The Most Common Video File Formats

Video formatting has evolved many times over the years. Videos that once required reels of film tape can now be digitized and stored on small USB drives with room to spare. As you prepare to adapt your own home videos for the digital age, it’s important to first understand the many different video file formats available. To help you select the format that is best for your videos, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most common video file formats and the most popular applications for each one.

MP4

MP4, or MPEG-4 Part 14, is perhaps the most common video file format available. This file format can be used to store still photos and documents but is most commonly used to store digital video and audio files. MP4 players were very popular in the early 2000s and allowed users to listen to music and view videos on the go. Though portable MP4 players have since declined in popularity, MP4 files are still widely used today.

MP4 files are relatively small, due to the fact that video and audio tracks are compressed separately. This allows the file to maintain its quality and integrity, despite its small size. For this reason, MP4 files are the most popular file format for online video sharing. Additionally, MP4 files are highly compatible with several formats, including both online and mobile internet browsers. MP4 files are also compatible with many social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

MOV

Like MP4 files, MOV files also contain videos in an MPEG 4 format. Developed by Apple, this file format utilizes their QuickTime program and exclusive compression algorithm to store the audio, video, and text for a given file simultaneously. Because of this unique compression algorithm, files formatted in MOV offer a higher quality image than other file formats. This makes MOV files ideal for viewing on larger screens, such as televisions and computers. This file format can also be easily edited, due to the fact that it compresses and stores audio, video, and text tracks separately. MOV files can be both edited and imported without data copying.

AVI

AVI stands for Audio Visual Interleave and is a file format supported by Microsoft Windows software. Like both MP4 and MOV, AVI is a multimedia container format that can store both audio and video data in a singular file container. This allows video playback that synchronizes perfectly with audio playback. AVI files are also a popular option for streaming on the big screen, as they offer a relatively high-quality image.

As you prepare to digitize your movies, consider both the format and the ultimate use for the files. If you plan to share the movies on social media, you may consider an MP4 file format. If you prefer to convert your movies to DVD or Blu-ray, however, you may consider an MOV file format instead. DiJiFi can convert videos into all the files listed above and more; plus, they can help you choose the best file format for your needs.