What is the video file format?


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What is the video file format?

Video Format

Differences with the main types of video file formats

VIDEO FORMAT

What is a video file format?

Have you ever become aware of the “video file format” when opening or downloading video files using your computer or the Internet?

The videos that we reproduce through our computers and the Internet are made by moving a series of still images in seconds in the same way as flip charts.

In other words, a video file is the same that contains a large number of photos, and if you try to save it to your computer or smartphone as is, the capacity will be immediately reduced.

Hence, a mechanism is used to compress the video file into various file formats and then save it.

Compressing into some video file format in this way is called “encoding.” Since the video file format used for encoding is selected according to the purpose, it cannot be unconditionally said that “which file format is excellent and easy to use.”

Here, we have summarized the types and differences of video file formats.

Video file format “AVI”
Video file format “AVI”
Sort the AVI alphabet of the acronym Audio Video Interleave by hand in the computer system.

There are various types of video file formats such as “AVI”, “WMV” and “FLV” that are used on personal computers and smartphones.

Generally speaking, the difference between each video file format is “difference in standard when compressing”.

Since the amount of original data stored in the standard used for video compression is very large, various types of formats have been developed in terms of compression rate, image quality after compression, compatibility with OS and software, etc. . The competition is repeated.

For example, the characteristic of the AVI file format is that it was developed as a standard file format of the Windows operating system, assuming it handles video with audio on Windows.

Video files encoded in AVI format can be played with the “Windows Media Player” that comes standard with Windows, and can also be played with other software that supports AVI.

Video in AVI format is a versatile file format for Windows users.

Relationship between AVI and codec / Problem
AVI and codec
You should also know how to install “codecs” to play videos encoded in various video file formats.

A program called a codec is used for video compression.

To play a video file compressed in the file format, the same codec is required as when compressed.

The codec may already be installed on your player, but if it is not installed, you will need to install the codec separately.

The codec is often the cause of the problem that the video file encoded in AVI format cannot be played. Since the same type of codec used for compression is not installed on the computer to play the video, it is often impossible to play the video.

AVI “supports multi-codec compression”, but you can’t tell the codec type at the time of compression just by looking at the file extension (.avi). Therefore, for users watching videos, it is difficult to determine the type of codec required and it is difficult to prepare the environment.

About file formats like “WMV” and “FLV”
Let’s check out video file formats other than AVI.

1. WMV
WMV is an abbreviation for “Windows Media Video”, which is a video file format developed by Microsoft. Like the previous AVI, it is a file format compatible with the Windows standard, but it has the characteristic that it was developed with streaming playback as a previous step.

Since it uses a compression method with a copy protector called DRM (Digital Rights Management), it is often used when you want to distribute copyrighted videos such as movies and animations.

Differences with the main types of video file formats

What is a video file format?

Have you ever become aware of the “video file format” when opening or downloading video files using your computer or the Internet?

The videos that we reproduce through our computers and the Internet are made by moving a series of still images in seconds in the same way as flip charts.

In other words, a video file is the same that contains a large number of photos, and if you try to save it to your computer or smartphone as is, the capacity will be immediately reduced.

Hence, a mechanism is used to compress the video file into various file formats and then save it.

Compressing into some video file format in this way is called “encoding.” Since the video file format used for encoding is selected according to the purpose, it cannot be unconditionally said that “which file format is excellent and easy to use.”

Here, we have summarized the types and differences of video file formats.

Video file format “AVI”
Video file format “AVI”
Sort the AVI alphabet of the acronym Audio Video Interleave by hand in the computer system.

There are various types of video file formats such as “AVI”, “WMV” and “FLV” that are used on personal computers and smartphones.

Generally speaking, the difference between each video file format is “difference in standard when compressing”.

Since the amount of original data stored in the standard used for video compression is very large, various types of formats have been developed in terms of compression rate, image quality after compression, compatibility with OS and software, etc. . The competition is repeated.

For example, the characteristic of the AVI file format is that it was developed as a standard file format of the Windows operating system, assuming it handles video with audio on Windows.

Video files encoded in AVI format can be played with the “Windows Media Player” that comes standard with Windows, and can also be played with other software that supports AVI.

Video in AVI format is a versatile file format for Windows users.

Relationship between AVI and codec / Problem
AVI and codec
You should also know how to install “codecs” to play videos encoded in various video file formats.

A program called a codec is used for video compression.

