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The most important video formats in comparison

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The most important video formats in comparison

AVI, WMV, MPEG, MOV, FLV, WebM: a guide through the terms of video formats, with all their pros and cons The most common video formats at a glance ‘

Videos basically consist of many individual images and associated sound. Four different values are relevant to recording the image: The frame rate or the frame rate, which is displayed in hertz (Hz) or in frames per second (fps = frames per second).

The higher this value, the more frames will be used to create the video and the larger the file will be. The second value is the color depth, which contains information about the color and brightness values. Third, the movie format indicates the resolution of the image in pixels or the aspect ratio of the video (for example, 16: 9 or 4: 3). And fourth, the soundtrack, which contains the recorded sound. The higher the image resolution, quality and length of the video, the larger the file will be on the hard drive.

There are numerous video formats. The most common formats are:

AVI – Audio Video Interleaved – file.avi
WMV – Windows Media Player – file.wmv
MPEG I, MPEG II – Moving Images Expert Group – file.mpg
MOV – Movie – file.mov
FLV – Flash Video – file.flv, file.swf
MPEG IV – Moving Image Expert Group – file.mp4
WebM – Google – .webm file

Video players such as the VLC player can be used to play such files on the computer. A DVD is typically 8 gigabits in size, while Bluray DVDs can be significantly larger. These can then be reduced with a compressor, but both the sound and the image quality are a handful.

All video formats have their advantages and disadvantages. The MPEG 2 format is synonymous with good quality picture and sound. With the iPad, however, it has to be an MPEG 4 format or a special application to play the video. Then there are the AVI videos, which can be played on almost any device. However, they have the great disadvantage that they become very large if the quality is adequate. On the contrary, the FLV format is ideal if the video will be published on the Internet. Because it is precisely this format that is compatible with the browser or with Flash plugins.

3GP / 3G2 (file extension: .3gp, .3g2, .3gpp)

3gp is the name of a video file format for mobile devices such as third-generation cell phones or PDAs. This format was specified by the 3GPP organization. Files in this format have the file name extension “.3gp” or “.3gpp”. It is used in the UMTS (3G) standard.
3g2 is a mobile phone video file format that is functionally similar to the 3gp format. This format was specified by the 3GPP2 organization. Files in this format have the file name extension “.3g2”. It is used in the CDMA2000 standard.

AVI (audio video interleaved) * .avi

A video format developed by Microsoft in 1992. Widely used in software and hardware. Almost all multimedia programs and almost all DVD players can play this format. Also, most digital cameras record in this format. Unfortunately at the price of very high storage requirements (compared to WMV or MPEG up to 20 times more).

FLV (short for Flash Video) * .flv * .swf

With Flash Video is a container format developed by Adobe Systems, which is best used for streaming video content over the Internet. To play the videos, Adobe Flash Player version 6 or 7 or higher is required. By embedding Flash video files in a SWF (Small Web Format) file, a video file can be integrated into a website with relative ease. SWF is an ActionScript, vector graphics, and multimedia file format.

MJPEG

Motion JPEG (MJPEG) is a video codec in which each individual image is compressed separately as a JPEG image. Videos compressed with MJPEG, unlike those compressed with MPEG, have a quality that is independent of the movement of the image. This standard is often used in older digital cameras. Due to the individual compression of all individual images, with this format it is possible to cut a frame from a video clip precisely without the need for recoding, which is generally only possible with MPEG keyframes.

MPEG 1 and 2 (Moving Image Expert Group) * .mpg

Video format developed by a group of experts with standardized compression methods. The advantages of MPEG movies are the comparatively small files with good image quality, albeit with low resolution. In practice, MPEG-II movies are far superior to MPEG-I movies in terms of resolution and image quality.

MPEG 4 (Moving Pictures Expert Group) * .mp4

Video format developed by a group of experts with standardized compression methods.
Originally, the aim of MPEG-4 was to support systems with low resources or narrow bandwidths (mobile phones, videophones, …) with a relatively small loss of quality. Since H.263, an ITU standard for video compression and decoding, had already successfully met these requirements, it was integrated into MPEG-4 as Part 2 without major changes. Films
MPEG-4 is compressed even stronger and without any noticeable loss of quality, that is, very small files with very good resolution. In practice, MPEG-4 places somewhat higher demands on the performance of the computer, since highly compressed data must first be “decompressed” again when played back.

