MKVToolNix v21.0.0 released

Hey everyone.

It’s time for MKVToolNix v21.0.0. The biggest change is that mkvinfo’s GUI portion has been removed. Its functionality is now incorporated into MKVToolNix GUI. I am aware that the functionatliy isn’t on par yet, but it will be in time for release v22.0.0.

You can download the source code or one of the binaries. The Windows and macOS binaries are available already. The Linux binaries are stil being built and will be available of the course of the next couple of hours.

Here are the NEWS since the previous release:

New features and enhancements

  • mkvmerge: track statistics tags: the TagDefault element will not be written anymore as it was always set to the default value 1 anyway. Implements #2202.
  • mkvmerge, MKVToolNix GUI: JSON files can now contain C++-style line comments outside of strings (e.g. something like this: // this is ignored). Such comments, even though not part of the official JSON specifications, are now ignored when reading JSON files.
  • MKVToolNix GUI: chapter editor: opening a Matroska file without chapters in it will now open the file in an empty chapter editor instead of showing an error message. Implements #2218.
  • MKVToolNix GUI: an "info" tool has been added, replacing the functionality of mkvinfo’s GUI. The functionality is not on par yet but will be for release v22. Implements most of the functionality of #2104.

Bug fixes

  • build system: configure was treating --disable-ubsan and --disable-addrsan the same as --enable-ubsan and --enable-addrsan. Fixes #2199.
  • build system: an error message is output if a command to execute is not found instead of silently failing.
  • build system: in addition to looking for the gettext C function and library, configure now also verifies the presence of the msgfmt program instead of simply relying on it.
  • mkvmerge: appending files with additional parts at the same time was broken if more than one additional part was appended (e.g. when appending files from DVDs with something like '(' VTS_01_1.VOB VTS_01_2.VOB ')' + '(' VTS_02_1.VOB VTS_02_2.VOB ')'). In such a situation the content from files VTS_02_1.VOB and VTS_02_2.VOB where laid out in parallel to the content from the earlier files.
  • mkvmerge: FLV reader: a single invalid AAC frame was written for AAC audio tracks with codec initialization data longer than five bytes.
  • mkvmerge: FLV reader: timestamps will be normalized down to 0. Fixes #2220.
  • mkvmerge: MP4 reader: if an AAC track doesn’t contain an AAC-specific decoder configuration in the ESDS portion, then a default decoder configuration will be generated based on the track’s header data instead of skipping the track. Fixes #2221.
  • mkvmerge: MP4 reader: fixed reading HEVC/h.265 video tracks if they’re stored as Annex B byte streams inside MP4. Fixes #2215.
  • mkvmerge: Ogg Opus reader: mkvmerge will now emit a warning instead of aborting when it encounters an Ogg Opus page with no data in the packet. Fixes #2217.
  • mkvmerge, mkvextract: Matroska parser: fixed a segmentation fault that occurred whenever the first level 1 element after resyncing after an error in the file structure isn’t a cluster. Fixes #2211.
  • mkvmerge, MKVToolNix GUI multiplexer & header editor: fixed a crash during file type detection for attachments if MKVToolNix is installed in a path with non-ASCII characters (e.g. German Umlauts). Fixes #2212.
  • mkvinfo: the --hex-positions parameter did nothing in summary mode.
  • mkvinfo: Windows: line endings will be written as \r (carriage return & line feed) again instead of just (line feed).
  • mkvpropedit: adding track statistics tags: for tracks with content encoding (compression) mkvpropedit is now accounting the uncompressed number of bytes, not the encoded (compressed) number of bytes. Fixes #2200.
  • MKVToolNix GUI: multiplexer: the subtitle character set can now be set for appended subtitle files, too. Fixes #2214.
  • MKVToolNix GUI: multiplexer: when appending, all tracks appended to disabled tracks will start out disabled, too.

Build system changes

  • mkvinfo: the GUI portion has been removed. mkvinfo is now a pure command-line program again.

Have fun :)

15 thoughts on “MKVToolNix v21.0.0 released

  1. Robert B

    This is a feature addition request.
    Consider added user-editable tables of drop-in data for track names.
    I use the same naming system for most tracks. For video tracks I enter the crf number used in RipBot264 encoding and sometimes source file references. For files containing multiple audio tracks I enter “main”, “commentary” etc. For subtitle tracks I enter “Full”, “SDH”, “Forced” and/or “main”, “commentary” etc. Manually typing the same data repeatedly could be avoided.

    Thanx

    1. mosu Post author

      Do you mean that you, the user, can edit a list of pre-defined strings and that the “track name” control be converted into an editable combo box with your pre-defined strings being the content of said combo-box? I’d be open to that.

      Please open a feature request for it over on Gitlab. Otherwise chances are I’ll forget about it. Thanks.

      1. Robert B

        Yes. I think we are on the same page.

        I’d also like to see a feature added to the chapter editor, perhaps under “Additional modifications”, that allows the removal of “End” data for all chapters.

        I’m not familiar with “Gitlab”. I’ll give it a try. Thanx.

        Robert B

      2. Robert B

        Ideally, user-entered data should remain intact MKVToolNix is updated.

        Robert B

      3. Robert B

        Looks like “Gitlab” is for reporting issues. Is there a direct path for offering ideas for improvement?

        1. mosu Post author

          I handle both bugs and feature requests via Gitlab’s issues system. Just open an issue there; I’ll assign the appropriate tags myself. Please open two separate issues for the two feature requests you’ve talked about (combo boxes with user-definable content for the track names; remove end timestamps in chapter editor), not just one. Thanks.

  2. p90rippin

    Hi, I’m hoping you can help with the integration of mkvtoolnix with PopCorn MKV AudioConverter (HeartWare). It appears that your hard work on the gui elimination from the info tool portion has stopped the tool set from working past version 19. Everyone that uses the Popcorn interface for conversions would be extremely pleased to keep using the newest version of your work if you could make it compatible. Thanks!

    1. mosu Post author

      The GUI was removed in v21, not v19. What was removed in v19 were several deprecated options and features, including the verbose identification mode and the old option file format. The authors of PopCorn will have to adjust their program if it’s using one of those features.

  3. MikeS

    Sorry but this is a mess, came to find an update, and understand NOTHING and been running in cirkels seeing pakages and a lot of … i have no idea what on a lot of …i think related site about … and linux and hats and nevermind i will use my old v95 instead. This is to wierd.

  4. ZET

    Sorry for my English. Is it possible to change the automatic name change of the destination file from … (1) .mkv to the one chosen by the user? Like e.g. … muxedbyZET.mkv, …subCZ.mkv, …2018.mkv etc.

  5. RML43

    Simple feature request. I’m using Windows 10 Pro 64 bit.
    1 – Someplace on the Multiplexer screen, would you please add an “Abort (or Stop)” Button? Sometimes I realize I made a mistake filling in information after I press the “Start Multiplexing” button.
    2 – Also on the Multiplexer screen, can you make the Warnings and Errors buttons flash if an error or warning occurs?

    Thanks in advance.

    1. mosu Post author

      1. I will definitely not add a button dealing with running tasks on the multiplexer. It would be completely intransparent to the user what pressing that button would do as MKVToolNix is able to run many jobs one after the other and even multiple jobs at the same time. The currently running job will often not have anything to do with what the multiplexer is currently showing. Additionally, there is such a button on the “job output” tool already, and it avoids all those pitfalls.
      2. The icons in the status bar are already flashing if there are unacknowledged warnings or errors.

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