You can watch any video clip on your smartphone, television, laptop, or tablet. However, not every system supports every format of videos. To ensure that your video is smoothly run on any system, you have to check your video format.
For instance, the video you use for your social media handle differs from that of a video that runs for web development.
What is a video file format?
A container and a codec are two essential components of a video file format. A video format is that container that keeps your audio, substances, video, and other metadata.
On the other hand, a codec encodes and decodes multimedia data like audio and video. So, while the video codec includes and compresses the video, the audio codec encodes and compresses the sound.
Later, they are synchronized and kept in a media container, known as the file format.
As far as video formats are concerned, no one size fits all video formats. If you want to make a compelling video to reach out to your audience, you must focus on the video format. Every video format has its set of pros and cons.
6 of the best video formats this year
1. MP4: Most digital platforms and devices support this format, rendering the universal video format across the globe. It can store video files, audio files, images, and text. As a result, they can retain high video quality while maintaining small file sizes, which is a bonus.
2. MKV: There is another excellent video format, namely, MKV. While most people still swear by MP4, MKV is also another great alternative. It incorporates audio, video, and subtitles in a single file. and stays updated in this format. In addition, MKV containers support various kinds of video and audio formats. Read https://setapp.com/how-to/convert-mkv-to-mp4 if you want to convert MKV to MP4.
The best thing is that MKV files can be played on MacBooks as well. However, you will require third-party media players to play the videos.
3. MOV: Developed by Apple, this is a video format designed for QuickTime player. IMovie is compatible with Windows as well, so you don’t need to worry. This video format can store text, video effects, and audio.
However, we would ask you to retain from it because the quality is exceptionally high and thus, it takes up a lot of space on a computer. So think twice before moving ahead with this.
4.WMV: Developed by Microsoft, WMV allows you to play various videos on Windows Media Player. However, if you have a MacBook, you can download a WMV player to play your WMV format videos. This file format comes with excellent video quality.
5. FLV: FLV is a versatile video format. It is designed for Adobe Flash Video Players.
FLV is your type of video format if your audience streams many videos on platforms like YouTube and Google video. The file sizes are small and can be downloaded quickly. However, it is not compatible with iOS devices and other mobile devices, so that is a significant concern.
6.AVI: AVI was developed by Microsoft in the year 1992. It is one of the oldest video formats out there. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux and can be run on most web browsers. It was high quality, and thus, the file format size is generally large. It helps store files on computers when compared to streaming and downloading.
Conclusion: To wrap it up, these are a few kinds of video formats. Choosing a file format depends on your requirements. For example, do you want a video of high quality? Is it okay for you if it is difficult to download, convert and share? Is it alright if it takes too much space in your system?
You also need to consider if your specific browser or device supports the video format.
Consider the following cases while choosing a video format:
First, choose a file format that most web browsers support for online videos. MP4 and WMV are the ones that are compatible with most browsers. Second, for home video recordings, go for high-quality videos. For this, you should pick open-source file formats such as MP4 or AVI. Finally, a file format compatible with Windows is perfect for Windows applications.
To know more about video formats like AVI, or Audio Video Interleave, you can read this detailed write-up by Forbes.