Can't Cast MKV files via Chromecast to Play on TV - Solved

No matter you download your favorite videos from online, or get a copy from DVD/Blu-ray discs, you're in a great chance to meet MKV videos, which saves multiple audio, subtitle, chapter tracks at high-definition. If you have some MKV files and Google Chromecast at hand, you may want to cast the MKV files via Chromecast to your TV with better experience on big screen.

However, many users find some certain MKV files not playing thru Chromecast. For example, as you're trying to stream 1920 * 1080p MKV files from your Android phone to TV with Chromecast, you get an error saying the file cannot be played. Or some video files in MKV format have no sound when playing on TV.

If you don't know how to get MKV and Chromecast to play nicely, you've come to the right place. In this article, we will try provide all the answers to all common (and less common) questions regarding Chromecast MKV streaming and playback.

Something You Gotta Known - Chromecast Supported Video Formats

Chromecast is a device and system you can use to send things from one device to another. It is believed that every Chromecast user has a certain number of movies, TV shows, music videos saved on computer or devices. And some of the crowds meet trouble that videos cannot work on Chromecast, which results from incompatible formats. In order to solve the problem, we should have a brief knowledge of Chromecast supported video formats at first.

▪ MP4 - .mp4 file encoded with H.264 High Profile Level 4.1 video codec and MP3/AAC audio codec.
▪ WebM - .webm video encoded with VP8 video codec and Vorbis audio codec.

Although MP4 is confident as the most compatible and compressed format for devices, WebM (VP8) defeats MP4 as the best Chromecast video format for its power on web-support can produce highest quality of real-time/online video streaming.

Note that only those multimedia content in Google Chromecast-supported formats can be directly and smoothly streamed. In other words, you're not allowed to stream MKV, FLV, or AVI video files.

FAQs and Answers of Casting MKV files via Chromecast to TV

"Can I stream .mkv files on a macbook onto TCL TV with built in Chromecast? I had an actual Chromecast and would use videostream but the platform can't seem to find my TV. Also tried Airbeam and mkv files aren't supported. Anyone have a solution?"

Answer: Videostream may be what you're looking for. It even comes with a mobile app to control the stream from your phone. You can download and install right onto your computer from its official site: https://getvideostream.com/download/

If Videostream doesn't work, you can also turn to VLC Media Player or Plex Media Server to have a try.

"Casting VLC media (.mkv) to TV using Chromecast gives only a black screen (ANDROID) I can hear the sound but only blackscreen for the video. File extension is .mkv. My O.S. is Android 9. VLC give me the audio, other app says 'chromecast doensn't support this'"

Answer: MKV is just a video container, which can be encoded with a wide range of codecs, like HEVC, H.264, MPEG-4, VP9, DTS audio etc. While Chromecast has poor compatibility with some of the codecs, such as Dolby True Audio and DTS Audio, which will make MKV not playing on Chromecast.

In this case, converting MKV files to Chromecast could get everything done.

"MKV files stop playing after like 2 minutes in VLC while Chromecasting from 2015 Macbook Pro (10.15.6) to Samsung Smart TV. Everything is fine at first, but then it just stops. (If I then play in VLC, it starts from beginning, not from where it abruptly stopped.)"

Answer: You can cast some MKV files successfully via Chromecast with third-party apps like VLC or Videostream. However, MKV media files often comes with higher bit or frame rate. It can be 4K H.264 at 30fps/60fps, 4K/8K HEVC at 60fps, 1080p VP8 WebM at 60fps etc. If your MKV video is in higher bit rate or frame rate, MKV will goes unplayable, stuttering, dropping frames and so on.

In this case, you'll need to downscale the bitrate or compress your MKV files with lower bitrate or framerate.

"I can't play mkv on Chromecast. I tried a lot app but not play. I download VLC player and it's work but I didn't see subtitle on TV. I need a app for watch mkv with subtitle. Can you help me?"

Answer: To watch MKV videos with subtitles via Chromecast, you can turn to Videostream or Plex Media Server. For example, I have Plex Server running on my NAS. I can watch it easily from my TV at home or on my mobile or online from anywhere outside my home.

Below is a .mkv file from blu-ray rip showing subtitles working. This is playing on my phone via the Plex app, reading data from my NAS.

Conclusion: Why Some Certain MKV Files Not Playing via Chromecast?

It's difficult to assign the reason for the issue. Generally, it may be caused by various reasons as below.

1. MKV format/codec is not supported. MKV is just a video container, which can be encoded with a wide range of codecs, like HEVC, H.264, MPEG-4, VP9, DTS audio etc. While Chromecast and third-party app has poor compatibility with some of the codecs, such as Dolby True Audio and DTS Audio, which will make MKV not playing via Chromecast.

2. MKV Media with higher bit or frame rate than specifications. MKV media files often comes with higher bit or frame rate. It can be 4K H.264 at 30fps/60fps, 4K/8K HEVC at 60fps, 1080p VP8 WebM at 60fps etc. If your MKV video is in higher bit rate or frame rate, MKV will goes unplayable, stuttering, dropping frames and so on.

3. MKV file is corrupted. MKV won't play if your MKV file is corrupted or the information in the container is wrong.

Ultimate Solution to Fix MKV Files Not Playing via Chromecast

- Convert MKV to MP4 for Chromecast

From the above, MKV format/codec or higher bitrate/framerate incompatibity lies in the major cause of Chromecast not playing MKV videos. If you tried VLC, Videostream or other solutions but still cannot solve your problem. Converting MKV files to Chromecast compatible MP4 or VP8 videos wil be the easiest and most direct way to get everything done.

EaseFab Video Converter is an excellent MKV converter, which can help you transcode Chromecast uncompatible MKV, VOB, AVI, MOV, TiVo recordings, etc. to compatible MP4 video with super-fast speed. With it, you can also change MKV video specifications like resolution (eg. 4K to 1080p), bit rate, frame rate etc. Besides, with this video converting software, MKV file size will be compressed greatly without quality loss. What's more, the program also supports converting MKV to MP4 with subtitles.

How to convert MKV to MP4 with lossless quality for Chromecast

Step 1. Add MKV files

Run the Video Converter and drag & drop your MKV files to the program, or click Add Video button to locate the MKV files you want to add. (Note: batch conversion is supported, so you can load more than one file to save time.)

Step 2. Specify the output settings

Then click Profile and select MP4 from Common Video category as the output format. If you want to convert MKV to MP4 for iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Google Nexus, etc., you can browse to find any video preset as the output format.

For advanced functions

1. Click the Edit button to open the Video Editor window to achieve editing MP4 like trim, crop, image, watermark, effect, subtitles and rotate and etc in the corresponding editing pane.
2. Click the Settings button to open the Settings window to adjust the output video codec, resolution, bitrates, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio codec, channel, volume and etc in the advanced tab.

Step 3. Begin conversion

When you click the Convert button, the process of converting MKV to MP4 will begin in earnest and it will be very fast.

Final Words:

The default Chromecast video formats are MP4 and WebM. It also supports MPEG-DASH, Smooth Streaming, and HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) video files. All other video formats are unsupported. If you failed to cast MKV and any other video files thru Chromecast, transcoding them to MP4 is not a bad idea.