Database Users

Nexus One (Android 2.1) and audio codecs?

Hi,
I've just ordered myself a Nexus One to replace my iPhone 3G 16GB!
And as my mobile phone is also my number one portable music player, I will be playing a few songs on this thing!
My music library is mostly Apple Lossless (at least all the songs I've ripped myself is, and all others are 128kbps+ MP3) as my Sennheiser IE6 ear-buds are often limited by the source.. So MP3's tend to lack some quality in many scenarios, making me go lossless with all my CD's and as iPhone only support Apple Lossless and WAV(E) for lossless audio, I went for ALAC because WAV(E) is simply a no go for me..
Now I'm starting to prepare for my Nexus One, so I have my SanDisk Ultra Mobile 16GB MicroSD already and was thinking about arranging some music on it.. But then I figure Android 2.1 doesn't actually support any lossless codecs, besides WAV(E)?
There is no ALAC (Apple Lossless), nor any FLAC support?
This is rather disappointing, as I would expect it to support something besides WAV(E) as most mobile phones and portable players do, and no FLAC support on a open source operating system just seems odd to me?
Is there anyway to get lossless formats to work on the Nexus One, besides using WAV(E)? Or would I have to convert all my ALAC songs into WAV(E), taking up more space and supporting less features?

Haven't tried any lossless formats yet, but you might consider converting to hi-res .ogg (vorbis)... My CD collection is all .ogg, and I was delighted to discover that unlike iTunes/iPods, the Nexus/Android FULLY SUPPORTS them and DISPLAYS the .ogg ID3 tags. (The sound is great with my studio cans.) Like you, I am about to install a 16gb mini SD card and plan to use the Nexus as my player.

A custom ROM is the only way you are going to get support for the foreseeable future. Patches for FLAC have been submitted but not reviewed much less accepted into the release schedule. A shame really, there should be an easier way to add a codec.

Why don't we have DivX playback yet?

Samsung I5700 Galaxy Spica is available, brings DivX to Android
16 November, 2009
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i5700_galaxy_spica_is_available_brings_divx_to_android-news-1259.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Released more than 3 months ago.
So... What's the hold up?

Yes i was wondering that too!!!
I mean when i copy an .avi movie to my phone, the only player that manages to play the file is the yxflash with awful perfomance...so what in the heck ?
There is 1GHz cpu behind this device!

Coreplayer for android is still in the works so we all just have to wait on that.

yxflash plays xvid without any problem in my nexus one

kiowa79 said:
yxflash plays xvid without any problem in my nexus one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From everything I've read and heard, your experiences are definitely in the very very small minority, as you can see clearly even from this very thread, just two posts above
F i L said:
Yes i was wondering that too!!!
I mean when i copy an .avi movie to my phone, the only player that manages to play the file is the yxflash with awful perfomance...so what in the heck ?
There is 1GHz cpu behind this device!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

When you compile crap it is still crap. Even if you run it on a Snapdragon.
CorePlayer was very good on WinMo, so let's hope they bring it to Android soon.

Coreplayer FTW!
My understanding of the "no Divx" issue, has more to do with Android OS not supporting the codec.
The reason why Coreplayer isnt out yet is exactly this reason. Once theres a codec supporting HW accelleration, then Coreplayer will be released.

cheetah2k said:
Coreplayer FTW!
My understanding of the "no Divx" issue, has more to do with Android OS not supporting the codec.
The reason why Coreplayer isnt out yet is exactly this reason. Once theres a codec supporting HW accelleration, then Coreplayer will be released.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, and if you go to coreplayers website, they have a blog/forum discussing this... in it, they point out that they have been working very closely with Google on improving the NDK and SDK so that it has native support. Following 2.0/1 being released, they announced it had the graphics and framework, and that they were hoping the next version would/will have the codecs... it also seems it is possible the NDK just needs to be updated, not even the entire OS itself, although that might be a bit dirty for such a huge increase in codec support.