To play a video file compressed in the file format, the same codec is required as when compressed.

The codec may already be installed on your player, but if it is not installed, you will need to install the codec separately.

The codec is often the cause of the problem that the video file encoded in AVI format cannot be played. Since the same type of codec used for compression is not installed on the computer to play the video, it is often impossible to play the video.

AVI “supports multi-codec compression”, but you can’t tell the codec type at the time of compression just by looking at the file extension (.avi). Therefore, for users watching videos, it is difficult to determine the type of codec required and it is difficult to prepare the environment.

About file formats like “WMV” and “FLV”
Let’s check out video file formats other than AVI.

1. WMV
WMV is an abbreviation for “Windows Media Video”, which is a video file format developed by Microsoft. Like the previous AVI, it is a file format compatible with the Windows standard, but it has the characteristic that it was developed with streaming playback as a previous step.

Since it uses a compression method with a copy protector called DRM (Digital Rights Management), it is often used when you want to distribute copyrighted videos such as movies and animations.


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“The origin of AVI and its codec”

“The origin of AVI and its codec”

AVI

■ What is AVI?

avi

When it comes to Real and QuickTime, AVI is the next choice. AVI is a format provided by Microsoft for storing multimedia data. The official name is “Audio Video Interleaving”, and it is characterized by a structure in which image data and audio data are interlaced alternately based on a format called RIFF (the name “Audio Video Interleaving “is also here. I come from).

■ AVI Background

As I mentioned a bit last time, in September 1991, Microsoft released a package called “MME (MultiMedia Extention)” as an extension to Windows 3.0 for handling multimedia. However, there was no format that could handle video in this (this is probably the first reason Apple’s QuickTime lags behind).

This feature is not covered by Windows 3.1, which appeared in April 1992, and is finally realized by an expansion pack called “Video for Windows (VFW)” which appeared in November of the same year. The AVI format is compatible with this VFW. However, at this point, QuickTime has a sizable stake, and with the advent of “QuickTime for Windows”, the ground has been formed that “QuickTime is good for Windows.” Of course, QuickTime is not all-purpose, and VFW-compatible products have been prominent from the beginning, for example in video capture, but still it took a long time for VFW to catch up with the initial lag.

Well, that AVI format. The most important feature is that you do not define the codec yourself. In other words, it is an “everything” format. Figure 1 is a very simple summary of the AVI structure defined in the AVI 1.0 format, but the one that is correctly defined in the AVI format is “RIFF Header / AVI Header (avih) / MOV Header (in all three types of” movh ) “, the stream header and MOV snippet just indicate that” stream format definition is entered here “and” actual data is entered here. “After all, in the case of the first VFW, both the audio and the video were uncompressed.

If you really create it with this, an AVI file will be created with an internal structure as shown in Fig. 2. If it is a 30fps video, it can be handled as a beautiful video if you play it from your head in a format that alternately alternates a still image every 1/30 of a second and 1/30 of a second of audio.

Also, there are no hard stories like this method and coding, so even a poorly performing PC at the time could be fully used. However, these methods make the file size too large. For example, assuming a 320 x 240 pixel, 24-bit color, 22KHz / 8-bit stereo display, the image alone is 6.6MB per second and the audio is 1.3MB, for a total of approximately 8 MB. Even if you use the full capacity of the CD-ROM (650MB), it is a terrifying size that can only record 81 seconds, which is absolutely useless.

■ Various codecs

Therefore, we will combine several codecs with the AVI format and try to compress the video using it. A codec called “Cinepak” developed by Radius of the United States was used relatively from the beginning, and now Compression Technologies has taken care of this and released a product called “Cinepak Pro” (Cinepak itself is released. Already included as standard in Windows from the beginning).

Then a codec called “Indeo” developed by Intel became quite popular. There are many popular versions of this Indeo, such as 3.2 / 4.1 / 5.1, but the problem is that they are not compatible with each other. That being said, in most environments it is common for all codecs to be included as standard, and for normal use it shouldn’t be a problem. By the way, Intel withdrew from the development of “Indeo 5.1” in the end, and Ligos Corporation is currently developing and supporting it. The latter is sold under the name “Indeo XP”.

Microsoft itself also developed the codec. That is what is called “Microsoft Video 1”, which is limited to 8 or 16 bit colors, but the compression ratio was not very high.

