Various threads complain about Premier's inability to import or handle mkv files (also known as Matroska files),

and/or suggest Handbrake as the best software for converting mkv files to mp4 files.

However, the "Handbrake" package recodes things, and confronts users with thousands of options,

with little or no explanation of what those options are, and mean, and do.

So, there is a much, MUCH simpler way to convert mkv files into mp4 files that can be readily handled by Premier,

with >> NO << loss of quality in the video stream.

I discovered it here:

How to quickly convert MKV to MP4 file using VLC?

and have tried it with several test files, showing that it works reliably and consistently.

Basic trick is to realize that both mkv and mp4 files are "container" files, which combine a video stream, and an audio stream (plus any subtitle, metadata, or other streams as well), in a way that keeps them synchronized.

The mkv files contain the "ac" class of audio files, while mp4 files contain mp3 audio files.

The kind and clever folks at VLC (= Video LAN Co.) have incorporated a simple converter, into their free VLC package.

For anyone not familiar with it, VLC is probably the best, simplest, fastest any-and-all-formats video player, anywhere, and it is available in both 32 and 64 bit versions, for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, etc, here:

VideoLAN - Official page for VLC media player, the Open Source video framework!

So, to convert an mkv file into an mp4 file, with no loss in video quality, here's a step-by-step.

It might seem complicated, but if you use it once or twice, it becomes easy and intuitive.

1. Open/load VLC, with no media playing in it.

2. In the main menu select "Media", then "Convert / Save"

3. When the new window opens, click "Add" button, and choose your mkv file.

4. Click "Convert/Save" button. and when the new window opens, choose, "Convert", name your destination folder and file, and select the profile you want, which probably will be:

"Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4)"

5. Click on the toolkit icon (i.e., the wrench and screwdriver).

When THAT new window opens, click on the "Video codec" tab.

Make sure "Video" button stays clicked, and click "Keep original video track". THAT step is the key to the LOSSLESS feature.

6. Click on "Save", then choose the audio codec tab, choose the "MP3" option for the codec.

Choose any quality setting you want.

If you match or exceed the bitrate of the original source, you should not have any annoying (or even noticeable) loss in resulting sound quality.

7. Save those settings, which will take you back to the "Convert and Save" window.

8. Click Start, and let it work. You can see the progress, in the small bar along the bottom of the VLC window.

You can choose to watch a video preview while it grinds through the process, or not. I choose not to.

When I ran it (64 bit Windows, 3.5 Ghz machine), it took less than a minute for 20-minute segments.

9. Check the result, in whatever folder/filename you saved it.

If you absolutely cannot get it to work, I would suggest:

(1) unclick the audio box entirely, so that you will get a naked "video only" stream, in one run;

(2) unclick the video box, and get a naked "audio only" stream, in a second run, and

(3) use Premier, to re-combine those two streams, if that is what you want.

Feel free to make comments here, or at the blog page which is linked above.