Which File Format Can Support Small Animations?

No matter you lot are playing, editing, sharing, or archiving videos, it is unavoidable to bargain with the video format. Only it never only equals the file extension like say .mp4, .avi, .webm, .wmv, etc. A video file has more than parts than yous think – video, audio, optional subtitles, metadata, and coding schemes. And different video formats stand for different arrangements of these elements. So, before we dive into specific video formats, we should know some related concepts.

Agreement 3 Confusing Terms Related to Video Format

#1. Codecs: The video you play, edit, or convert has e'er been compassed in some way, otherwise information technology'll take upward unbearable space. Codecs are invented to shrink and decompress multimedia data in your video file in either a lossy or a lossless fashion. Common codecs include the H.26X series (The newest is H.266/VVC simply hasn't been adopted in practice.), MPEG series, and others like CineForm, VP9, WMV, and royalty-free AV1, etc.

#ii. Video file container: After codec compression, the video file needs to put all the data into 1 package, and this is what we call a video file container. MP4, AVI, MOV, FLV, and WMV are frequently used. A video container is compatible with multiple codecs, which differ from video formats.

#3. Video file extension: File extension is what you see from a file name in the form of .20, for instance, .mp4 and .mkv. It reveals which video container is used to store digital data.

Note: Occasionally, the file extension matches the required format, merely you just neglect to open information technology. To solve playback errors or compatibility problems, you need to recover corrupted codecs, transcode, or compress the file with the aid of video converters .

Top 7 Video File Formats in 2022

one. MP4 (MPEG-4 Role 14)

MP4 is a digital multimedia format and was developed under the standard of ISO/IEC and MEPG in 2001 based on the QuickTime format MOV preferred by the Apple devices. The version we are using is MPEG-4 Part xiv (ISO/IEC 14496-14:2003), which, compared to the initial ane, is revised to the international standard for audio-visual coding and widely supported by laptops, mobiles, TVs, multimedia software, and websites.

MP4 tin store information of all sorts ranging from digital audio and video to subtitles and even so images. Just notation that .mp4 is non the only extension for it. .m4a stands for the audio-only file in MP4 and .m4v for the DRM video in MP4. Generally, MP4 uses MPEG-4 for video compression and AAC for audio compression. With the rapid growth of the coding algorithm, MP4 supports more modern codecs. To brand certain whether MP4 is the best format for you, you lot should check the uniform MP4 codecs.

Supported Video Codecs: MPEG-2, MPEG-iv, H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, and more.

Supported Audio Codecs: AAC/MPEG-1 Layers I, Two, Iii/AC-three, MP3, etc.

Advantages

• High-caste compression rate to produce smaller video files.
• Natively supported by nigh devices, players, programs, and online platforms.
• Independent storage for videos and audio files then that you can extract either of them from MP4.
• Fast video manual over the net.

Disadvantages

• Lossy compression degrades video quality to some extent.
• Accurate video editing needs more I frames, but MP4 (h.264) videos incorporate more B/P frames.

2. MOV (QuickTime File Format)

MOV, likewise known as QuickTime File Format (QTFF), is a proprietary format developed by Apple. Similar MP4, MOV holds an assortment of media similar video effects, sound, and texts. MOV has a high compression ratio and high definition. Information technology can save alpha channels and as well back up 25 bits color and 150 video furnishings. Moreover, information technology is equipped with more than 200 stereo and sound devices for MIDI. MOV format was originally created for QuickTime Thespian on macOS, just at present it is also accessible to iOS and Windows.

Apple has designed 2 official file extensions for it: .mov and .qt. Even so, the latter has phased out and cannot exist recognized past web servers these days. Though the sole proper noun presents, MOV videos differ from each other in video codecs. Commonly used codecs include MPEG-four, H.264/AVC, and H.265/HEVC.

Supported Video Codecs: MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Function two, H.265, H.264, H.263, Apple ProRes, Cinepak, Component Video, DV, DVC Pro 50, Motility JPEG, QuickTime Animation, Sorenson Video 2/3

Supported Audio Codecs: AAC, HE-AAC, Apple Lossless, MP3, AMR Narrowband, MS ADPCM, QDesign Music 2, Qualcomm PureVoice (QCELP), IMA 4:ane, MACE 3:ane, MACE 6:1, ALaw 2:1, ULaw 2:one

Advantages

• High quality to play and save 1080p, 4K, 8k videos.
• Dissever tracks for dissimilar information – video, audio, text, effects, and metadata.
• Easier to edit without rewriting the entire file when using Terminal Cut Pro.