It can be subtle to include this in the codec, but the AVI format has a file size limit of 2GB or less. This 2GB was a size that I would not exceed in the 1990s, but after 2000 it is a size that easily exceeds when capturing TV etc., especially when using a PC for absent recording etc. It was a big problem doing it. A method called AVI Reference Format was designed to solve this problem.

AVI MP4 What is the difference? Comparison of AVI vs MP4

AVI MP4 What is the difference? Comparison of AVI vs MP4

AVI vs MP4

“Please tell me the difference between AVI MP4. Please tell me the difference in image quality and capacity.”

AVI vs MP4

“What is the difference between AVI and MP4 video file format? Since I am a beginner, are there advantages or disadvantages?
“AVI output and whether the difference from the MP4 output is something? Also more than what is directed to the video posting on YouTube.”
“In MP4 and AVI in the video type would the image quality be good?”
And the like, with Yahoo Answers and AVI. I often see this kind of problem with MP4.
AVI and MP4 are commonly used video formats in many places. However, beginners do not know much about basic video knowledge such as AVI MP4 image quality and AVI MP4 capability, so if you search the net, there is no little useful information, but because it is scattered What should I do more? ? I do not know if it is ok. Unhurriedly, the text details the comparison between AVI and MP4, aimed at those requests from users.

AVI MP4 Difference: Definition

AVI and AVI are short for “Audio Video Interleave”, Apple’s QuickTime standard for Windows that has been developed to counteract the video container format (MOV), the extension is “.avi”. Although it is a fairly old video format, it is still used by many users due to its high compression ratio and versatility, since it can use most codecs and is compatible with various environments. (You can also use a lossless compression codec.) It may be the most famous video format. Related Article: What is Windows10 AVI File Playback Player MP4? MP4 is one of the file formats for storing video data compressed in MPEG-4 format. It is specified in Part 14 of ISO / IEC 14496. MP4 is a format derived from ISO / IEC 14496 Part 12 formulated based on Apple’s QuickTime media technology file format, and has a structure that follows many of conventional QuickTime formats. If you encode it in this container, it can be played on most modern devices.

Audio quality – how to fully understand audio quality

Discover the main parameters to guarantee the audio quality of your digital product

Do you know the differences between the formats? Do you understand how the compression ratio works?

Audio settings for recorders or sound interfaces can be very confusing. But, if you are going to work with videos or podcasts, it will be useful to know how to interpret the parameters when recording and exporting files, either in Audacity (free), Reaper, Adobe Audition or in video editors.

Here we are going to talk about the differences between sample rates, bit depth, file compression rates, and format variations. Thus, you will be more sure of the options you have in relation to the audio quality and you can guarantee good results.

In short, you will understand why we recommend recording in uncompressed format (WAV, for example) in 24 bits and 48 kHz. In addition, you will also know the reason why, in most cases, we do not need more than a 192 kbps MP3 to export excellent quality audio.

We will also talk about the possibility of compressing more podcast files, which can be generated in 64 kbps MP3, mono, to facilitate online consumption.

Formats, extensions and codecs: what do they mean?
When it comes to audio files, we can talk about formats, extensions and codecs. In summary, we can say that the format refers to the type of file, identified by its extension (* .mp3, * .wav, * .ogg, * .wma etc), which often tells us how it has been encoded or which one is your codec.

For example, a file in the MP3 format has an * .mp3 extension and an MPEG-1 Audio Layer III codec.

Examples of audio file extensions

Normally those endings are mixed. But what is important to know is that, as in videos, files with the same type of extension do not always have the same codec and vice versa.

This information is valid so that you do not feel lost in case you do not understand the reason why a software, which normally plays your * .m4a files, does not play another with the same extension, for example.

Such a situation could indicate that the codecs used are different. In that case, the solution would be to use other software to read the file or to convert it (new encoding). This can be done even in video editors.

The variations of formats and codecs depend on the options of the companies that develop the softwares that execute the files. In these cases, there are many things at stake, such as technical specifications and relations with patents.

On the other hand, files are usually divided into two types: uncompressed or compressed.

Uncompressed files

Audio recording equipment usually offers us options to record files without losing any information. These uncompressed files can be generated in various formats and extensions, such as WAV, AIFF, FLAC and ALAC. For those who are familiar with photography, they are equivalent to RAW or DNG.

