OGG was developed as a container file format for multimedia applications and can contain audio, video and text data. It is particularly characterized by its transmission capabilities, since it is not necessary to adapt the contents of a container.
Files in OGG format are container files for multimedia applications. They can be transmitted without problems since it is not necessary to adjust the contents of the container.
OGG history
The development of OGG started in 1993 and is under the direction of the Xiph.Org Foundation, which has also contributed some codecs. The goal was to create a license-free format that could efficiently store and stream multimedia content. The term OGG comes from a computer game and means something like “to drink something very energetic.”
When Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft began charging license fees for the widely used MP3 format, development of the Vorbis codec began in 1998. Vorbis is the best-known audio codec that is responsible for compressing the contents of the OGG container. The terms Vorbis and OGG are often treated synonymously, which is incorrect, because OGG is just the container for Vorbis-encoded audio content.
The most important codecs for OGG are:
Vorbis (audio)
Opus (audio, successor to Vorbis)
FLAC (audio)
Theora (video)
Speex (voice data)
Write (text data)
OGG fields of application
The OGG format is used in the audio segment by numerous software and hardware products and has also established itself in the IT sector. The HTML 5 standard allows OGG files to be played in Chrome, Firefox and Opera browsers without a plug-in, while Safari and Internet Explorer do not support the format. Due to its license-free nature, it is used in numerous web audio players, although here and also in professional studio environments, the successor Opus is becoming increasingly popular as an audio codec compared to Vorbis.
OGG’s Theora video codec is not very popular in the professional sector, but it is very popular in the open source community. For HD videos, the Matroska format is used, which is also license-free.
The main advantages of OGG
OGG is an open source project, so unlike proprietary formats, there are no usage license fees, which encourages distribution.
Whether it is an audio, video or text file, all content in the Conatiner format can be saved and transmitted without adjustments. This streaming capability is OGG’s core design feature and sets it apart from other formats that can only stream live in certain ways (like Matroska) or can’t stream at all (like MP4). The well-known VLC Media Player is suitable for playing OGG files. There are also programs available on the Internet to convert to MP3 and burn OGG files.