MPEG 7

MPEG-7 is an ISO standard (ISO / IEC 15938) that was adopted in 2002 and was defined by the Moving Picture Experts Group, or MPEG for short. MPEG-7 is not a real compression standard, but it is used to describe multimedia data with the help of meta information and is stored in the form of one or more XML documents. It can be attached to the time code, for example, to mark certain events or, for example, to synchronize the lyrics with a song.

MOV (movie) * .mov

MOV-type video files are based on the Apple Quicktime standard. Quicktime movies largely share the advantages and disadvantages of MPEG-4 movies for comparison: good movie quality with little space, but higher demands on computer performance. The container format for Apple’s QuickTime multimedia architecture typically has the file extension .mov or .qt. Depending on the functions, the endings .qtvr, .qti and .qtif are also used. Storage takes place in sequentially and hierarchically organized units of data, so-called atoms. In addition to chronological information and tracking data, you can also store structural and hierarchical information and relationships. A special sync layer also makes it suitable for streaming. In professional cinema- and post-production it is the usual format for the exchange of multimedia data (video, audio, subtitles, time codes, chapter marks, etc.) due to the aforementioned properties. It also serves as the basis for the ISO standardized MP4 MPEG-4 file format.

Ogg .ogg

Ogg is a container file format for multimedia files, so it can hold audio, video, and text data at the same time. Ogg was designed with the goal of offering a free and unrestricted software patent alternative to proprietary formats for efficient storage and streaming of multimedia content. The ability to transmit is the decisive design feature: everything that is packaged in an Ogg container can be transmitted without additional adjustments. This distinguishes Ogg from formats that are only capable of streaming in certain ways (like Matroska) or not capable of live streaming (like MP4). Ogg streams can be grouped and chained without having to adjust the individual stream.
Ogg Theora is not very common in the video field. However, it is enjoying increasing popularity in the open source scene. However, for HD videos, the Matroska format, which is also free, is gaining more and more acceptance outside of the open source scene, so it remains to be seen what role Ogg Theora will play in the future.

RM (Real Average) * .rm

A collective term for the file formats of the software maker RealNetworks, in particular the Real-Audio audio format and the Real-Video video format. It is used primarily in streaming applications. Real files are lossy, but the quality of real video files is still comparatively good, especially with high compression.
Files compressed with RealVideo are lossy. The quality of RealVideo files is generally comparatively good with high compression, older versions are poor with low compression compared to MPEG for example. However, the quality of the newer versions is comparable to MPEG-4 video codecs like Xvid or DivX, as well as Windows Media Video 9. RealVideo usually occurs in the RealMedia container and then has its file extension .rv, .ram, .rm, or .rmvb.

WebM

WebM is a container format for audio and video data, used for the VP8 and VP9 video codecs introduced by Google, which represent alternatives to the well-known H.264 codec. It was developed for websites in the HTML5 standard, where it is used as an alternative to the MP4 format. WebM was introduced by Google Inc. in May 2010 and is endorsed by the Mozilla Foundation and Opera Software, among others. For Internet Explorer 9 or higher, Google provides a browser extension for download. In April 2011, Google also introduced WebM on YouTube, where it has since been available as an alternate playback option using the HTML5 video tag built into the page without browser plugins such as the Flash player that was previously required. Another implementation example, which in the case of the VP8 video format also represents the description of the standard, was released as free software under the terms of a BSD license.

WMV (Windows Media Video) * .wmv

A video format developed by Microsoft that offers high compression with good quality. In addition to Windows Media Player and many other software players, some standalone hardware players can also decode WMV files. Files that contain WMV encoded video streams are generally embedded in Microsoft’s Advanced Streaming Format (ASF) container format. These files usually have the extension .asf, but in the case of a video file they can also have the extension .wmv. A new variant of WMV is the Windows Media Video High Definition (WMVHD) format.
The Windows Media format also supports the integration of Digital Rights Management (DRM), which is intended to allow copyright owners to regulate access rights to audio and video material. In practice, this technology is often used as a copy protection measure.

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THE VIDEO FORMATS

What is a CODEC?