Screw codecs, i want VLC player on my phone.

liam.lah said:
Screw codecs, i want VLC player on my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VLC isnt even on Winmo...

jz9833 said:
Coreplayer for android is still in the works so we all just have to wait on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would expect a very long wait if I were you. How long has coreplayer2 been in development now?

bradsh1 said:
I would expect a very long wait if I were you. How long has coreplayer2 been in development now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
android 1.5 wasnt capable of it due to a crappy SDK.
2.1 with the new developers tools should get the job done, but who knows

liam.lah said:
Screw codecs, i want VLC player on my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
VLC needs codecs too. Its developers just decided to include the codecs with the app instead of relying on the OS's codecs.
That is exactly what the CoreCodecs team is doing btw.

Very easy workaround
This a very quick and easy workaround to divx and xvid.
Download avidemux from here http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html
Then re-code the file, but here's the secret - keep the video as it is "Copy". Change the audio to aac, and re-save it in an mpeg4 containter (m4v). The whole process take about 3 minutes for a full-length 800MB movie. The resulting file can be played smooth as silk in the stock player.

AMoosa said:
This a very quick and easy workaround to divx and xvid.
Download avidemux from here http://fixounet.free.fr/avidemux/download.html
Then re-code the file, but here's the secret - keep the video as it is "Copy". Change the audio to aac, and re-save it in an mpeg4 containter (m4v). The whole process take about 3 minutes for a full-length 800MB movie. The resulting file can be played smooth as silk in the stock player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried this just now (previously tried with other tools in Jan). Was hoping....but it didnt work
src: XviD(BVOP/Packed Bitstream)/mp3, AVI
dest: (copy)/AAC(FAAC), MP4
The new file plays fine on my PC but only the audio plays on the n1(default movie player and act1 player)

britoso said:
Tried this just now (previously tried with other tools in Jan). Was hoping....but it didnt work
src: XviD(BVOP/Packed Bitstream)/mp3, AVI
dest: (copy)/AAC(FAAC), MP4
The new file plays fine on my PC but only the audio plays on the n1(default movie player and act1 player)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's too bad.
But then again, even if it does work, the whole point is that it would be nice to play our videos WITHOUT having to re-encode like Spica-owners can do.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/17/samsung-galaxy-spica-grows-up-to-android-2-1/
The Spica is now 2.1.
What in the HELL is the hold up?? DivX should have been ported to ANY other Android device ages ago

In addition to changing the container, you also have to change the FOURCC. That is just a 4-character code identifying the video encoding. Your phone won't recognize any stupid crap like DIVX or XVID -- it will only recognize the CORRECT fourcc, which is H263

The hold up is that codecs are part of the framework, and almost all Android video players just use the frameworks video playback facilities. To add DIVX playback you'd need a rooted device.
Additionally, I'll bet the Spica's divx playback is limited to a max resolution/bitrate like Android's h264 support.

SilentMobius said:
To add DIVX playback you'd need a rooted device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think a lot of people who would want this have root already or (would be willing to) anyway. Plus, there are already plenty of apps on the Market that are root-only.

Please test these MKV samples!