As they are usually very heavy, using lossless formats in the final product is only recommended in some cases, such as:

when the final product can be processed by the consumer (files destined for sound banks, for example);
when there will be recording on physical media (CD, DVD and Blue-Ray);
or for the audiophile market (for a matter of perceived value and guarantee of high quality).
But, even if you don’t want to end the process with a WAV (one of the most common), lossless formats can be very useful at the editing stage. Because they contain a lot of information, they withstand more extreme alterations without harming the audio quality.

With plugins, conversions and processing, they can be manipulated more freely, guaranteeing excellent quality, even if a compressed file is subsequently generated.

Compressed files

Most of the equipment available on the market (cameras, cell phones and even audio recorders) usually deliver already compressed files. This type of file is more practical, easier to process, requires less storage space and is very small (in bytes).

Some examples of these formats are: 3GP, AAC, M4A, OGG, WMA and MP3, which is, without a doubt, the best known. Files are like JPEG or GIF in the images field.

Through a complex algorithm, these files are generated seeking to keep only relevant information for our ears. Depending on the compression mode, we can generate an MP3 from a WAV and have a file 10 times smaller, without perceptible alterations in audio quality.

MP3 and Wave size comparison

Speaking of MP3, despite its great popularity, it is currently considered an obsolete format, since others, such as ACC (extension .acc or .m4a), make it possible to obtain smaller files and with higher quality.

Even so, MP3 is still widely used, since a large part of the softwares and equipment were developed for this format. So, to talk about compression rates, we will use it as an example.

Compression rate: what is its relationship to audio quality?
Now that you understand that a file can be compressed and maintain sufficient quality for our ears, you should know that the level of compression can vary greatly.

And it is by the value of the compression rate (or bitrate) that we manage to control the file size and, therefore, the audio quality.

For example, a 320 kbps (kilobits per second) MP3 may sound as good as uncompressed audio from a CD or DVD. As the bitrate value decreases, the file size decreases, but the sound losses become noticeable, depending on the audio.

To get a feel for how this rate affects sound quality, take a look at the following references:

320 kbps – audio that doesn’t differ from the quality of a CD;
192 kbps – no significant loss for most people;
128 kbps – slightly noticeable losses;
96 kbps – quality similar to FM radio;
32 kbps – similar to AM radio;
16 kbps – similar to short-wave radio (“walkie-talkie”).
We remind you that the values ​​and descriptions above are only an approximation, since the compression of the file behaves differently in each type of audio. The more perceptible information (or the more complex the audio in question), the more room there will be for compression to affect quality.

That is why for a podcast without a soundtrack it may not be a problem to generate a file of just 64 kbps, mono, with a single audio signal, playing simultaneously on the left (L) and right (R) channels. .

However, a well-produced studio song, played with several different instruments, can suffer noticeable losses, even if the compressed file is 128 kpbs, stereo, with a different signal for each box, right and left.

Here we are talking about fixed compression rates (CBR – constant bitrate), but there is also the possibility of generating files with variable rates, such as the calls VBR (variable bitrate) or ABR (average bitrate).

In VBR, the algorithm analyzes the audio and decides where it can compress the audio more aggressively and where it should collect less information. The ABR acts in a similar way, but remains at the average of the previously stipulated rate. These two methods, despite being smarter, can cause incompatibility with some sound players.

When we talk about compression vs. audio quality, remember that there are no rules: each case is different and it is necessary to evaluate them individually to know to what extent the losses are acceptable, or when it is worth giving up on quality in favor of ease of use (faster download or less storage impact, for example).

Remember that some websites and services recode the audio after uploading it. Since we cannot control this process, it may be a good idea to send files with a little more quality than necessary, to have a margin of safety in case of new conversions.

Amplitude resolution: 16 bit or 24 bit?

If you are going to use a sound card / interface or a recorder, you will be presented with options of bit depth values. This is related to the PCM digital audio pattern and does not apply to compressed files.


The values ​​refer to the signal-to-noise ratio. In other words, it has to do with the dynamics or volume levels that the file manages to record with quality.

It is as if it were a resolution of the amplitude of the sound. Thus, in theory, a 16-bit audio manages to represent 65,536 volume levels between the lowest and highest value on the scale. While in 24 bits, there are 16.7 million gradations.

Despite the large numerical difference, in practice, it is not a noticeable variation to our ears. But, there is a technical difference that can, in some cases, give the 24-bit file an advantage when fetching and editing.

