The technical requirements and guidelines used to encode and store audio and video data in a digital file are referred to as the movie format. The movie’s content is compressed, encoded, and played back on different hardware and software platforms in accordance with the format. Different movie formats have different features, such as compatibility with particular hardware or software, file size, video resolution, and audio quality.
Here are some common movie formats:
MP4: One of the most popular video formats is MP4. The H.264 video codec is utilized, which offers a good trade-off between video quality and file size compression. MP4 files work with a variety of hardware and media players.
MKV (.mkv): A common container format that can store multiple audio, video, and subtitle tracks in a single file is called Matroska Video (.mkv). The H.264 or H.265 video codecs, which provide high-quality video with effective compression, are frequently used in MKV files.
AVI . An older video format known as Audio Video Interleave (AVI) can accommodate a number of different audio and video codecs. AVI files typically have larger file sizes than more recent formats like MP4 and MKV, despite being widely supported.
WMV (.wmv): Microsoft created the video format known as Windows Media Video (WMV). It was frequently utilized in the past for Windows-based devices and online streaming. Although it is still in use, more effective formats have largely replaced it.
MOV (.mov): Apple created the MOV video format specifically for the QuickTime media player. On Mac computers and Apple devices, it frequently uses the H.264 or ProRes video codecs.
FLV (.flv): Flash Video (FLV) is a popular streaming format that works best with Adobe Flash Player. However, its use has decreased as Flash technology has become less popular.
WEBM (.webm): WEBM is an open, non-commercial video format created for the internet. It makes use of the VP8 or VP9 video codec, which offers effective compression without sacrificing video quality. Websites that use HTML5 video frequently use WEBM.
MPEG (.mpeg,. For many different video applications, Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) formats are widely used. While MPEG-4 can be found in formats like AVI and MP4, MPEG-2 is used for DVDs.
H.265 (HEVC): In comparison to H.264, the compression efficiency of High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC, or simply H.265) is significantly higher. It is widely adopted for 4K and high-resolution video.
It’s important to consider the compatibility of the movie format with the devices and media players you plan to use for playback. Additionally, the choice of format may also affect the file size and streaming quality, so it’s essential to strike a balance between quality and compatibility based on your specific needs.