Just as Microsoft gets native Divx playback introduced in Windows 7 along comes MKV newer format that lots of enthusiasts want to use and out of the box Windows 7 does not support it. Fortunately since Divx introduced MKV support things have got easier and Adam Thursby has a nice guide on how to get the format to play on Extenders

The process here is relatively simple.  The first thing you’ll need is the Divx Tech Preview.  You have to register and join the Project Rémoulade Apps group.  While you will have to wait for an email with a temporary password, it doesn’t take long.

Once you have the preview, you can install it on your Windows 7 Media Center system.  As always, create a restore point before hand.  While this install shouldn’t touch anything else on your system, you can never be too safe.  While the installer won’t tell you to, go ahead and restart your PC.  When I tried to play an mkv on my extender before the restart, it told me the proper codecs weren’t installed.

Read the rest of Adam’s post for all the details, it would be nice to see Microsoft to introduce native MKV format and support for new codecs over time and not wait for the next major release of Windows to add new CODECS

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