A CODEC is a program that deals with transforming – encoding and decoding
– an analog signal (audio or video) into digital. This transformation takes place
by compressing the original signal which is made “lighter” at the end
of its easier storage and / or transmissibility. There are several CODECs and
consequently different video file formats, each with its own characteristics
peculiar.
The AVI format. AVI, which stands for Audio Video Interleave, is a container format

released by Microsoft in 1992 as the standard video format for the system
Windows operating. Plenty of compression codecs are supported, guaranteeing
a broad generality of use. Finally, it guarantees an excellent level of compatibility
with software for non-linear editing.
The MOV format. This is Apple’s proprietary video format, as well as the
main multimedia extension for Mac OS type systems. The main software
for viewing MOV format files is QuickTime. The MOV format is great
for multimedia products (eg CD-ROM).
Microsoft Windows Media formats. It is essentially an attempt by Microsoft to unify different video formats. These are WMV (or WMA) files. Among the advantages made available, the use of the MPEG-4 codec, which guarantees excellent performance even with relatively low bitrate levels. Furthermore, an excellent level of efficiency and quality is guaranteed with regard to internet video streaming operations.

The 3GP format. The 3GP format, rather modern, linked to the continuous technological evolution of mobile devices, indicates a type of file expressly designed to interface with video telephony services: for example for recording multimedia files via mobile phones or smartphones.

The MPEG-4 format. Shortened to MP4, it is a multimedia file format usually used for saving video and audio content in high quality, occupying a small space, ie good quality and “light” files at the same time.

The MPEG-2 format. Standard developed by the Moving Picture Expert Group, it is suitable for broadcast productions (NTSC, PAL). It is therefore aimed primarily at an audience of users such as televisions, satellite channels and DVD producers.

DV and HDV formats. As for the DV format, it is a fully digital video recording format very suitable for non-linear editing procedures.

The HDV format is the evolution in high definition and is the result of an agreement on the technical specifications between four giants such as Canon, JVC, Sharp and Sony. The most well-known video editing software have equipped themselves with adequate support for the HDV format. For other editing programs it may be necessary to resort to suitable plugins for compatibility.

The DivX format. DivX is a proprietary multimedia technology based on a variant of the MPEG-4 codec. Among other things, this technology includes a famous video compressor developed by DivX Inc. and used by many people around the world.

The peculiarity of DivX, in addition to its presence in several consumer electronics products, lies in its versatility in producing small files of long-lasting movies, leaving the image quality almost unchanged.

What are the differences between AVI, RMVB, MKV and MP4?

Unlike what happens with audio files, the extension of video files says little about the encodings used. Each of them, from RMVB for extremely small files to MKV for extreme quality, has different types of encoding for audio, video and all the other necessary components of movies, so they are known as containers.

Container? Isn’t that a video codec? To understand them, the best example is that of a backpack. To attend a class, we have to bring a notebook, a case, books and other essentials for good use. Within a container we have a similar situation, with video encoding, audio encoding, subtitles and additional information on frame rate, audio channels, etc.

In our example, if we have the best notebook in the world with a bad pencil and a poorly written book, our experience will be drastically reduced, just like video containers. AVI, RMVB, MKV, each of them has different “levels” of quality depending on the coding of each of the components. Below is the list of currently used video encodings:

RMVB (Real Media Variable Bitrate, extension. Rmvb): Developed by Real Networks for RealPlayer, it has a variable bit rate. Although it is capable of generating a smaller file than the original RealMedia, the quality is the same, but it is far from good. Recommended for users who have a low-speed Internet connection or a data franchise.
RMVB

AVI (Audio Video Interleave, extension. Avi): container developed by Microsoft and currently supported by a variety of devices, from DVD players to smartphones. It uses DivX or XviD (High Loss Compression) encoding for video and generally MP3 for audio, which provides a reasonable video experience, but does not have native subtitle support.
Avi

MP4 (MPEG-4 part 14, extension. Mp4): In many ways, very similar to AVI, MP4 has the advantage of having native subtitle support (i.e. no subtitles in separate files), Xvid, DivX and powerful H. 264 for videos and ACC for audio (learn more about ACC). Users who want a balance between quality and compression generally prefer MP4, but it’s still not popular near AVI.
MP4

MKV(. Matroska Video, MKV Extension. MKV., Mks): Relatively new open source format preferred by users who want their movies to be of the highest quality possible regardless of download size. It is possible to encode all the elements in almost any format, from the frame rate per second and the quality of each image to the use of different encoders for video (DivX, XviD, H.264) and audio (ACC, DTS, Dolby Digital ), where Full HD (1080p) movies are rarely less than 10GB and reach up to almost 70GB in Remux quality.