ANY results for ANY of these tests (using the official one or a good third-party player) would be much appreciated! I'm thinking of getting a GS2 but only if it has good MKV support - otherwise it's the O2X that interests me.
UPDATE: From my experience, Android video compatibility has notably improved with players like MX Video Player - try it if you have any doubt! Also a few of my descriptions below neglect to mention finer details e.g. Monster's Inc sample video has 6.1 surround audio that breaks many players. For full details check the link below.
I have put these six tests together, plus one from DesktopMan. All are just short samples (one minute in most cases) and as such qualify for free use under the DMCA.
The aim is to have a test for a player's flexibility and capability when it comes to MKV, which is an irritatingly versatile format. As such, I have tried to make this as comprehensive as possible. However, I am no expert (just a guy with a lot of video to play), and so would appreciate any comments
The download links supplied for the first three are not my own. For the remaining three tests (IV-VI) please obtain this file:
http://www.mediafire.com/?965488edub8dzgc
or visit this mirror (massive thanks to DesktopMan):
http://www.auby.no/files/video_tests/
Full details on all files used can be obtained here:
http://pastebin.com/zD1TzgCx
TEST I. Extreme (40Mbit/s) video quality in MKV. Codec: AVC; Res: 1920*1072
"Bird_42_MBit_ABR_(+-1.5 MBit).mkv"
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1D4BX1U9
or "h264_1080p_hp_4.1_40mps_birds.mkv"
Test passes if: video plays without stutter. File has no audio
IMPORTANT NOTE: This video is faster than most memory cards can handle. It may be best to run it off the internal memory, if there's space. In any case, if this test passes, it's outstanding!
TEST II. Very high (20Mbit/s) video quality in MKV. Codec: VC-1; Res: 1920*1080
"hddvd_demo_1080p.mkv"
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/530/HD-DVD_Demo_1080p_VC-1_DDPlus_5.1.html
or "vc1_1080p_ap_l3_18mbps_ac3_hddvd.mkv"
Test passes if: video plays without stutter. (First few seconds in particular!)
TEST III. High (10Mbit/s) video quality in MKV with unstyled subs. Codec: AVC; Res: 1920*1080
"iguana.monsi.1080p.bd9.sample.mkv"
http://www.mediafire.com/?okmdmnymonz
or "h264_1080p_hp_4.1_10mbps_dts_unstyled_subs_monsters.mkv"
Test passes if: video plays with subtitles on the screen. (May have to select subtitles with the menu.)
TEST IV. Medium (3.4Mbit/s) video quality in MKV with styled and unstyled subs. Codec: AVC; Res: 704*480
"Suzumiya_Haruhi_no_Yuuutsu_-_C4_-_Special_Ending_-__Hitsuji__e569a2b7_.mkv"
or "h264_720p_hp_5.1_3mbps_vorbis_styled_and_unstyled_subs_suzumiya.mkv"
Test passes if: video plays with STYLED subtitles on the screen. (Styled means "coloured and positioned on the top and bottom") (May have to select subtitles with the menu.)
TEST V. Unusual combination of Xvid video and styled subtitles, including foreign languages. Codec: Xvid; Res: 640*346
"Matrix.Reloaded.Trailer-640x346-XviD-1.0beta2-HE_AAC_subtitled.mkv"
or "xvid_480p_as_l5_1mbit_he-aac_foreign_subs_matrix.mkv"
Test passes if: Video plays with styled (just coloured) English subtitles, AND can play with Japanese and Arabic subtitles. (May have to select subtitles with the menu.)
TEST VI. Dual audio in an MKV. Codec: AVC; Res: 1280*526. Audio codec: English: AAC, Hindi: MP3
"SAMPLE Harry Potter 4[Eng-Hindi]Dual.Audio BRRIP 720p-=[champ_is_here]=-.mkv"
or "h264_720p_hp_3.1_600kbps_aac_mp3_dual_audio_harry_potter.mkv"
Test passes if: Video plays with English audio, and can switch to Hindi audio.
TEST VII. Medium-high (6Mbit/s) 720p MKV with AC3 and unstyled subs. Codec: AVC; Res: 1280*720. Audio codec: AC3
"h264_720p_hp_5.1_6mbps_ac3_unstyled_subs_planet.mkv" (obtain from mirror above)
Test passes if: Video plays with audio and subtitles.
I'd really appreciate it if you could run these through the SGSII
Many thanks for your replies!

Great idea. I'd love to see the outcome!

sample I and II does not work on stock player
sample III works perfect but no sound
sample IV works perfect but no sound
sample VI works perfect with sound

im downloading the 40 mbit jobby, I will let you know how it goes
as inteligo said 40 mbps is a no go

inteligo said:
sample I and II does not work on stock player
sample III works perfect but no sound
sample IV works perfect but no sound
sample VI works perfect with sound
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about the subs on sample 3 and 4? Switchable subs on 4? Changing audio track on sample 6?
Also, which model of the Galaxy II do you have?

