How can I shrink .MKV files?

I am using Handbrake to rip a DVD to a MKV. The filesize for a ~5GB .VOB rip is a nearly 2GB .MKV.

Is there a program in Ubuntu that shrinks MKV's? I looked around and found a lot of Windows programs, but none that work well in Wine. I was thinking about shrinking it to a 300-400MB file (Like most MKV rips), but I don't know how to shrink it in Ubuntu. Any ideas?

1 Answer

Use this:

so for your 400MB example, if the duration is 1 hour (3600 seconds):

x = 400MB*8192/3600 = 910 Kbps

Then you subtract 128Kbs for standard 128 Kbps audio (MP3/OGG/AAC whatever) and you are left with ~800 Kbps for your (hopefully x264) video