These are not all video formats. MOV (Apple), WMV (Windows) and VOB (used on DVD) were not mentioned as they did not bring significant differences. The performance of each of them depends more on the compression rate itself than on the format itself, and machines that have hardware decoding can handle any format without major problems.

The 7 most common video file formats explained

To better understand its video file formats, let’s take a look at some of the most popular types on the market and their specific features.

1. AVI or WMV (Microsoft)

AVI video file formats are used to completely dominate the video market. However, the popularity of the format has declined recently, AVI videos are still common on the Internet. Microsoft replaced AVI with the WMV video file format in the mid-2000s.

The original WMV was designed exclusively for streaming applications. However, alternative WMV formats, reminiscent of WMV Screen and WMV Image, have been released for use with specialized video content.

Both AVI and WMV produce less compression than other competing formats, which means they provide better video quality. In contrast, they are large files.

Other benefits of AVI and WMV include its wide compatibility with PC and Mac operating systems. Among the disadvantages we can mention the impossibility of manually selecting the proportions of the rates, which can be quite bad for some users.

2. MOV and QT (Quicktime formats)

Like Microsoft’s AVI and WMV formats, Apple’s MOV and QT formats are compatible with both Apple and Microsoft platforms. The MOV has been specifically designed for feature films. Both MOV and QT are famous for supporting a wide variety of video content. These two video extensions are usually kept together.

Both formats use a multimedia container file, which is separated into a range of tracks. Users can dedicate all tracks to storing specific information (video, audio, effects and / or text). Another important advantage is that MOV and QT formats are also compatible with a large selection of codecs.

3. MKV

Derived from the Russian word matroska (doll), MKV is an extremely popular video file format for many reasons. First, it is open source. Second, it offers a multitude of additional features. And last but not least, it is compatible with almost all codecs.

The main disadvantage of the MKV format is that it is not compatible with certain programs and devices. But, if you are watching or distributing your video files in VLC, XBMC, PotPlayer or other MKV compatible video player, the high quality and versatility of this format make it an ideal choice.

4. MP4

Popularized by Apple on the iTunes Store, the MP4 is probably the closest to a universal standard. It not only stores video and audio files, but also text and still images. With a small file size and good quality, this format allows you to add interactive video and multimedia components.

Although this format offers less definition and fewer options than the MKV format, it is widely compatible with a range of the most prominent digital devices on the market.

5. AVCHD (advanced high definition video encoding)

The result of a collaboration between Panasonic and Sony, this video file format was expressly designed for digital video cameras. AVCHD takes advantage of H.264 / MPEG-4 video compression technology, which can compress video information into extraordinarily small sizes.

Perfect for people who record using their own video equipment, this format allows you to store hours of recording, using very little space, without sacrificing quality considerably. AVCHD is a standard definition and high definition variations. The latest edition of this format (AVCHD 2.0) supports 3D video.

6. FLV and SWF (Flash formats)

Flash Video has been around for a long time and is divided into two different formats. The first format (FLV) is very popular for streaming video on sites like YouTube and Google Video. FLV files are generally small and can be downloaded quickly.

SWF is the second dominant Flash format for displaying animated vector graphics online (an acronym for Shockwave Flash). It can be viewed as a Flash animation file.

Although Flash formats are famous for involving streaming video on the web, they are not compatible with iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads, which can cause major problems for Apple users.

7. RealVideo

Developed specifically for the Internet, this video format was developed by RealNetworks. The most striking feature of this format is that it works perfectly on low-bandwidth transmissions, but the video quality is compromised.

To view files in this format, you will need to install additional software. Therefore, when you decide to save and share your videos in a specific file format, choose the formats that can be played on multiple platforms.

Better understand the different video encoding formats

In a video, every file, audio and video, is a set of encrypted data (more or less compressed). The so-called codec is the tool used for coding. The type of encoding chosen determines the format obtained: video format and audio format. Simultaneous reading of image and sound is possible by encapsulating these sequences in a container file (defined by an extension).