Disadvantages

• Take meaning retentiveness on your hard drive.
• Inaccessible on browsers without the QuickTime plugin or devices without MOV-friendly players.
• Crave higher calculating capability when the MOV video is encoded in H.265.

3. MKV (Matroska)

The Matroska multimedia container format was built-in free and open up-source in 2002. The name was derived from the Russian Matryoshka doll that contains numerous smaller, nested dolls of the aforementioned shape, which indicates this container can encapsulate multiple encoded images, audio, and subtitles of various formats into i media file.

As well distinguishing MKV from .mkv extension, there are .mka for sound-only files, .mks for subtitles only, and .mk3d for stereoscopic video. Most Television shows and movies tend to utilize MKV to store multi-runway audio files and subtitles (SubRip, WebVTT, Ass, SSA). But due to its sheer complications, it is non widely supported among end devices and video editing software.

Supported Video Codecs: Almost all common codecs.

Supported Audio Codecs: Nigh all common codecs.

Advantages

• Highly flexible to support whatever combination of video and audio codecs.
• More than flexible back up for menus, chapters, and tags in the file.
• Recover and play corrupted files.
• Complimentary and open-source.
• Agree infinite tracks of video, audio, images, and subtitles.

Disadvantages

• Non accepted by about video editors, iMovie, Last Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, etc.
• Best encoded with FFV1 but it is not standardized even so.
• Keep high-quality results at the cost of large storage.

4. WMV (Windows Media Video)

Just like Apple develops its proprietary format, Microsoft released and promoted AVI (Audio Video Interleave) in the early-2000s, but later, AVI lost momentum because of its less compression and bulge size. In the mid-2000s, WMV came to supplant AVI. Equally a part of the Windows Media framework, it has three codecs – WMV for video, WMV Screen and WMV Paradigm for specialized content. WMV, the original video compression tech was designed for Net streaming and regarded as the Microsoft version of RealVideo. To speed upwardly webcasting while maintaining a decent quality, WMV gives up other relevant data of tags, text, and metadata, except video and audio.

Videos with .wmv extension are compressed with Windows Media Video codecs. While .wma is an audio file with Windows Media Audio codecs. Besides, you might see a WMV video with a .asf extension instead of .wmv. This is a video formatted in ASF (Avant-garde System Format) container simply encoded with WMV codecs. Microsoft has upgraded these codecs consistently. The electric current WMV ix provides a compression ratio 2x higher than MPEG-iv and 3x than MPEG-2 and gains well adoption to physical file formats like Hd DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

Supported Video Codecs: Windows Media Video 9/8/7, VC-i, MPEG-iv.

Supported Audio Codecs: Windows Media Audio 9, MP3, Microsoft Thou.7 series, Microsoft ADPCM.

Advantages

• It compresses large data files in smaller sizes.
• It is an ideal format for streaming, sharing, and storage.
• Runs perfectly on Microsoft-supported operating systems and devices.

Disadvantages

• Not supported past Mac and Linux without the aid of a WMV role player.
• Users need to install WMV players on Apple ecosystem and Linux system.
• Windows Media DRM prevents people from playing and editing WMV videos freely.
• Inability to select aspect ratio manually.

five. AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition)

AVCHD is a video format designed jointly by Sony and Panasonic, two giant camcorder manufacturers. Therefore, the format was built-in for recording high-definition videos. The format takes on its competitors by adding more features, such as carte support, subtitles, and slide shows. It tin be stored and played on any storage devices like flash drives or SD cards. This format supports a wide variety of high definition variants. As a consequence, information technology has been the go-to standard among pro videographers.

AVCHD video is recorded using the MPEG-four AVC/H.264 compression codec, the same used with most Blu-ray Disc. Dolby Digital (AC3) audio or uncompressed PCM audio is supported. Multimedia content is multiplexed together as an MPEG-ii Transport Stream. AVCHD typically uses the .mts and .m2ts file extensions.

Supported Video Codecs: MPEG-iv AVC/H.264

Supported Audio Codecs: Dolby Digital (AC3), PCM

Advantages

• High quality support for both video and audio.
• Default video format of Sony and Panasonic gadgets.
• Native support among well-nigh Blu-ray players on the market.