We know that we must be careful with the input level when recording, so that the audio does not “explode” (generating clipping). This is what happens when we let the graphic meter go up a lot, going beyond 0 dB (maximum value before there is digital saturation / distortion). For this reason, a certain margin of safety, called “headroom”, must be respected.

In 16 bits, in addition to being careful, we also recommend paying attention so that the input level is not kept too low.

The reason for that is that, since there is not enough resolution to accurately record extremely weak signals, sounds can appear digitally distorted or be full of noise, through a process called dithering, which attempts to disguise quantization faults.

In this way, since the 16-bit file registers fewer gradations of volume (48 dB less compared to the 24-bit), theoretically you run the risk that, when you increase the volume in the software, you come across a higher dose of “shrieking”. In 24-bit, technically, there is no such risk.

WAV format features

This digital audio format normally has no data compression and the name comes from the wave form audio file format.

The WAV format is quite similar to the AIFF format that Macintosh uses to store music in packets.

So you could also tell what is similar to the RIFF format.

File conversion is a process that has become more important as communications technology has advanced. This is nothing more than a process in which we can change the formats contained in a video file, such as a movie, or audios such as a song.

Nowadays, with the large number of formats that exist due to the diversity of technological devices that we have at our disposal, it is necessary to have the necessary knowledge and the indicated tools to be able to convert files to the formats that best suit our tastes. and needs. Movavi is, without a doubt, one of the most recommended programs to carry out this task.

What is WAV format?

file converter Among the wide range of formats is WAV. It is an audio file without any compression, which maintains 100% of the quality of the original audio. It is a standard audio format, which stores data such as the sample rate or the number of tracks.

WAV is compatible with Windows, with Mac; and most of the Android and iO players. In addition, it stores additional data related to the song. However, its main drawback is that they are very heavy files. If you want to save space, it is not highly recommended, but if you need to professionalize your work, it is the right one.

It differs from the most common MP3 format by the level of compression to which the audio file has been subjected. The WAV file does not have any compression and MP3 is much lighter. For its part, the FLAC format is at least half as light as WAV.

The main use of WAV and in what is superior to the other two, is the degree of professionalism of the audio, because it does not lose quality.

If for some reason this file does not play on your computer, you must obtain a program that can play it.

Music is a wonderful way to express what we feel, right? It makes a moment even more special or, if we are in the professional field, it is the cherry on the cake that will project our product or career.

To take into account: a movie, a commercial broadcast or an audiovisual gift for our loved ones, they are always more impressive if they are accompanied by music.

What is AVI format

Digital videos can be saved in many formats, each of which corresponds to a specific extension of the file that contains it. Today we are talking about the AVI format, detailing its characteristics and how it works.

AVI (Audio Video Interleave) is a container video and audio format that Microsoft launched in 1992. Despite being the leading format for years, lately it has been losing popularity by leaps and bounds as it has not been able to adapt to high resolutions they have the vast majority of televisions today. Therefore, competitors who for years had tried to catch up with AVI have overtaken him.

Characteristics of the AVI format

It contains video with very good quality.
One of its biggest disadvantages is that the weight of the files is always very high, which means that videos in this format are not suitable for hanging on the Internet.
It can be viewed with most players on a Windows or Mac computer, as long as the video and audio codecs for each type of player are installed.
Generally, the codecs that have a higher compression capacity and a fairly good quality are DivX and XviD; They are often used for long-length videos such as movies.
It is a format that is widely used to save original videos that have been captured with a digital camera.

How does the AVI format work?

This format allows a single video data stream and multiple audio streams to be stored simultaneously. One of the main characteristics that distinguishes AVI from other formats is that audio and video can be in any other format such as MP3 for audio and DivX for video. It is precisely for this reason that AVI is a container format.

We have commented that the AVI format supports various audio streams. Why? Because it can contain several soundtracks in different languages. Thus, depending on the user’s preferences, the multimedia player is in charge of deciding which of the audio streams it plays.

How is the AVI format formed?

This container audio and video format is divided into a series of fragments, which are called chunks, each of which has a certain identifier, which is known as the Four CC tag. Generally, the AVI format is divided into two chunks, although sometimes there is an optional third:

First Chunk: Also known as a header, its function is to describe meta information about the file, such as the dimensions of the video image.
Second chunk: Contains the audio streams and the video stream.
Third chunk: It is optional and if it exists, it plays the role of acting as an index for the first and second chunk.

