Hi, All,
Hmm... I'm so new here I can't even post a URL as text! Anyone wanting links to the stuff I'm talking about is welcome to PM me, or just Google it. (and... Yes, I've been to the introductions thread, thanks.)
I've been following this discussion for a while, and may be able to add something to it. Let's take things in order:
Transcoding to AVI:
This, as other folks have already mentioned, is not always a straightforward business. I've seen some transcoded stuff which was highly unsatisfactory in terms of its audio/video synchronization, especially if the viewer (the person viewing) uses the jog shuttle to move forward or backward in the timeline to skip around. Depending on the software used for transcoding, video quality can suffer, too.
I have to admit, though, I'm intrigued by the Media Convert site previously mentioned. I will have to check this out (Arigato gozaimashite!)
Matroska (.mkv) Format:
The thing about Matroska is this: it will support multiple audio and subtitle tracks, and it is not too bad as container formats go for video content. This is why it is so popular for anime' fansubs. The Matroska homepage is a great place to go for tech info, but be prepared to read for a while and maybe not understand too much. I'm a techy type (I administer about 170 computers at work), and I find this site a tough read in some spots.
I"ve never heard of Matroska causing problems with an operating system. I have seen some quality problems (lots of green artifacting in video playback, for example), but sometimes these relate to the codec being used, and the player dropping frames and such. If you are experiencing problems with your operating sytem, it would be prudent to consider where you got this video from, and maybe do some virus and/or spyware scanning to see if you didn't get more than you expected.
Media Player Classic:
Instead of transcoding, maybe a new player and some good codecs would make your Matroska experience a bit more pleasant? Anyone running Windows definitely needs to look at Media Player Classic. This is an open source player which mimics the look and feel of the older Windows Media Player 6.4, but runs from a completely open codebase and supports an incredible array of video and audio formats. It's FREE, and it's very stable. I've been using it now for a good while at work, and it works very nicely for what I'm doing.
CCCP:
Other folks have already mentioned this codec pack, but it bears repeating. If you watch fansubs at all, GET this pack! It's easy to install, and it makes it much easier to view a wide range of video formats. It's available for both Windows and Linux, too.
EDIT: Nope. Not yet ready for Linux... don't know what I was thinking here... sorry.
DivX:
Many fansubs are encoded using the DivX codec, too. The DivX player isn't bad, but it can be a resource-intensive platform. I prefer Media Player Classic for most things, but go ahead and get the DivX codecs, anyway. They are useful in certain instances where nothing else will decode a particular video you're wanting to watch.
Well, this might have been more helpful if I had been allowed to post links. Sorry about that - I'm sure that as I hang out and post more, maybe folks will trust me enough to let me post helpful links?
Later On,
D