Most popular video container formats

Dated back to the era when low-pixel and dull resolution were enough for video and coming to the period in which highly graphical videos are a hit, video file formatting has seen some dynamic shifts. There is an array of video file formats, and they all have their perks adhered to. Keep in mind that one video format might be apt for the specific video but it might won’t work for every video out there. When video streaming is concerned, there are some top video file formats that we have covered in this article along with the unique features and perks.

The video files are generally integrated with containers and a codec. The container, as the name suggests, is a collection of files that are incorporated with essential information regarding digital files. This information helps in audio and video playback services as the information related to audio are videos are in a single file. On the other hand, the codec is an entity that enables the users to compress the video if the file size is huge and decompresses it when users have ample storage. Compression and decompression are integral when it comes to playing or downloading a huge-sized video. DivX, FFMpeg, and x264 are some common examples of codecs. As for the containers, mp4, MOV, AVI, and WMV have been hitting home.

With the high engaging properties and results posed by the videos, businesses are inclined towards video creation. This trend can be signified by the hiring of video and digital marketers for every high-end business. As for video creators and marketers, there are no shortcuts for apt video creation. Every video is different in context, concept, variables, and characteristics, and all of them demand creativity in operation. Marketers have a strong need to fashion a story through the video that enthralls the target audience.

The same approach is implacable on the video formats as the diversity of the video formats is hidden from no one. Every computer system, browser, and video publishing format has certain criteria and compatibility regarding the video file format. So, let’s round up some amazing video file formats for video creators and marketers!

Audio Video Interleave (AVI)

This file format goes back to November 1992 and was first launched by Microsoft. It is needless to say that this video file format is the oldest in the market and has become a benchmark for the majority of the customer base where the storage of audio and video file information is concerned. The prime reason for the popularity of this file format is its diverse compatibility with multiple operating systems such as Macs, Linux, and Windows altogether. There is an array of browsers that vote in favor of AVI.

This format stores the data, which tends to encode a multitude of codecs such as DivX and M-JPEG. There can be multiple AVI files that look similar to the exteriors but have an array of differences packed inside the intricate details.

Flash Video Format (FLV)

You must be well aware of Adobe Flash software, and Flash encodes this file format through the VP6 compression formats or codecs related to Sorenson Spark. These video file formats can be played through web browser plugins, Adobe Flash player, or other third-party programs as well. On most browsers, this plugin is installed by default, which has eased video viewing on the web at an exponential scale. YouTube is the most used video-watching platform which works on Flash principles. This is evident in the fact that Flash is a practical platform that has high compatibility and browser support.

There is an array of video-watching platforms that convert the published video file format into the Flash format, given the prime compatibility. The Flash file formats don’t lose the quality over compression, keep the bandwidth low, quick page loading of the web, and time spent on tweaking the bandwidth will be reduced as well. As we have already mentioned that YouTube uses the Flash video format, but it’s not alone and VEVO, Myspace, Hulu, and Yahoo! Video has joined it as well!

Windows Media Video (WMV)

This video file format was also launched by Microsoft with the intent to facilitate web streaming such as RealVideo. However, the format has come a long way regarding the features. This format has the least size ratio of the files when checked through the web. When the videos are compressed, the quality is compromised, which is a real turn-off point. The unique and positive feature of this video file format lies in its ability to share files through email.

Windows Media Player tends to play this file format on all Windows operating systems. However, there are third-party apps available as well if the video needs to be played on Mac or Linux systems.

Apple QuickTime Movie (MOV)

As the name suggests, its launched by Apple and has swept the popularity charts of video-watching and sharing formats. This has become a go-to format for Mac users to watch web videos and also to save files. If you are using the Mac OS X Snow Leopard, it tends to work well with an advanced version named QuickTime X. However, it is not limited to Mac users as there are QuickTime Player platforms available for Windows users as well. As Apple is the developer, the quality of the files will never be compromised; however, the file might get bigger.

Moving Pictures Expert Group (MP4)

This is the most common video file format and has been extensively used for video file sharing over the internet. This was first introduced in 1998, and since then, it has come a long way. Separate compression features are incorporated for audio and videos. The audios use AAC compression, whereas videos use H.264 or MP3G-4 encoding.

The file size is relatively small after compression without any compromise on the graphical quality. The best thing about MP4 is its ability to be compatible with mobile browsing as well as online browsing.