Video File Formats

A video file format is an extension that is used at the end of a video file. It takes up more space to store the same data as used by other file formats. It is the most widely used file format for entertainment and educational purposes.

What are the Video File Formats?

Video file is a standard structure for storing data using encoding and compression. The domain has evolved continuously improving the user experience and different other digital services. There are many different video file formats available. But there are mainly five formats which are discussed below.

• AVI (Audio Video Interleave): It was introduced in 1992 by Microsoft. It contains both audio and video data. It uses less compression than other video formats. It provides good video quality so the file size is larger. It supports multiple codecs. It provides good video quality and is compatible with various playback devices. It is the oldest video file format available. It is generally used because of its good video quality. However, it isn’t suitable for the web.
• MP4: It is the most popular and standard format for video files. It was created by MPEG and introduced in 2001. It uses different compression techniques for audio and video. It is a versatile multimedia container that can store both audio, video, subtitles, and still image. It is the most suitable format for posting video content online. It provides good video quality with a small file size. It is the most widely used format for video files. The most commonly used codec is H.264. It is suitable for social media platforms.
• MPG: It contains two video formats MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. MPEG-1 is used for lower bandwidth applications whereas MPEG-2 is more versatile and used for DVDs as well as digital television. It is generally used for video compression and distribution. It is also used for broadcasting with limited resources. It supports interlaced video. It stores audio, video, and metadata interlinked together. Its only downside is that it is a lossy format. Video quality is compromised to achieve a lower file size.
• MOV: It was developed by Apple for its own ecosystem. It is commonly used with QuickTime. It supports various codecs and is used for multimedia projects. It is primarily used by video editors because it provides the highest quality for editing. It can store multiple tracks, text files, and effects. It is used for multimedia projects, video editing, and distribution of content for the Apple platform. Its only downside is its poor compatibility with other devices.
• 3GP: It is the Multimedia container format that is commonly used for mobile phones. It is used where lower video quality is a problem and the only focus is to get a small file size.
• WMV: It is a video compression format developed by Microsoft. It is popular for its small file size while maintaining reasonable video quality. It lacks compatibility with certain operating system. It is suitable for online streaming and playback on Windows Media Player. It is compatible with Windows based applications. Its benefit is that files can be sent through e-mail. It is used where lower video quality is not a problem and the only focus is to get a small file size. It isn’t compatible with Apple devices.

Uses of Video File Formats

• It is used by people to create memories in the form of video of a particular event.
• It is used for entertainment purpose to stream services on various video streaming platforms like Netflix, You Tube and so on.
• It is used by various video editing softwares like Adobe Premiere Pro, Da Vinci Resolve and so on.
• People use it to upload memories on social media platforms in different video file formats.
• It is used to keep surveillance from security cameras.
• It is used by educational institutions to prepare study material for teaching students.
• In the modern era of advertising, it is used to create and deliver advertisements in the form of video on different platforms.

Benefits of Video File Formats

• Learning is made easy through video files.
• It is a major source of entertainment for people all around the world.
• It makes the information to be conveyed to a larger group of people .
• It provides flexibility in video editing while maintaining original quality.
• It is very useful in streaming. Many video formats allow the content to adapt to viewer’s internet speed.

Applications that use Video File Format

• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Da Vinci Resolve
• Netflix
• You Tube
• VLC Media Player

Conclusion

Video file formats are the most widely used means of entertainment and education in the modern era. It serves as a backbone for wide range of industries. It has revolutionized the content creation industry and the way we consume content. It has changed the education industry for good by providing educational content in the form of video that can be accessed by anyone sitting in any part of the world just through their device. The continuous evolvement of the video file format has improved the domains like online streaming and user experience too. It is most likely that the evolution of these video file formats will continue in the future enhancing digital content creation and rise of different new domains too.