inteligo said:
sample I and II does not work on stock player
sample III works perfect but no sound
sample IV works perfect but no sound
sample VI works perfect with sound
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks!
Sound from Sample III (Monster's Inc) = DTS 6-channels, 1,510 Kbps CBR
Sound from Sample IV (Haruhi) = Vorbis, 160 Kbps CBR
This is interesting! I didn't imagine that sound would be an issue.
Could you confirm that the subtitles work, especially in Sample IV (Japanese animation with styled subs)?

on stock player subs doesnt work
on mvideoplayer
subs works fine on sample 3 and 4
cant change audio on sample 6
i got unlocked uk i9100xxkdf
/edit: Could you confirm that the subtitles work, especially in Sample IV (Japanese animation with styled subs)?
subs works fine english and japanese on mvideoplayer
doesnt work on stock player

inteligo said:
on stock player subs doesnt work
on mvideoplayer
subs works fine on sample 3 and 4
cant change audio on sample 6
i got unlocked uk i9100xxkdf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting. It seems the software support (especially for audio in MKV) isn't what I expected it to be.
I wonder if it could work if the GPU renders the video, while a software codec included with a player handles these less common audio formats (like DTS and Vorbis for 3 and 4 respectively)?
Maybe when VLC finally rolls along
EDIT: more tests would still be appreciated - especially sample 5

I have added a high profile h264 720p sample to my mirror, would be great if someone tested that as well.

DesktopMan said:
I have added a high profile h264 720p sample to my mirror, would be great if someone tested that as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Suzumiya_Haruhi [...] .mkv : [email protected]
Test IV is essentially 720p, with high profile Still would be interested to hear any other reports on what works and what doesn't - maybe we can get a comprehensive set of results!

planet sample works fine with sound (stock player)
sample 4 works fine with sound and subs on moboplayer
sample 5 doesnt work on stock player but works great subs + audio on moboplayer

Xero Xenith said:
Suzumiya_Haruhi [...] .mkv : [email protected]
Test IV is essentially 720p, with high profile Still would be interested to hear any other reports on what works and what doesn't - maybe we can get a comprehensive set of results!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh crap I tagged it wrong, you are right. It's very low bitrate though, and since it has vorbis audio it might throw some players off. So they're both good tests

@inteligo: Many thanks for your results! Moboplayer seems to be the most compatible so far.
@DesktopMan: Exactly, and it has a higher bitrate. Maybe I'll add it as a seventh test?

Xero Xenith said:
@inteligo: Many thanks for your results! Moboplayer seems to be the most compatible so far.
@DesktopMan: Exactly, and it has a higher bitrate. Maybe I'll add it as a seventh test?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please do!

inteligo said:
planet sample works fine with sound (stock player)
sample 4 works fine with sound and subs on moboplayer
sample 5 doesnt work on stock player but works great subs + audio on moboplayer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm judging from these early results, seems like almost everything that we throw at it, can be played. (Almost). Hopefully, our community and Android market should be able to fix whatever the SGS2 thinks that it cant play!

ndnesh said:
Hmmm judging from these early results, seems like almost everything that we throw at it, can be played. (Almost). Hopefully, our community and Android market should be able to fix whatever the SGS2 thinks that it cant play!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true, but I doubt they will ever fix it to work for the 40Mbit/s video. To hazard a guess, I'd say that was a hardware limitation - my PC's graphics card seems to struggle a little with it.
Hopefully the rest will be sorted in due time though
New test results, especially with different players, would be helpful!

The problem with other players is they either use the built in player (can add subs but no new formats), or use software decoding (only play sd).
I am not aware of any player that does container and audio formats in software with the video decoding in hardware, which will be needed for these to play properly, not just on Galaxy S II but on many other phones / tablets.
I have hopes for VLC but it's not out yet.

ndnesh said:
Hmmm judging from these early results, seems like almost everything that we throw at it, can be played. (Almost). Hopefully, our community and Android market should be able to fix whatever the SGS2 thinks that it cant play!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't put it quite that optimistic. Out of the 7 samples only 2 has both video and audio in the stock player, with no subs.
Add a software player and you add 2 more (both of which with pretty low bitrate).

