Drop the MKV into a chat with Potok in Telegram, and you receive a text with timestamps for each spoken part. With several audio tracks, export the one holding the voice, since the others add noise. Check 2 stamps against the video before you quote anything.
Send a file, get the text
Your recording goes to @potok_now_bot as a file or a voice message, and the transcript returns to you in Telegram.
Go to @potok_now_bot in Telegram
Files up to 2 GB · export to TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT · speaker labels and timestamps · about 30 languages
Key facts
- Android lists FLAC and Opus in Matroska (.mkv) among supported containers.
- A Matroska file can hold many audio, video and subtitle streams.
- Matroska timestamps default to 1 ms ticks via TimestampScale (1000000 ns).
- The bot reads .mkv files of up to 2 GB directly; Potok adds no conversion step.
What a MKV file is
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Kind | Open container (Matroska) |
| File extensions | .mkv, .mka |
| What it holds | Matroska, an audiovisual container that can hold many audio, video and subtitle streams |
How to get timestamps for MKV files
- Start with the bot. Go to @potok_now_bot in Telegram, then send your .mkv recording. The limit is 2 GB per file, and the Upload button of the mini app is the way to send a big one.
- One property of the format matters. Matroska timestamps default to 1 ms ticks via TimestampScale (1000000 ns).
- Turn on time marks. Under the result open the other-format options and enable timestamps; before you quote a mark, jump to that place in the file and listen.
- Prepare this format. If the file holds several audio tracks, check that the one with speech plays by default.
What time marks look like
[00:00] Speaker 1: The expedition reached the glacier at dawn.
[00:12] Speaker 1: Temperatures dropped fast as the wind picked up.
[00:31] Speaker 1: The team set up camp behind a rock wall.
[00:58] Speaker 1: He explained how the old clock tower was rebuilt after the storm.
Lines written by us to show the layout. They are not output from a real MKV file.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Dictation | For dictating into other programs there is a separate Potok desktop app that recognises Russian speech |
| Export | TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT |
| Translating | No translation: the text stays in the language of the recording |
| Summary | The result message has a summary button for a digest of the text |
| Recognition | Around 30 languages have good published results; a few more come with warnings |
What to avoid with MKV
| Slip | Result | Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Mixing up Matroska tick time with frame numbers | Stamps seem off when you jump in the player | Jump by minutes and seconds, not frame counts |
| Sending an MKV with several audio tracks | The transcript may follow a track you did not want | Pick the speech track before sending |
| Cutting chapters out of the MKV after transcription | Later stamps no longer match the chapter positions | Transcribe the MKV only after all cuts |
| Expecting chapter markers from the MKV to appear in the text | Only spoken words are stamped, so chapter titles are missing | Add chapter names by hand next to the right stamps |
Where to look next
Need a converter or a calculator? Open the tools. Unsure about a term? Check the glossary. Apps are on the download page.
Questions and answers
Does Potok accept MKV files?
Yes. The bot accepts .mkv files up to 2 GB, so no conversion is needed first.
Can timestamps be combined with speaker labels?
Yes. Both can be switched on in the other-format options, and the result is shown again with the marks you chose.
Which apps and devices create MKV files?
The OBS Studio recording guide recommends MKV as a recording format (OBS Studio recording).
Sources
The dates show when each source was opened. Pages are edited over time; read the original before you rely on a detail.
- RFC 9559: Matroska media container format, IETF · checked
- Supported media formats, Android Developers · checked
Try it on your own recording
In Telegram, write to @potok_now_bot and add your file. The finished text appears in the conversation when recognition ends.
Go to @potok_now_bot in Telegram