The specific software is useful for analyzing and reproducing the contents of a video / audio file (format, container file, codec, weight, etc.).

Container files (not complete)

– MP4 (.mp4): audio and video standard for MPEG4

– AVI (.avi): can contain most video and audio formats.

– M2TS (.mts): standard for MPEG4 AVC / H264

– MOV (.mov): mainly contains Mpeg2, Mpeg4

– MPEG (.mpg): contains only MPEG formats

– M4V (.m4v): standard for iPod, PSP and online videos (eg iTunes) containing Mpeg4

– VOB (.vob): for DVD, generally contains Mpeg2 (video) and AC3 or DTS (audio)

– 3GP (.3gp or 3g2): for third generation mobile phones, contains Mpeg4

– ASF (.asf): Contains Microsoft Windows Media Video (WMV) format

– AIFF audio file (.aiff, .aif, .aifc) with uncompressed formats (PCM, IFF)

Video encoding formats (not complete)

– HDV (Mpeg2 4: 2: 0): 1440 × 1080 resolution with a ratio of 1.77 (16/9).

– HDV (Mpeg2 4: 2: 2): 1920 × 1080 resolution with a ratio of 1.77 (16/9).

– AVCHD (Mpeg4 AVC / H264): Highly compressed HD format.

– DV (DV-AVI): Lightly compressed standard for digitized video.

– MPEG1: resolution 352 × 240 (NTSC) or 352 × 288 (PAL / SECAM) for CD-ROM.

– MPEG2: DV quality video standard mainly for DVD.

– MPEG4: video standard for multimedia applications. The most common standard is Part 10: Mpeg4 AVC H264 (AVCHD)

– WMV (Windows Media Video): Microsoft feature and main format used by Windows Media Player

– FLV (Adobe Flash Video): Allows you to easily insert a video image on a WEB page, in a format that the Flash player can read.

– DivX: based on Mpeg4, makes it possible to compress strongly and suitable to save or save on DVD

– Xvid: free and open source software, using Mpeg4. Used almost exclusively to backup video files. Better quality than its competitor DivX.

– Animated GIF: animation of images in GIF format. Suitable for solid colors and small videos.

Image encoding formats (not exhaustive)

– BMP (bitmap): from Microsoft and IBM. It is composed of a large number of pixels and is not suitable for enlargement work.

– JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group): Generally used for photos and other continuous images of HTML documents. It supports CMYK, RGB and grayscale modes, but no alpha channels. Unlike GIF, the JPEG format retains the color information of an RGB image. However, it compresses the file size by selectively deleting the data.

– RAW: High resolution uncompressed format that provides the best picture quality. This format is not standard: there are more than 200 types of RAW, including .crw, .cr2 (CANON), .nv2 (PANASONIC), .nef, .nrw (NIKON), .arw (SONY) …

– GIF (Graphics Interchange Format): Generally used to display indexed color graphics and images in HTML documents on the web. GIF is a compressed LZW format designed to reduce electronic transfer time and file size. Does not support alpha channels, but maintains the transparency of color-indexed images.

– PNG: royalty-free format. It was created as an alternative to GIF and is used to display images on the internet. This format uses a lossless compression process and retains all information regarding the color and alpha layers of an image.

– PSD (Photoshop format): very large, but recognized by other software.

– TGA (Targa format): Designed for systems using a Truevision video card, it is generally compatible with MS-DOS color applications. When you save an RGB image in TGA, you can select RLE encoding to compress the image and choose a pixel depth.

– TIFF (Tagged-Image File): to exchange files between applications and IT platforms. Flexible bitmap image format, it is compatible with almost all image editing, drawing and design applications. Maximum TIFF document size: 4 GB.

Audio encoding formats (not exhaustive)

– MP3 (MPEG 1/2 Audio Layer 3): compression format (lossy) developed by ISO.

– AIFF: format for Apple, uncompressed audio

– WAV (WAVE): uncompressed audio format developed by IBM and Microsoft

– WMA: audio data compression format (lossy), developed by Microsoft. It also allows protection of encryption against illegal copies.

– AAC (Advanced Audio Coding): Format used primarily on iPods

– DD + (D olby Digital Plus): high resolution format, with loss of compression

– DTHD (Dolby True HD): HD multi-channel audio format, lossless during compression and offering acoustic richness (up to 7.1)

– DTS HD (DTS HD Master Audio): High resolution audio format equivalent to DTHD.

