Currently, video content is key to engaging users in almost every sector. Cisco’s report suggests that by 2023, 82% of all Internet traffic is going to consist of online videos. But, spending all of your effort in creating exciting, engaging, and stunning videos will be of no use if you cannot present them in a format that can be easily viewed by your target audience.
This is why choosing the right video format is as important as creating attention-grabbing videos. In the present digital scenario, you’re bound to come across myriad video formats and that will surely leave you perplexed and confused.
To make things easy for you, here are the top video formats that you can consider for your digital needs.
MP4
Developed by MPEG and ISO/IEC, MP4 is a multimedia file format created in 2001. It stores digitally-encoded audio and video files. The file format is ideal for videos uploaded on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This is one of the best video formats if your video is going to be viewed online because it is compatible with all the major web browsers. Also, high-quality videos can be stored without compromising on storage space.
The primary objective of developing MP4 is to create a file container that can store low-data video and audio files used for streaming across digital platforms. MP4 is a universal format and can store video files, text, audio files, and images while maintaining smaller file sizes. Even tablets, mobile phones, and iPads use MP4. So, you might want to convert AVI to MP4 on Mac so that it takes up less space and your video file can be viewed by a wider audience.
WMV File Format
WMV or Windows Media Video is a renowned compressed container structure that stores video and audio data digitally. Developed in 1999 by Microsoft, it runs on Microsoft-supported operating systems and machines. It is perfect for online video streaming and uploading YouTube videos. WMV provides compressed video files with enhanced privacy protection, but it is not as high-definition as MP4 or AVI. Third-party programs like Maya use WMV for short animations.
AVI
If storage space isn’t an issue, then AVI is a brilliant option for you. Also, it is a good option if you wish to archive video files in high-definition or HD. However, if you are looking for the ideal video format to upload videos on the Internet, AVI might not be the right format because of its larger size. You can use this format for creating videos for YouTube or TV viewing.
AVI is also a multimedia file format that was launched by Microsoft in the year 1992. It is part of the Windows software and contains both audio and video data in a container that allows synchronous audio-with-video playback. This is a format that is admired for its amazing versatility and it is compatible with Linux, Mac, Windows, and also web browsers. Moreover, almost all major platforms are compatible with the AVI format.
Created by Apple in 1998, MOV is a multimedia file format to make video and audio files compatible with Mac and Windows systems. It may contain different tracks to help store myriad kinds of media data. You can use MOV format for TV viewing, Facebook, and YouTube videos.
If you are using Mac, you wouldn’t have any trouble storing, editing, and exporting high-end videos in MOV format or also known as QTTF (QuickTime File Format). This format is used widely for saving video files and moves. Similar to MP4, MOV videos are compressed or encoded with the MPEG-4 codec. The file format can store audio, short video, animation, graphics, 3D, text, virtual reality, subtitles, and timecodes. However, one drawback is that it occupies a lot of space.
When it comes to saving and distributing files, the MOV format has a different approach. You can choose to convert it to MP4 files and this can be done easily without the need of altering the video encoding. Also, you can convert from MOV to MP4. Since MOV files store abstract data points, you can easily edit the files without the need to completely rewrite the media data.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to video formats. It comes down to the requirements of your video, the software you use, your marketing needs, and so on. But, being aware of the popular formats will help you get started.
So, before making your choice, know the purpose of your video creation, where do you wish to upload the files, and how much space you have on your system. All of these factors will help in your decision-making.
