MKV Output
This page describes what’s inside the MKV freemkv produces, so you know what to expect when the rip finishes.
freemkv writes a finished, library-ready MKV with named tracks, language tags, default and forced flags, named chapters, and a title. Drop it into Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi, or Infuse and it reads right, with no pass through a tag editor.
This same output is produced whether you rip with the CLI or let autorip do it automatically on disc insert.
Track names
Section titled “Track names”Each audio, subtitle, and video track carries a human-readable name (the Matroska track name field), built from the disc’s own playlist and authoring data.
Audio tracks are labeled with the name you’d recognize, plus channel layout where known:
Dolby TrueHD 7.1,Dolby Atmos,Dolby Digital Plus 5.1,Dolby Digital 5.1DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1,DTS:X,DTS-HD High Resolution,DTS 5.1LPCM 2.0
When the disc’s authoring data identifies an immersive format, freemkv keeps
that richer descriptor (Dolby Atmos, DTS:X) rather than flattening to the
underlying carrier codec. Where the disc distinguishes regional variants (for
example Brazilian versus Castilian Portuguese), the variant marker is carried
through.
freemkv also sanity-checks the disc’s label against the actual bitstream. If authoring data claims a codec that contradicts the real stream, freemkv ignores the bad label and derives the descriptor from the stream itself, so the track name is always true to what’s inside. When a disc carries no label at all, freemkv still generates a correct codec-and-channels name, so you never get a blank, anonymous track.
Video tracks get codec, resolution (4K, 1080p, 720p…), and HDR format
when present, for example HEVC 4K HDR10 or HEVC 4K Dolby Vision.
When a disc carries a Dolby Vision enhancement layer (a second video stream alongside the base picture), freemkv finds it in the playlist data and carries it through to the MKV, preserving the dynamic-range metadata.
Language tags
Section titled “Language tags”Every track carries its language tag (the Matroska language field), read from the disc’s per-stream metadata. Your player’s automatic audio- and subtitle-selection (“always play English audio, French forced subtitles”) works out of the box.
Default and forced flags
Section titled “Default and forced flags”freemkv sets the track flags your player relies on:
- Default track. The first/primary video and audio tracks are marked default, so the right track plays without you touching the menu.
- Forced subtitles. Tracks the disc marks as forced (on-screen foreign dialogue, signs) are written with the forced flag set, so players display them automatically over the matching audio without turning on full subtitles.
Chapters
Section titled “Chapters”Chapters are preserved with their names, not just timestamps, so scrubbing and chapter navigation show the real chapter titles from the disc.
Title metadata
Section titled “Title metadata”The MKV is stamped with the disc title and a writing-application tag identifying the freemkv build that produced it (visible in MediaInfo as “Writing application”).