– AC3: Dolby Digital format whose digital encoding standard is 5.1

– LPCM (Linear Pulse Code Modulation) – highest quality, uncompressed, multi-channel HD audio format.

– FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec): Free Audio Format, Lossless Compression

Video formats: what are they, advantages and disadvantages

For example, file size doesn’t matter if you need to make a DVD, but it is crucial if you want to share the video on YouTube. A similar discussion could be held for overall quality and resolution, since preparing a video for display with a video projector is not the same as displaying it on a 3-inch screen. We have tried to deal with the most common video formats, treating the pros and cons of all. However, it should be noted that the number of formats available is very large and a complete book is required to cover all of them.

introduction to Video Formats

When image formats were displayed for the Internet, an unwritten rule was extended: The GIF format was for computer-generated images and the JPG format for images from “real life”, e.g. B. Photos. Unfortunately, no similar rules were imposed on videos: there are numerous formats and codecs, not to mention the fact that the requirements can vary depending on how the video is used. For example, file size doesn’t matter if you need to make a DVD, but it is crucial if you want to share the video on YouTube. A similar discussion could be held for overall quality and resolution, since preparing a video for display with a video projector is not the same as displaying it on a 3-inch screen.

We tried to deal with the most common video formats and deal with the advantages and disadvantages of each. However, it should be noted that the number of formats available is very large and a complete book is required to cover all of them.

Codec

A codec is a series of instructions for compressing and decompressing an audio or video file. There are many codecs for the most popular formats like AVI or QuickTime, which contain more than a dozen of them. Choosing the right one is the first step to getting a good result. One of the most pressing problems is definitely the selection of a codec that can also be used by the viewer on his computer. Otherwise you will not be able to watch the video. However, if the video is to be uploaded to MySpace or YouTube, this aspect is not relevant, since websites of this type have all or almost all codecs installed with which the video is converted into Flash FLV format.

The AVI format Audio Video Interleave was originally the Windows video format. For this reason, it can be played on all Microsoft operating systems from Windows 3.1 and on many Macs, provided the required codec is installed.

The “Microsoft MPEG-4 v2” codec offers the best combination of quality, small size and distribution in terms of the “installed base”, ie this codec is installed on many computers.

Thanks to the “Huffyyuv” codec, AVI files can also be saved losslessly or without compression. Both options are intended for static purposes, certainly not for transferring video over the Internet, since the resulting files are very large.

The “DivX 3” format was introduced as the “pirated version of the MPEG-4 v3 codec from Microsoft”. The installation of this codec generally overwrites the Microsoft MPEG 4 v1 and v2 codecs without notifying the user. The Divx4 version was released without special notice, but was legal, while the fifth version legitimized the format worldwide. The current version is DivX 6.8.

DivX is basically an AVI codec. Files created with this codec can use the DivX extension. They are high quality and small, but of course the viewer must have the codec installed.

This format is compatible with DivX certified hardware, including many lounge players.

Keyframe

The use of keyframes is similar to that of control points for 3D graphics.

The term “keyframe” is used when creating an animated video or combining animations and recorded videos. The term can have different meanings depending on the context. When creating an animation, Keyframe defines the frames in which the most important transitions are located.

What types of formats exist in digital video?

Who has not ever wondered what H264 means or what is an Mp4, Mkv or Avi file. These are some of the questions that we all ask ourselves when we are talking about digital video in some of the applications that we see online to find out which format or format has more quality or how I can convert a file to another file.

What in my measure can contribute is to shed light on the distinctions that exist when we talk about video formats within the different types that are applied to digital video and that there are three important parts to distinguish between them on the Internet or on a DVD:

The video and its codec (As the video has so much weight, it must always be encoded and subsequently decoded). They are simply mathematical algorithms to compress and decompress the video file.
Audio and its different formats or containers.
The file that contains the audio and the video. The container
Let’s go to see which are the most popular and try to explain them:

Digital Video Formats

MPEG: Moving Pictures Expert Group (Mpeg1, Mpeg2, Mp4 or Mpeg4)
AVI: It is the standard format but the one with the most weight. (Xvid or Divx)
WINDOWS MEDIA: Format developed by Microsoft. (. Mp4 or .asf)
MOV: Format developed by Apple. Quicktime required to read it. Low weight.Ideal for Web (.m4v or .mov)
FLV: Adobe Flash format. Use Sorensen Spark codec. (.flv)
Digital Audio Formats

