Frequently Asked Questions about HeartWare's PopCorn MKV Audio Converter

• What does AudioConverter do?
  • AudioConverter takes one (or more) audio tracks from MKV files and converts them from one audio format (like DTS or AAC) into another (like AC3 or MP3)
• What does AudioConverter not do?
  • AudioConverter is not a re-muxer, so it can't replace one audio track with another external audio track, nor does it allow you to add an external audio track to an existing .MKV file.
  • AudioConverter does not allow you to select which individual audio tracks to keep/convert in a file, execpt what is explicitly allowed within that conversion type. All audio tracks of the same format are treated as one unit and if you have selected that type of audio track to be converted, then all audio tracks of that type will be converted.
  • AudioConverter does not allow you to strip unwanted audio tracks or subtitle tracks from a file - use MKVMerge for that.
  • AudioConverter does not make coffee! Nor does it make tea - neither Earl Grey nor Tea Substitute!
• What types of files does AudioConverter work with?
  • The full name of the program is "PopCorn MKV Audio Converter", so what do you think?
• Converted audio cuts off before movie ends
  Converted file is shorter (time-wise) than original file
  • Does the original file play (on your PC) beyond this point?
    If not, the problem is in the source file.
  • Is your temporary directory formatted with FAT file system?
    If it is, convert the partition to NTFS and try again
• Conversion stalls somewhere in the middle of the process
  • Is this problem persistent (ie. is it on ALL your .MKV files or just this one?)
    If just this one file, the problem is most likely with that file, and has nothing to do with (nor can it be fixed by) AudioConverter
• The program says File "<FileName>" is not a Matroska Video File (MKV) or the file can't be read (is it opened by another application?)!
  • Check that no other application has the file open at this time
  • Check with MediaInfo that the file really is a Matroska file - don't rely on the file's extension being correct!
• The program says Skipping conversion - would result in file with no audio tracks
  • Have you selected "Remove Track" on the DTS tab?
    If so, select "Convert to Dolby Digital"
• The program says Skipping conversion - none of the audio tracks can be converted or the conversion has been disabled
  • Make sure that the file contains audio tracks that AudioConverter can convert!
  • Make sure that you have enabled conversion of the audio formats you want to convert (on the audio format's own tab)
• The program says Audio Track #x of codec A_xxx is of a convertible codec, but not a convertible format.
  • The audio track(s) you are attempting to convert does not conform to a format that the program is programmed to convert - Like, f.ex., standard AAC audio tracks, which will play back without conversion, or odd-track-count audio tracks of various other codecs.
    You cannot convert that file/track using AudioConverter.
• The program says VideoTrack not found! or
  The program says No AudioTracks found!
  • Make sure you have the newest version of AudioConverter and a fairly new version of MKV Tools
• The program says
  Cannot create temporary .WAV file in directory
  <Directory>
  since it is a FAT-formatted device!
  
  You need to point the temporary directory to a non-FAT
  disk with at least 8 Gb free space in order to do this conversion!
  • Either point the temporary directory to an NTFS-formatted drive, or convert your FAT drive to NTFS format
• How do I uninstall the program
  • Since there is no "installation", there is no "uninstall". You can, however, delete all configuration information from the program using the menu File->Clear Setup (uninstall) and then delete the .EXE file, which amounts to the same thing
• Why can't I download the preferred utility package?
  • Up until v1.79.5, only the Compressed .EXE version had the capability to download the utilities package. From this version and forward, it is now possible also in the compressed .ZIP version, so make sure you have the latest version.
• Why doesn't the program warn me about a new version when one is available?
  • Only the Compressed .EXE version has the ability to auto-update. If you have downloaded the Compressed .ZIP version, you'll need to either download the Compressed .EXE version or do a manual check once in a while in the official support thread.
• Why doesn't my file play back on my TV/NMT/Playback device after conversion?
  • Does the converted file play on your PC? If so, make sure you have the "Header Compression" option unchecked. Many TVs and playback devices can't cope with files that have Header Compression enabled (although PopCorn Hour NMTs can)
• I can't see the bottom of the window. Can I resize it?
  • Yes, you can - but not below a height of 960 pixels. The minimum supported screen size for AudioConverter is 1280x960 pixels (although you can use it on lower resolutions - you just can't see the bottom of the output, then).
• MKV Merge complains that it can't open the file or retrieve its size
  • The authors of MKV Merge introduced an incompatibility in v4.5 and on that prevents it from being used with older versions of AudioConverter. Make sure you have the newest version.