What To Know About the Common Video File Formats

Whether you’re trying to figure out the best video format to use when uploading to the internet or just want to know what each abbreviation means, learning all about video formats can help when you’re converting video media to digital or creating content. The most common video file formats have many diverse qualities that make them stand out from one another. Our quick guide to what to know about the common video file formats will help you pick the right one for your project.

MP4

Not to be confused with MP3 files, MPEG-4 files have existed since 2001 as a universal file type for audio, video, picture, and text. Their primary use is for video. You can play MP4 files on any device with a media player, making it the most versatile and accessible video format. MP4s take up a small amount of space on your computer without sacrificing too much video quality.

When uploading videos online, an MP4 is your best bet.

Key MP4 Takeaways: Good quality, small size, accessible format, not restricted by specific devices.

Used for: Uploading to the internet, sharing, a “future-proof” video format.

MOV

Apple created the MOV format for use by their devices and the QuickTime Player. While these files are easy to access for Mac and iPhone users, anyone on a Windows operating system must find, download, and install QuickTime Player before viewing them. With shining video quality and support for audio, subtitles, and timecodes, these files can become very large.

Key MOV Takeaways: Excellent quality, large size, allows features, and requires QuickTime Player.

Used for: Sharing between Apple products, uploading to the internet.

WMV

Just as MOV is Apple’s video file format, WMV is Microsoft’s video file format. Designed to play on Windows Media Player, these files stay small without a lot of video compression. Video compression lowers the quality of your video, resulting in strong pixilation if the compression is high. While Windows Media Player is included on Microsoft devices, Apple users will need to download and install it if they want to view the video.

Key WMV Takeaways: Small file size, less compression than MP4, and requires Windows Media Player.

Used for: Sharing on Microsoft devices, uploading to the internet.

AVI

If you’re serious about creating high-quality videos or movies and have plenty of space on your computer, AVI files might be the right fit for you. These huge file sizes take up chunks of gigabytes worth of storage but provide totally uncompressed video as a result. Your videos may take up anywhere from two to three GB per minute of footage. This can easily lead to a 10 minute long, 30 GB video file—that’s as much space as a medium-size video game!

Key AVI Takeaways: Large file size, no compression, no quality loss, and no need for codecs or containers.

Used for: Serious content creation, universal video format, and high-quality video uploads.

At DiJiFi, we use the MP4 format for most projects requiring us to digitize video tapes or convert film; however, upon request we can convert it to a different video file format for a fee. If you need help sorting out what to know about the common video file formats and choosing the perfect format for your project, contact us for assistance!