Mp3 or MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3: Tablet with imperceptible signal loss for humans. (1Mb / Min)
Aiff: Audio Interchange File Format. It has no compression and uses PCM modulation so they are very heavy (10 Mb / Min.)
AAC: Advanced Audio Coding. Mpeg-2 compression. Indicated for surround or surround sounds
Windows Media Audio: The worst quality of all the previous ones, is the Windows format.
Digital Video and Audio Container Formats

.mp4
.mov
.avi
.mkv
.flv
.swf
.m4v

The truth is that it is a whole world and more when the big companies live thinking only about leading their own markets and not from the point of view of the user whom they have had abandoned for years. Obviously these are not all there are but I have wanted to include the best known.

But if we are talking about a file or files that any dvd may have or downloaded from the Internet in any format or container such as Mp4, mkv, avi with greater or lesser quality, it must be remembered that what is important is the amount of information that they contain, is say the Mbs this video is exported to.

It is as if we have a 16 ton truck and we put a box of oranges inside it when it can carry 1000 boxes of oranges. what we are going to see is oranges but with a very low quality.

I hope I have shed some light on this world of digital video and how the next time you face such a file you will be able to understand what each of the things attached to it means. I have to admit that it is not easy, but with that global vision and knowing what each one means, you feel better when facing it.

Video formats: What you need to know

Currently there is a wide variety of video formats available to store multimedia content in a file and play it on our devices. Depending on this format (and other multiple factors) the video will basically have a different video quality and a more or less small file size.

However, if you are not very up to date on these issues, you may get lost since we enter concepts such as formats, codecs, containers or among related terminology such as AVI, MP3, MP4, DIVX, XVID, OGG, MKV, OGG , FLV, MPG, VP9, HEVC, AAC, H.264, AVC and a long etcetera.

Outline of a container format

To begin, we must be clear about the difference between these two concepts that are often very confused: the container format and the video codec. The first of them is really the file format, the one that surrounds everything (audio, video, etc …), while the second is the format directly related to the video part.

But let’s look at a description of each concept to make it even clearer:

Container format: A video file usually has a certain container format, such as AVI, MP4 or MKV, for example. As its name suggests, a file in this format contains several elements inside it (generally and at least, video and audio). However, it is possible that it only includes one of them, or for example multiple audio channels (to have several languages from the same file). Some container formats also allow you to include other elements such as images or integrated subtitles, without the need for external files.

Video codec: It is often confused with the video format, but it is not really the same, since it is related to the content video and not the container format. It is not a mandatory element, since if a codec is not specified, the video is RAW (uncompressed) content, taking up a lot of space (for example, 200MB about 10sec). For that reason, a codec is generally chosen to compress the video. Depending on the choice of the codec, better or worse quality will be achieved, and in turn, larger or smaller size.

Video specification: Each video codec is usually based on a specific video specification (H.262, H.263, H.264 …), which is nothing more than a set of rules that define how it should behave. This can serve as an orientation to know if one codec is more or less recent than another.

Audio codec: In the same way that happens with video, we have possible audio channels included in the file. They are also usually compressed with a certain codec to save space: MP3, OGG Vorbis, WMA …

Types of video formats and codecs

AVI format

This format is one of the best known and most widely used as a container mainly to store series, movies and other similar videos. The .avi was released in 1992 and was undoubtedly the quintessential video export file since it was fully compatible for Windows, Apple, Linux, Unix etc.

It is currently one of the most standard formats used with S.O Windows. But not everything can be good, and if we talk about disadvantages we will say that the memory it uses to store audio and video information is large. In other words, the compression of an .avi file is quite heavy.

Another disadvantage would be the reproduction, since it is an old format it has been updated with codecs making old players no longer be able to read these updated formats and vice versa.