DesktopMan said:
I wouldn't put it quite that optimistic. Out of the 7 samples only 2 has both video and audio in the stock player, with no subs.
Add a software player and you add 2 more (both of which with pretty low bitrate).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or to put it another way, we have everything that was tested as working except two videos with abnormally high bitrates, and one that only offers surround sound. Glass 3/7 empty or 4/7 full?
EDIT: To make this clear, I made them varied and difficult tests for a reason - to push it to its limit so far the results are perfectly acceptable.
Other tests would be fantastic!

DesktopMan said:
I have hopes for VLC but it's not out yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im rooting for coreplayer

I tested the HW accelerated media player, today.

I read this post, today.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13719598
I installed the ' dice player trial '. It did not need custum roms and rooting.
Wow. My movie files were played on HW accelerated mode!!

Doesn't Rock Player already use HW acceleration

No RockPlayer uses software decoding afaik. This works though, love it!
Thanls for the heads up!
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

did not know about this. thnx.

edit nevermind
going to go try now
edit works!!!!
i was ready to fork over a huge donation to anyone who could port galaxy S codecs
definitely buying full version well worth the $3
edit
just played my 3.3GB Iron Man 2 720p AVI ac3 with hardware it looks and plays fantastic
lol ill stop with the edits
psp888 said:
Doesn't Rock Player already use HW acceleration
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
only for formats that are currently supported by the OS
MP4 and x264 but still lacks allot of audio codecs ...this player has everything now can play MKV with DTS without the use of converting that ultimately degrades overall quality

The referred thread got removed?

Plays one of my 720p mkv files fine, just wished that it supported flac.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Carne_Asada_Fries said:
Plays one of my 720p mkv files fine, just wished that it supported flac.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flac encoded files are too large.
DicePlayer support only ~4GB files. ( embedded media player support ~2GB files )
We have tested flac enabled version, but it is hard to find flac movie under 4GB.

Oops, the referred thread was removed...
Nevertheless, you can find this player on the android market.
Just search ' dice player ' on the market.

never mind removed

juami said:
Flac encoded files are too large.
DicePlayer support only ~4GB files. ( embedded media player support ~2GB files )
We have tested flac enabled version, but it is hard to find flac movie under 4GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thank you for adding the support. However, it seems that the audio playback is a bit choppy. Here's the video information if it helps.
Width: 1280
Height: 720
FPS: 23.97
Video Codec: h264
Audio Codec: FLAC
Audio Bitrate: 48000
Audio Channel Count: 6
Data Size: 2.49 gb
Also, when I tried playing a file with an AAC codec it caused an error stating "W/AACDecoder( 856): AAC decoder returned error 30, substituting silence". I attached a logcat if you want to look at it.

Hello ALL
OK this will sound dumb but this is almost like a stock SGS4G media player? That can play multiple codec with out having to root and change rom right?
Thanks in advanced if anyone answers
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

Yogi3 said:
Hello ALL
OK this will sound dumb but this is almost like a stock SGS4G media player? That can play multiple codec with out having to root and change rom right?
Thanks in advanced if anyone answers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct....

demo23019 said:
Correct....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK cool thanks for the answer sir
And this is in the Android market right? Or do I have to go to website and then side load the app?
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

Its on the market
dice player

MKV file support on Note 3

Hi guys. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed. It seems my Note 3 won't play the audio from any MKV files I put on there. My Note 2 & S3 both play the files with ease and also let me stream them to my TV. However when I play an MKV on my Note 3, the video players but displays an error message regarding the Audio. Anyone else noticed this? Not sure if Sammy are removing the Codecs from future software updates. I guess we'll find out in the coming days when they roll out 4.3 for the S3 & Note 2.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app

studelube said:
Hi guys. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed. It seems my Note 3 won't play the audio from any MKV files I put on there. My Note 2 & S3 both play the files with ease and also let me stream them to my TV. However when I play an MKV on my Note 3, the video players but displays an error message regarding the Audio. Anyone else noticed this? Not sure if Sammy are removing the Codecs from future software updates. I guess we'll find out in the coming days when they roll out 4.3 for the S3 & Note 2.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its the same on n900, its lacking of support for audio codecs... you have to use Mxplayer or another one and use H/W decode and its all good...

