Different Video File
Extensions Explained
I am sure you would have come across video files with different extensions such as .avi, .mpeg, .flv, and so on.
But do you understand what all these formats mean?
Here is a quick description of what the various video file extensions mean!
AVI - Audio video Interleave (.avi)
It is a Windows-only format! This is a container format which can store data that is encoded using a variety of codecs. For example, a digital camcorder might record movies in DV format but save those movies in an AVI file.
DivX (.divx)
This is a subset of the MPEG-4 format; compress lengthy video files into small sizes and still maintains relatively high-playback quality. DivX is a popular format for sending video files over the Internet.
Digital Video (.dv)
This format is used in many consumer video cameras, particularly those that use Mini DV cassettes. It is a lossy format, even though it doesn’t create particularly small files.
Flash Video (.flv)
The flash video format (.flv extension) is the file format used by Youtube for all its videos. This format works with the Adobe Flash Player!
H.264 (.mpg, .mp4)
H.264, also known as Advanced Video Coding, is well suited for dealing with high-definition video. A type of encoding used in some MPEG-4 files; more efficient than normal MPEG-4 codec; used in all iTunes video downloads.
MPEG
MPEG stands for Motion Pictures expert Group, a committee that sets international standards for the digital encoding of audio and video. It consists of three MPEG codecs - MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4.
Each codec offers progressively better audio/video quality at progressively higher-compression rates.
MPEG-1 (.mpg) - This is the original MPEG format, used originally in the now extinct VCD format.
MPEG-2 (.mpg) - Commonly used in commercial DVDs, this format produces much higher quality audio and video than the original MPEG-1 format.
MPEG-4 (.mpg, .mp4) - Designed for both the Internet and high-definition video. This recent version of the MPEG format is optimized for both high definition and Internet video.
Formats like H.264 and DivX can be considered subsets of MPEG-4 since they build on and extend the basic MPEG-4 compression.
Quicktime (.mov, .qt)
This is Apple’s proprietary video format used in Apple’s QuickTime media player. It works on both - Mac as well as Windows.
RealVideo (.rm, .rv)
Part of the larger RealMedia family of formats, which also includes RealAudio, this format is designed for streaming video content over the Internet.
Windows Media video (.wmv)
This is Microsoft’s proprietary video format, playable with Microsoft’s windows media player.
Xvid (.xvid)
Xvid is another variation of the MPEG-4 format and it competes with the similar DivX codec. The Xvid codec is freely distributed which makes it the format of choice for many Internet users (DivX codec comes at a price)
Summary
I hope this article gives you a better understanding of the various video file extensions. The next time you come across any video file such as Avi, Mpeg, Flv, etc. you will know what it means, and in case your computer is not able to play it you can do an informed search to solve the problem.
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