Disadvantages

• Non supported by iOS devices.
• Limited to loftier-finish hardware.

vi. WebM

Different from patented formats above, WebM is an open and royalty-free format for the spider web. This relatively new format is adult with the assistance of Google back in 2010. Soon it becomes the main format containder for videos you watch on the web, such as Hd movies, amateur videos, alive streaming, video calling. WebM videos can be embedded into a website by using HTML5 video tag and playback without plugins. At present the majority of modern spider web browsers support WebM videos, such as Chrome, Firefox, and Apple Safari.

WebM defines the container structure and how the video and audio are encoded. The WebM container is based on a profile of Matroska. It succeeds to mature features of Matroska just missing metadata, attachments, and chapter data. At the very beginning, it compressed video stream with VP8 codec and sound stream with Vorbis. In 2013, VP9 is accommodated, which like advantages of H.265 in the aspect of quality and size as information technology can reduce the bit rate of video transmissions by l% while keeping a sharp quality.

Supported Video Codecs: VP8, VP9

Supported Audio Codecs: Vorbis, Opus

Advantages

• Reduce the size of video assets to a large extent.
• 100% free and anyone tin use information technology without charge.
• Produce college quality videos and better playback performances.
• Huge hereafter potential for online use.

Disadvantages

• Cannot be played on a broad array of portable devices.
• The encoding speed of WebM (VP9) is a little slow.

7. FLV (Flash Video Format)

FLV is some other video format aiming to deliver loftier-quality videos using Adobe Flash Histrion version vi and newer over the cyberspace in this list. Information technology was developed by Macromedia and comprised of a curt header, video, interleaved audio, and meta descriptions. FLV allows higher rates of data compression than MP4 while retaining a good video quality, thus saves much bandwidth. But when the industry shifting to HTML5 royalty-free WebM, FLV format and its accompanying browser plugins go less competitive.

There are two Wink Video file extensions: .flv and .f4v. They are both developed past Adobe and supported past Wink Thespian simply differ in content structures. FLV, an old standard version from Adobe for Flash video, encodes video and audio information in a mode that similar to SWF, while F4V files are built on the standard ISO-based format.

Supported Video Codecs: Sorenson Spark, H.264, VP6.

Supported Audio Codecs: MP3, AAC, HE-AAC.

Advantages

• Pocket-sized file size for fast downloading and sharing.
• Preferred by mainstreaming video platforms, YouTube, Hulu, and Google video.

Disadvantages

• Reject in popularity these days.
• Respective playback plugin Adobe Flash Player volition be discontinued at the end of 2022.
• Many mobile phones can't open FLV without third-party tools.

How to Pick the Best Video Format for Unlike Needs

The best video format really depends on your goals, for sharing, archiving, editing, or playing. Hither we interruption it downwards into specific scenarios.

ane. Best Video Format for Social Media

One of the purposes we making videos is to share them with the public. You tin spend every attempt to shoot and polish your videos, but all of these are in vain if you don't post them in the right format. All social media platforms seem to support the aureate format, MP4, but there are differences when information technology comes to codecs and more elements.

All-time Video Format for YouTube

• Video Container: MP4 (recommended), MOV, AVI, WMV, FLV, WebM
• Video Codec: H.264 (recommended), VP9, HEVC, DNxHR, ProRes, CineForm
• Frame Rate: 24 - 60fps
• Chip-rate: 30Mbps for 4K videos, 8Mbps for 1080P, 5Mbps for 720P
• Resolution: 360P to 4K (2160P)

Further Reading: How to Upload 4K Video to YouTube in the Best Format

Reference: https://back up.google.com/youtube/troubleshooter/2888402?hl=en

All-time Video Format for Facebook

• Video Container: MP4, MOV, and 30+ compatible but not preferred formats
• Video Codec: H.264. If not, Facebook volition transcode your video to H.264
• Frame Rate: 25 -30 fps
• Bit-rate: Maximum iv Mbps
• Resolution: 720P, 480P, 360P

Reference: https://www.facebook.com/assist/218673814818907?helpref=uf_permalink

Best Video Format for Instagram

• Video Container: MP4 (recommended), MOV
• Video Codec: H.264
• Frame Rate: 30 fps or less
• Fleck-rate: 3500 kbps bitrate
• Resolution: Maximum 1080P.

