Converting .mkv files to .avi?

[rikuheart]

i have a program that allows me to burn .avi files into DVD formats, but it doesn't support .mkv formats. i was wondering if there were any free video converters out there that can convert mkv files into avi files without leaving any watermarks. if not video converters, is there another way i could convert video file types?

also, whenever i try to burn DVDs, the subtitles always get cut off when i play the DVD on the TV. is there any way i can fix this?


thanks~

[Munemasa Katagiri]

DVDSanta supports MKV.
There's also a guide at Matroska's.
http://www.matroska.org/technical/guides/dvd/index.html

[youtin]

also, whenever i try to burn DVDs, the subtitles always get cut off when i play the DVD on the TV. is there any way i can fix this?

That's because of overscan, which is the border area (around 10%) of video that is cropped by televisions. Commercially-bought video (be it DVD, VCD, VHS...) have the overscan in mind so they place the subtitles much higher in the video so the subs are seen. Fansubbed anime usually place the subtitles at the very bottom of the video, which gets cropped by the TV overscan.

Here are some solutions I know :

1) Watch it with an LCD TV, which has no overscan unlike CRT TVs.

2) If the anime has a separate file for subs (such as .srt), you can adjust the position of the subs when converting to DVD.

3) If the anime is hard-subbed (the subs are on the video itself and impossible to separate), resize the video so that it doesn't fill up the whole screen on your computer. I personally use Avisynth to do this and the result is a slightly smaller picture with black bars all around (to cover the overscan). If you gauge the size your TV's overscan right, the black bars will disappear and the subs will be clearly seen.

There are lots of tutorials and useful tips at www.videohelp.com so check them out!

[rikuheart]

thanks for the advice guys! ^^ i'll go see how it goes