MPG format

A video format with worldwide compatibility, whose compression of audio and video with little loss of quality makes it possible to easily download these files from a website. The MPG file in turn is divided into MPG-1, MPG-2, MPG-3, and MPG-4, each of these with a different quality and that I explain below:

MPG-1: Quality compared to the obsolete VHS format of yesteryear, 352 × 240 resolution

MPG-2: Endowed with a slightly higher quality that can be compared with that of analog television. Its resolution is 720 × 486. This format was responsible for the success of the DVD Video

MPG-3: It was an attempt or proposal to give high resolution television quality or what is the same, for HDTV, but it was discarded giving priority to the MPG-2, later the MPG-3 will become the known audio file called MP3

MPG-4: Based on the Quicktime format and identical to the .MOV format improves the compression efficiency of the MPG-2 used by default on Apple machines. MPG-4 and MP4 is exactly the same, let’s say it is the official extension for these records. If we talk about high definition, we are definitely talking about MP4

WMV format

Microsoft Windows owns this format. To play this video file we have the Windows Media Player, or its equivalent, the great VLC player. A curiosity of this format is that it offers support for digital rights management, preventing users from copying the information, an interesting feature for online digital audio and video sellers.

These files are compressed exclusively with Microsoft codecs. with resolutions higher than 300,000 pixels, making it an ideal format for Blu-ray and HD DVD discs.

MOV format

If you don’t have a Mac in your possession, you may have come across this file on some occasions. But due to the difficult reproduction of it you have discarded it, now the thing has changed.

This standard developed by Apple allows the transmission and reproduction of high-quality visual content on the Internet in both Apple and Windows operating systems. Quicktime comes with its built-in player and since version 7 it has become a player that recognizes most current video files.

H.264 format

One of the most current formats today among video editing. Created in 2003, it has evolved, producing high video quality while keeping its bit rate low, achieving a simple structure design and a flexible format for mass use. H.264 is a codec that needs a container format in order to store that video.

It is the ideal candidate to use as a YouTube format or any tool for internet transmission.

MKV format (Matroska)

MKV format is a format used mainly for movies, series, and 3D content. This format is used because it allows you to store a lot of data in the same file. For example, include audio tracks in multiple languages.

It plays mainly on computers, but also on other devices such as televisions that have a USB connection. It works in a very similar way to MP4 and usually uses the H.264 codec.

DIVX format

It is characterized by being the first video codec that was used in the first movies in DVD Video format to be able to reduce the size and burn that content to a CD.

Divx is a compression format that allows to give images of quality similar to DVD but requiring less storage capacity. In order to view videos with divx, it is necessary to install decoders or codecs that almost always work with plugins or executables that already contain these codecs.

The DIVx format does not act on the audio compression affecting only the video.

XVID

When the Divx stopped being so popular it gave way to the XviD surpassing it for its better quality, becoming more famous because it was supported by many DVD players.

All about the different Video formats: Xvid, Divx, mp4, h264, Flv

Currently we find countless video formats. Depending on the quality you are looking for, the video will be exported one way or another. In this post I help you differentiate and understand each of the formats and codecs so that I can apply it to your editing projects.

You can find various formats intended for both web pages and videos on Youtube or Vimeo, as well as to project in cinema quality or to view them on your mobile device or Tablet.

camera_2If there were no different video formats, we would be very limited when it came to doing any type of video production, since they would occupy countless megabytes, and they would all have extreme quality, which would make it difficult to carry out projects for an exclusive job. By the way, if you are looking for websites to download copyright free videos for your projects, here I leave you the best free video pages in HD and 4K

It is not the same to export a quality video for YouTube or any online platform than to export them for a mobile device or a film shoot. Each one has essential characteristics that make everything optimized to get the most out of your production.

Many times the problem with all these options and formats is compatibility. Each device records in a different format and we can have problems when playing them, so it is very interesting to know what options there are and how to manage them to avoid headaches.

The first of all is to differentiate between these important concepts:

Definition of container format and video codec

To clarify concepts it is important to define what a container format is with what a video codec is, totally different things. The container format is the file format, the drawer that encompasses all the material (video, audio, etc.) while the video codec is the format that is related to the part of the video and is not absolutely essential.

Container format: Every video file has a format inside, which can be AVI, MPG, H264, MOV, WMV etc. This one has several elements inside, among them the video and the audio generally. But they could also contain embedded subtitles, even multiple audio files with different languages.

Video codecs: Video codecs are the files that are inside the container format, therefore you have to know how to differentiate these two concepts. If there are no codecs there would be no problem since these are files that help compression. Depending on the choice of the codec you can have worse or better quality.