Further Reading: How to Upload High Quality Videos to Instagram

Best Video Format for Twitter

• Video Container: MP4 and MOV for its mobile app; MP4 for its spider web version
• Video Codec: H.264
• Frame Charge per unit: xl fps or less
• Bit-charge per unit: Up to 25 Mbps
• Resolution: Maximum 1920 x 1200

Further Reading: How to Upload Video to Twitter - Tin't Upload Mistake Fixed

Reference: https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/twitter-videos

2. Best Video Format for Archiving Home Movies

When it comes to archiving your precious domicile movies, there are 2 chief factors you should accept into business relationship:

Formats pinch ratio. Information technology decides how much space the videos occupy and how the image quality is. H.264 and H.265 are the near recommended coding schemes that go along a reasonable pinch ratio while degrading less quality. Newcomers AV1 allows college pinch ratio but is less popular among home theater players present.

Compatibility. It means whether these videos are stored in a format that is widely accepted by both current and future players, TVs, projectors, PCs, etc. AVI and FLV format containers were used often in the past, only it due to its unpredictable future, we would propose classic formats like MP4, MKV, MOV, among which MKV contains more video, audio, subtitles tracks.

In a nutshell, MP4, MOV, and MKV video file container with H264/MPEG-four AVC and H265/HEVC video codecs are suitable for archiving digital home movie. You can apply any of the three codecs to MP4, MOV, and MKV format containers in your favor.

three. Best Video Format for Web

Bluntly speaking, there is no one-fit-all format due to the brake in the compatibility of video formats and different requirements in quality and compression ratio. So subsequently an overall consideration of these factors, nosotros sum up two formats for videos in HTML5.

VP9 WebM

VP9 has similar advantages of H.265 in the aspect of quality and size every bit information technology can reduce the flake rate of video transmissions by 50% while keeping a sharp quality. Suppose your bandwidth only allows you stream videos in 360P previously, VP9 at present enables you lot to playback 720p videos effortlessly. The encoding speed is a picayune slow only improve than H.265 and the decoding efficiency is lower than that.

Annotation: VP9 merely goes compatible with Google. Apple tree users still need to plow to H.264 or H.265 for help. But suppose you accept many Android users, VP9 all the same deserves a try.

H.264 (AVC) MP4

H.264 is a workable spider web video compress format in associate with a MP4 container. In terms of quality and compression rate, it relies mainly on temporal compression and motion prediction to compress the size. The compression ratio and output quality are depend on the contour setting with H.264 including baseline, primary and high contour, amid which, the high contour setting is most recommended as it compresses video at a ratio of 2000:i with less cede in quality.

four. Best Video Format for PowerPoint (All Versions Included)

Generally speaking, nearly video formats are compatible with PowerPoint 2013, 2016, and 2019. If y'all are using PowerPoint 2010 or 2007, videos contained in .mp4 format are non allowed to be played in it. The most recommended formats are AVI, WMV, ASF, and MPG.

v. All-time Video Format for Smart TV

A so-called all-time format here refers to the format which is widely accepted past the main-stream 4K smart TVs on the market place and can provide high-quality video brandish under a 4K condition. Of course, it would exist a bonus if the video in such format takes up less storage infinite. Listed beneath are the virtually popular 4K TVs sold in the market and a comparing between their supported video formats.

Apple Boob tube supported video formats

• Container: M4V, MP4, MOV
• Video Codec: H.264, HEVC, MPEG-4, Motion JPEG

Samsung TV supported video formats

• Container: AVI, MKV, ASD, MP4, MOV, FLV, VRO, TS, SVAF
• Video Codec: Divx three.eleven/4/five/6, MPEG SP/ASP, Move JPEG, H.260 BP/MP/HP, Microsoft MPEG 4v3, Windows Media Video v7. v8. v9, MPEG 2, MPEG i, VP6, MVC, VP8, H.264

Sony 4K TV supported video formats

• Container: MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV, MKV, 3GPP
• Video Codec: MPEG, MPEG2, AVC, MPEG4, HEVC, Motion JPEG

Panasonic 4K TV supported video formats

• Container: MP4, AVI, WMV, M4V, MKV, 3GPP
• Video Codec: HEVC, FLV, VRO, VOB, TS, PS

More Formats You Might Be Interested in:

1. Best Video Format for Plex: MKV, MP4, or Something Else?

2. Best Video Format for iPhone: Convert, Edit and Process iPhone 4K/HD Videos

Source: https://www.videoproc.com/resource/best-video-format.htm

Posted by: bradleypand1956.blogspot.com

Share this post