Use mx player and you have to download the dts codec for mx player which can be found in xda. The dts codec does not come with mx player due to copyright issues. Just load the codec in mx player by going to custom codec which can be found in settings - > decoder
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

It's unbelievable!! I have the Octa S4 and it plays any damn media file I throw at it. Even a 25 go BRRIP mkv! That also with stock player. Now I got the Verizon note 3 and it says unsupported?? Tha duck!

NHS2008 said:
It's unbelievable!! I have the Octa S4 and it plays any damn media file I throw at it. Even a 25 go BRRIP mkv! That also with stock player. Now I got the Verizon note 3 and it says unsupported?? Tha duck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Mxplayer and it'll prompt you to grab the correct codec/plugin for it. Should work fine.

radicalisto said:
Use Mxplayer and it'll prompt you to grab the correct codec/plugin for it. Should work fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know MX player will play everything, but why on hell Note 3 CAN'T play MKVs when my S4 with Exynos can play them JUST FINE?!

NHS2008 said:
I know MX player will play everything, but why on hell Note 3 CAN'T play MKVs when my S4 with Exynos can play them JUST FINE?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
License issues with the h.264 and ac3 codecs.
Diceplayer has been forced to remove the support for them as well. MX and BSplayer don't play DTS audio.
It's a really pathetic attempt to halt piracy. (Since those are the most used codecs in pirated videos.)
Use VLC . It plays everything, Comes with all codecs and doesn't give a sh*t about licence issues. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.videolan.vlc.betav7neon

ShadowLea said:
License issues with the h.264 and ac3 codecs.
Diceplayer has been forced to remove the support for them as well. MX and BSplayer don't play DTS audio.
It's a really pathetic attempt to halt piracy. (Since those are the most used codecs in pirated videos.)
Use VLC . It plays everything, Comes with all codecs and doesn't give a sh*t about licence issues. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.videolan.vlc.betav7neon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that sucks...I sold my S4, Hoping to get the same experience with a larger screen and more raw power. But it seems its not much of an upgrade. The speaker g is worse than that of S4.

NHS2008 said:
Well that sucks...I sold my S4, Hoping to get the same experience with a larger screen and more raw power. But it seems its not much of an upgrade. The speaker g is worse than that of S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're going to see this problem on all updated phones and versions.
Just use another app. I've got about 4TB of various videofiles, amongst which h.264 ac3 .mkv's, and they play fine.
Or grab an old apk version of Dice. 2.0.53 still supports them.

here's the solution
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-3/general/gn3-ac3-support-mod-pako777-t2867140

MKV may contain codecs that are not compatible with Samsung Galaxy Smartphone.
To solve this issue, you'd better to convert MKV to Samsung Note supported format with Faasoft Samsung Video Converter.
Hope it is what you are looking for.

In order to play all MKV, AVI, VOB, TiVo, MPG, WMV, FLV/F4V videos on Galaxy Note 3 properly, you'd better convert videos into Galaxy Note 3 supported video formats first before transferring them to Note 3. Along with some help from third-party software, this can be done effortlessly.
brorsoft.com/how-to/get-galaxy-note-3-play-avi-mkv-vob-mpg-files.html

Meh, VLC Player still plays everything without a single objection. It's open-source.
And the best part? You don't have to spend hours re-encoding all your blurays..
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.videolan.vlc
The problem isn't Android or the Note 3, it's copyright. Copyright that led to mkv support being removed from mediaplayers made by more obedient companies. VLC is opensource, they don't listen to copyright companies.
(Why did they enforce the removal of MKV, you might ask? Because it's the main container used for pirated HD videos these days. It's a lame anti-piracy method that once again affects paying customers more.)

Vlc player and mx player as suggested above are right solutions to play. Mkv files. Don't go for installing codes N stuff
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