Normalize the volume of an mp3

For several decades, with the appearance of MP3, it has become a customary practice that people accumulate a large number of music files, mainly in MP3 format.
Some people get to accumulate thousands of songs in the MP3 format. which are easily transported with a pendrive using any other device, to be able to listen to them anywhere, and at any time.

 


This is very comfortable because one does not need to load any hard disk and much less large numbers of CDs or cassettes.
but it has the disadvantage here when mixing the songs that comes from very different recordings, times, etc. It occurs very frequently in volume level differences.
It is a typical problem today, want to Play favorite songs meets the fact that some sound much louder than others. And this eventually becomes a problem.

for this the volume normalizers have been created. The volume means all the songs have a volume as optimized as possible every possible level that each of them can play.
Volume normalizers have also existed for decades, and their algorithms to achieve amazing results. today download Mp4 Gain and check results no other software can offer. Russian other options How to change the pitch of a song Without altering its speed on the contrary modify the speed without affecting the Pitch. You can also equalize it and perform various functions that will be very useful.

What is the difference between MP4, AVI and MPEG?

MP4, AVI and MPEG are three different digital video formats. All of them widely used in a medium or other format, but are not compatible with each other. MPEG (of which MP4 is actually a version) is the most widely used, but AVI is gaining ground.

Types

AVI or Audio Video Interleave, is a format developed by Microsoft. MPEG is the common standard format term created by Moving Picture Experts Group.

Differences

AVI can be played in most Windows-based applications, such as Windows Media Player. MPEG works primarily with QuickTime, Apple-based applications and video discs, while MP4 is used primarily with many personal media players such as iPod and PSP.

ID
MP4 is actually MPEG-4, a subset of the MPEG standard. What people usually refer to as MPEG is MPEG-1 or MPEG-2. In contrast, MPEG-3 is not MP3, which is included in MPEG-1.

Importance
MPEG-1 is used with video compact discs (VCD), while higher quality MPEG-2 is used for DVDs.

Benefits
The biggest difference of MP4 from the other MPEG formats is its ability to save subtitles, still images and other data with digital audio and video.

Warning
Some personal devices can be advertised as “MP4”, using the term colloquial, but they actually play AMV files.

Avi or mp4 ?? which is better and why?

which of the two video formats is better ???

if the 2 are 1200×720 which gives me better quality ????

The avi with the codex divx is better.
Obviously the best quality format is .avi but it is heavier than the .mp4 format because this is a compression format mostly used for portable devices.
what happens is that the mp4 is used for cell phones and Mp4 players (that is, its quality is reduced).

AVI, MKV, MPG, WMV, FLV, OGM, MOV, MP4 are VIDEO CONTAINERS, that is, the files that contain video, audio and subtitle streams inside. The container has no effect on the quality of the video or audio or subtitle.

But which video format is better? An avi, mp4, wmv, mpeg?

The correct question is that VIDEO FORMAT offers the best quality / weight ratio.

DivX / XviD, h264, WMV8, WMV9 / HC-1, RV30 / RV40, VP8, MPEG are some VIDEO FORMATS.

The one that best quality / weight ratio offers at the moment is the H264 and which is widely surpassed by the new H265 that offers the same quality but at half the weight of an h264, the H265 standard – and the format has the same name – this Made for streaming video and take advantage of the bitrate or speed of transmitted data, this is why it offers this relationship of maintaining the same quality but at half the weight of the previous H264 standard.

The MOV and FLV containers have chosen to adopt this h264 format because of its quality / weight advantages, even though the h264 is the common format for videos on BluRay discs. There are also several encoders to h264 being the best free x264 encoder, so the free video software uses it, and some commercial programs also use it.

So you can play your movies without problems on your X media player, you should consider the following:

Read the manual to know which video CONTAINERS are recognizable by the software of the reproductive system, also that AUDIO and VIDEO FORMATS, and most importantly, WHAT coding FEATURES they must comply with.

AVI or MP4 – Which format has the best quality?

 

When we compare the MP4 video format with AVI, the first thing we should consider is quality. Which format has better quality, MP4 or AVI? Both MP4 and AVI are container formats, that is, MP4 and AVI are “wrappers” for video codecs, audio codecs and other types of data. Let’s take a look at the codecs used with these formats and compare the differences between MP4 and AVI.

