Why are there so many different video formats? Why not use just one video format? There are many video formats, but some are no longer used and some are still used.
When you try to download a video, you will be upset if you see that the format is not the format that your player supports like your TV. Because you have to spend a lot of time to change its format.
In this article, we will give you a complete explanation about video formats and codecs.
Explain codecs and containers
Multimedia files consist of two parts: the codec and the container. Once you know what each of these are, you can understand why some formats are better than others.
When you see a video file with an extension, you are actually looking at its container type. The type of container determines what kind of information can be in the file and in what order it can be placed in the file. For example, a container format can contain a video, an audio, and a subtitle.
Raw videos are very large . For example, a one-minute raw video may take up several gigabytes of space, so they are not suitable for use, upload, and download, and the video must be compressed to reduce its overall size. Each compression method has its advantages and disadvantages.
When we talk about video codecs, we are actually talking about different compression methods. Container files can support different codecs.
For example, even when your player can play the MP4 format and supports the MP4 format, it may not be able to decode the video file inside the MP4 file and therefore will not be able to play the file. The video file may be encrypted and compressed as Xvid, x264, x265 or ...
Common Video Containers
Of the many video containers that have been made to date, only a few are the most common and widely used. When you download a video file from a website, its format is 99% one of the following formats and only 1% may be another format.
1. AVI: This format was created by Microsoft in 1992 and was very popular from 1992 to 2000, and of course it is still very popular and used today. This type of format can have video and audio inside and can also have several video files and several audio files inside, which of course is very rarely used. Files in AVI format are large.
2. MKV: This format was created in 2002. These types of files can have video with all types of codecs and audio and subtitles. MKV files can also have DVD and Chapter menus. This type of format is very common but is not yet supported by all players in the world.
3. MP4: This type of format was first developed in 2001 and modified in 2003. This type of format supports the existence of video and audio with various codecs, but MP4 uses videos with H.263 or H.264 codec and AAC audio more. MP4s also support subtitles.
Common Video Codecs
Here are the most common codecs for you:
1. WMV: This type of codec was developed by Microsoft in 1999 for use with Microsoft ASF Containers. An ASF file must have a video with a WMV codec. But video with WMV codec can also be used in AVI and MKV containers. Microsoft devices still use this codec, but it is becoming obsolete.
2. Xvid: This type of codec was built in 2001 based on the DivX codec, and the reason it is so popular is that it can greatly reduce the size of videos without compromising their quality. Most players in the world support this codec.
3. x264: This codec was created in 2003. This codec is one of the standard codecs to use for Blu-ray movies. It is also the most popular format for watching online and is used by many websites. Videos with this type of codec have acceptable quality along with low volume.
4. x265: This type of codec was created in 2013 following the success of x264. This type of codec allows high compression and reduces the volume of the film up to twice while not compromising its quality. This type of codec also supports 8K quality. Since this is a new codec, many devices do not support it yet.
Now that you know what codecs and containers are, you know why there is a 10GB movie with a size of 1 GB and at the same time with a size of 5 GB.
What video format is best?
When this question arises you need to see what a great format needs.
1. If your video is going to be watched by a lot of people, then it should be a very common format, and also the codec used by you should be playable by most players, and the quality of the video should not decrease as the volume decreases.
2. When a video is to be placed on a website, its volume should be small, it should have a common format, and in addition to low volume, it should also have high quality.
In fact , it is convenient to use MP4 as a container because it is very common and is supported by all players. Of course, the MKV container is better than the MP4, but it is not yet widespread and is not supported by all players.
It is also recommended to use the H.264 codec as a codec because it is supported by many players. Although H.265 is better than H.264, it is still not fully supported by all devices, so it is better to use H.264.