for the language, so I always have to make sure the English track comes before the German one if I want that to be the default!

       And, b.t.w., how DO you even change track order in the new GUI?

       Finally, before I forget: thanks a lot for your work! Many hundred of my recordings have been cut and converted to mkv using your tools.
       1. mosu Post authorJune 25, 2015 at 23:21

          You use drag & drop for re-ordering tracks – which for most people should be a lot easier to use than buttons which require n clicks in order to move a track up by n.
          1. mosu Post authorJune 25, 2015 at 23:23

             BTW, you use drag & drop for re-ordering chapters in the chapter editor, too.

             Currently newly added attachments cannot be re-ordered (at all), but there’s a feature request for it already. That will be possible via drag & drop, too, of course.
             1. chessplayer June 28, 2015 at 12:33

                Ok, I updated to 8.1 and now it works with drag and drop, thanks! A different point came up, but I will open another comment for that, as it is unrelated.
          2. chessplayer June 28, 2015 at 11:25

             Hi Moritz,

             this was the first thing I tried, but somehow it did not work (everytime I tried but it is probably down to my own stupidity). I will give it another try later today.
14. FRauANtje June 25, 2015 at 21:20

    “MKVToolNix GUI: merge tool enhancement: added controls for mkvmerge’s »reduce audio to its core«”
    Missing in new gui? I couln’t find it.
    Hopefully in new GUI before old GUI stops :)
    1. mosu Post authorJune 25, 2015 at 23:22

       The new GUI has that feature. After selecting a track scroll the right panel down a bit; it’s in the »audio properties« group box.
15. Lenmaer June 26, 2015 at 22:07

    Yes, as AlanHK said “I would prefer to see the output filename on the first tab. I know that logically it’s “Output”, but I always need to check that (as above) and now I have to click to see it or change it.”
    That’s what I was trying to explain, when you have 20 files to v2, jumping windows isn’t exactly painless.

    “This is something that I’m absolutely willing to improve. For 8.2.0 I could implement a mode (to be enabled via the preferences) that places the three major panes (file list, track list, track properties) on top of each other, similar to the old GUI. That will require scrolling, though – the old GUI’s equivalent was having to switch sub-tabs. Would this work for you?”

    That could work, I guess. But isn’t it possible to keep the switch sub-tabs to have less scrolling?
    1. mosu Post authorJune 26, 2015 at 22:15

       The thing with a purely tabbed layout is that it forces the GUI to higher and higher minimum sizes. That has definitely been a problem for users in the past. For example, in the old GUI I couldn’t really add any more controls in those sub-tabs because it would have made the GUI even higher and made users angry.

       Offering both a scrollable view and a tabbed view (switchable via the preferences) would be technically possible, but it would also incur a pretty high maintenance overhead as I can only implement and work on one of those layouts in QtCreator’s form editor. I’m willing to go that road for those three panes because switching those around wouldn’t be too hard, but splitting up that property scroll area into individual tabs would be an altogether different beast.

       So that’s a no, at least for now.
    2. mosu Post authorJune 26, 2015 at 22:44

       I’ve opened an issue for the optional stacked layout.
       1. Lenmaer June 26, 2015 at 22:47

          OK, thanks.
          I understand why it’s troublesome to implement tab-switch.
          1. mosu Post authorJune 27, 2015 at 00:06

             I’ve also just implemented the option for moving the output file name controls below the tab widget so they’re always shown. It will be enabled by default in 8.1.0.
16. chessplayer June 28, 2015 at 12:36

    Opening folder for tag / chapter files

    In the mkvmerge GUI, when I wanted to use tags.xml, the first folder I was offered was the one where the video file was opened from. Now mkvtoolnix GUI just starts in the home folder. I believe the old version makes more sense and I for one would like to see the old behavior again.

    Cheers,

    chesspalyer
    1. mosu Post authorJune 28, 2015 at 12:55

       That has already been changed/fixed in 8.1.0.
       1. chessplayer June 28, 2015 at 14:08

          No, at least it does not show the former behavior. Instead, it now opens the last folder from which the tags.xml was opened before and not the folder where the video is. I believe that this does not really make sense. To be sure, in my case, I have a tags.xml for every TV show I am recording, which is at least very close to where the recording itself can be found. Maybe, however, other people prefer a “central” tags.xml, where the new behavior does make sense, i do not know.

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