Video works in multimedia by displaying a series of images, called frames, in rapid succession:
Frame rate -> The rate at which frames are displayed, measured in frames per second. The higher the
frame rate, the smoother the video will appear.
Bit rate -> A measurement of the rate of information content in a digital video stream. In uncompressed
video, bit rate is directly proportional to the quality of the video.
Bits per pixel (BPP) - > A measure of the efficiency of compression. A true-color video with no
compression may have a BPP of 24 bits/pixel.
Adaptive bitrate streaming - > A technique used by modern video platforms to provide different versions
of a video for the player to choose from. The player selects the version it can stream smoothly without
buffering.
Data compression - >A technique that eliminates redundancy to make video files smaller.
Video signals are made up of a series of analog television lines, separated by synchronization pulses. The
horizontal sync separates each line, and the vertical sync separates the fields of the picture
Video File Formats
A video file format is an extension that is used at the end of a video file. It takes up more space to store
the same data as used by other file formats. It is the most widely used file format for entertainment and
educational purposes.
What are the Video File Formats?
Video file is a standard structure for storing data using encoding and compression. The domain has
evolved continuously improving the user experience and different other digital services. There are many
different video file formats available. But there are mainly five formats which are discussed below.
AVI (Audio Video Interleave): It was introduced in 1992 by Microsoft. It contains both audio and video
data. It uses less compression than other video formats. It provides good video quality so the file size is
larger. It supports multiple codecs. It provides good video quality and is compatible with various
playback devices. It is the oldest video file format available. It is generally used because of its good video
quality. However, it isn’t suitable for the web.
MP4: It is the most popular and standard format for video files. It was created by MPEG and introduced
in 2001. It uses different compression techniques for audio and video. It is a versatile multimedia
container that can store both audio, video, subtitles, and still image. It is the most suitable format for
posting video content online. It provides good video quality with a small file size. It is the most widely
used format for video files. The most commonly used codec is H.264. It is suitable for social media
platforms.
MPG: It contains two video formats MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. MPEG-1 is used for lower bandwidth
applications whereas MPEG-2 is more versatile and used for DVDs as well as digital television. It is
generally used for video compression and distribution. It is also used for broadcasting with limited
resources. It supports interlaced video. It stores audio, video, and metadata interlinked together. Its
only downside is that it is a lossy format. Video quality is compromised to achieve a lower file size.
MOV: It was developed by Apple for its own ecosystem. It is commonly used with QuickTime. It supports
various codecs and is used for multimedia projects. It is primarily used by video editors because it
provides the highest quality for editing. It can store multiple tracks, text files, and effects. It is used for
multimedia projects, video editing, and distribution of content for the Apple platform. Its only downside
is its poor compatibility with other devices.
3GP: It is the Multimedia container format that is commonly used for mobile phones. It is used where
lower video quality is a problem and the only focus is to get a small file size.
WMV: It is a video compression format developed by Microsoft. It is popular for its small file size while
maintaining reasonable video quality. It lacks compatibility with certain operating system. It is suitable
for online streaming and playback on Windows Media Player. It is compatible with Windows based
applications. Its benefit is that files can be sent through e-mail. It is used where lower video quality is
not a problem and the only focus is to get a small file size. It isn’t compatible with Apple devices.
Uses of Video File Formats
It is used by people to create memories in the form of video of a particular event.
It is used for entertainment purpose to stream services on various video streaming platforms like
Netflix, You Tube and so on.
It is used by various video editing softwares like Adobe Premiere Pro, Da Vinci Resolve and so on.
People use it to upload memories on social media platforms in different video file formats.
It is used to keep surveillance from security cameras.
It is used by educational institutions to prepare study material for teaching students.
In the modern era of advertising, it is used to create and deliver advertisements in the form of video
on different platforms.
Benefits of Video File Formats
Learning is made easy through video files.
It is a major source of entertainment for people all around the world.
It makes the information to be conveyed to a larger group of people .
It provides flexibility in video editing while maintaining original quality.
It is very useful in streaming. Many video formats allow the content to adapt to viewer’s internet
speed.