The AVI is associated with the DivX codec, which is notable for compressing videos in a small size and high quality. The MP4 is based on the MOV, a lossy format that uses the MPEG4 AVC / H.264 codec. This is the reason why many people believe that the AVI has better quality than the MP4. But in truth, the AVI format can also use the MPEG-4 codec.

AVI vs MP4

avi vs mp4

Which format should we select, MP4 or AVI?

This is another problem with which we find between these two formats. Both MP4 and AVI are popular video formats. The AVI format has more opportunities to be used for Windows players or other devices with related codecs. Due to the accentuated file size, the AVI is not widely used for portable devices or video streaming sites. The MP4 format is widely used with various video players or portable devices, but it is also used for compression of audio and video data for the web and for streaming over the internet.

Compared to the AVI, the MP4 format is more frequently used in different situations, such as mobile devices. You can convert AVI to MP4 using a converter like Mp4Gain to convert AVI files to MP4 and view them on the iPhone, iPad or other portable devices, or even send them to YouTube.

The AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is the biggest difference between MP4 and AVI. The AAC belongs to Part 3 of the MPEG-4 standard. It is the audio compression of the MP4 format. The MP4 is also famous for containing subtitles and chapters.

After this brief comparison between the MP4 and the AVI, you may have made your decision about the format you want to use. However, you only need a program that can convert MP4 to AVI or vice versa (like Mp4Gain) to never again have to worry about the format used by different players or devices.

Video File Formats – Everything you need to know about video formats

 

Digital videos can be saved in files of different formats. Each one corresponds to a specific extension of the file that contains it. There are many types of video formats. Here are some of the most used. Each type of file also supports a different compression codec at all times.

video formats

-AVI (Audio Video Interleaved = Audio and Video Interleaved)

It is the standard format for storing digital video.
When video is captured from a digital camera to the computer, it is usually stored in this format with the DV (Digital Video) codec.
The AVI file can contain video with excellent quality. However, the weight of the file is always very high.
Supports different compression codecs such as CinePak, Intel Indeo 5, DV, etc. The codecs with more compression capacity and acceptable quality are DivX and XviD.
The AVI format can be displayed with most players: Windows Media, QuickTime, etc. as long as the appropriate codecs for each type of player are installed on the computer.
It is ideal for saving original videos that have been captured from the digital camera (encoded with DV).
It is not advisable to publish them on the Internet in this format due to their enormous weight.
The CinePak, Intel Indeo, DV codecs, etc. They do not offer great compression. The DivX and XviD codecs, on the other hand, achieve optimal compression although they are usually used primarily for the coding of long-term films.

-MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group = Movie Expert Group)

It is a standard format for digital video compression.
They are * .MPG or * .MPEG extension files.
Supports different types of compression codecs: MPEG-1 (CD quality), MPEG-2 (DVD quality), MPEG-3 (MP3 audio oriented) and MPEG-4 (more web oriented).
They play with Windows Media Player and QuickTime.

-MOV

It is the video and audio format developed by Apple.
It uses its own codec that evolves in versions quite quickly.
These types of files can also have * .QT extension
It is recommended to use the QuickTime player. There is a free version of it that can be downloaded from the Internet.
It is ideal for posting videos on the Internet for its reasonable quality / weight.
Support streaming

-WMV

It has been recently developed by Microsoft.
It uses the MPEG-4 codec for video compression.
It can also have * .ASF extension
It can only be viewed with an updated version of Windows Media 7 or higher. This application is integrated into Windows.
It is ideal for posting videos on the Internet for reasonable quality / weight.
Support streaming

-RM

It is the proposal of Real Networks for video files.
Use your own codec to compress the audio.
This type of files has * .RM and * .RAM extension.
It is displayed with a specific player: Real Player. There is a free version of it that can be downloaded from the Internet.
It can be used to publish videos on the Internet for its acceptable quality / weight.
Support streaming

-FLV

It is a format used by the Adobe Flash player to view video on the Internet.
It uses the Sorenson Spark codec and the On2 VP6 codec. Both allow high visual quality with reduced bitrates.
They are * .FLV extension files.
They can be played from different local players: MPlayer, VLC media player, Riva, Xine, etc.
Recommended option for the web for its accessibility. When viewed through the Flash player, it is accessible from most operating systems and web browsers.
The best known video repositories on the Internet use this format for the dissemination of videos: YouTube, Google Video, iFilm, etc.
Allows you to configure different video parameters to achieve acceptable quality / weight.
Support streaming