Life definitely seemed simpler as long as we were in the VHS era but as we grew out of it editing, uploading, storing audio and video formats only seem to get complicated by the day. With so many different formats you seem to have lost track of what is what and for what? Confused! Thinking it’s too complicated – well, think again.
Know that acquiring an educated information on what each of these formats is, will definitely help clear out the majority of the doubts we have. Having knowledge of something that is important can be profitable. Along with that, you will possibly be able to make a sound decision on which one is best suited for us rather what suits better with our work.
So, before we discuss each of these video formats we might as first know what is a video format? Interested? Continue reading further……
What is a Video Format? The answer is simple to understand as they are the format or the structure in which they are stored in a file. These videos are usually compressed in a file. But the confusing part in this is the difference between ‘Containers’ and ‘Codecs’.
Container: The simple basic information of a container is that it is an entire bunch of files that consists of audio and video codecs.
Codecs: A codec compresses and decompresses data while the majority of the videos you see are compressed to take up less space on your computer. This construes your video file and ascertains on how to play it on screen.
Now, with the basics cleared let’s take a look at the different formats that are there.
1. MP4 Format: This is one of the most popular ones and is utilized in storing Audio and Video online streaming. It generally uses a separate audio and video track for compression.
2. MPG Format: This format is popular and is mostly utilized in creating downloadable movies.
3. AVI Format or .avi: This stands for Audio Video Interleave and was created and introduced by Microsoft. For regular internet users, this has been one of the most popular choices as it contains both audio and video data. This format is known for using less compression when compared with the other formats.
4. Flash Video Format or flv: They have become popular because flash videos support both streaming and progressive downloads. Flash videos can also be played in different flash movies files.
With some of the basic kinds of video formats covered. It’s now time to find out which one to use and for what?
Remember, there is nothing like this is the only best one because each of these has to be utilized at different times and for different reasons. To know more read on…..
1. If you are sharing formats online like Youtube then make sure to choose one of these, i.e. MP4, FlV, MOV or AVI as these are good for online video platforms.
2. It is not good to keep your viewers on your website waiting for too long for the entire video to stream. So, HTML or WEBM are formats which are a really good option for a video on your website.
3. For those who are looking for a format to burn onto a DVD then you don’t have to look too far as MPEG-2 is your choice.
With all this information that can help you decide better also know that while you are trying out new things or experimenting remember if you end up with corrupted or damaged MP4 files then know that there is the best way to mend MP4 files.
