How do MKV and FLVcompare? Here's everything you need to know to choose the right format — and how to convert between them.
Matroska Video
MKV is the most flexible video container format available. It can hold virtually any codec and supports unlimited audio tracks, subtitles, and chapters. It's the format of choice for high-quality video enthusiasts.
Flash Video
FLV was the dominant web video format during the Flash era. While Flash is dead, FLV files still exist in archives and legacy systems. Converting FLV to MP4 is one of the most common conversion needs.
| Specification | MKV | FLV |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matroska Video | Flash Video |
| Extension | .mkv | .flv |
| MIME type | video/x-matroska | video/x-flv |
| Category | Video | Video |
| Developer | Matroska.org | Adobe (Macromedia) |
| Year introduced | 2002 | 2003 |
MKV and FLV target different use cases. MKV is ideal for movie collections and media servers, while FLV works best for converting old web videos.
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