Nowadays there are just so many video formats that are being used that it can be difficult to keep track of all of them. The good news is that in most cases you really don’t have to know about all the different formats that exist – but it can help to know about some of the more useful ones.
Out of the formats out there the main ones that are worth knowing are:
• MP4 with H.264
As the most popular and widely-used format right now, it makes sense to know about MP4 with H.264. The fact that it enjoys widespread support makes it the ‘default’ format for distributing videos. On top of that it is generally the recommended format for most online platforms as well, including YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and more.
The only disadvantage of MP4 with H.264 is the fact that the H.264 codec is starting to be slightly dated at this point. As such it does not stack up well compared to its successor the H.265 codec, or the VP9 or AV1 codecs either.
• MP4 or MKV with H.265
As mentioned previously, H.265 is the successor to H.264 and it provides superior compression rates. It is normally paired with a MP4 or MKV container, with the latter gaining popularity due to the fact that it is open source.
Unfortunately although H.265 is slowly but steadily gaining traction and starting to be more widely-supported, many devices and platforms still struggle with it. For example browsers still don’t support H.265, and have shown no indication of doing so in the immediate future.
• MPEG-2
It may seem strange that such a dated format is still worth knowing, but there’s a very simple reason why MPEG-2 remains relevant: DVDs. Essentially all DVD video is encoded using MPEG-2, which is why it is still used frequently up to this very day.
Make no mistake MPEG-2 is not the most efficient compression, and falls short compared to other newer codecs. Still if you want to burn a video DVD, you will invariably need to use it.
• AV1
Since its release this year AV1 has been rapidly rolled out and is expected to be fully adopted by 2020. It is newer than H.265, and provides better compression rates by up to 30%.
While it will be some time before AV1 is fully relevant, even at this early stage it is worth knowing. As far as formats go it stands a good chance of being one of the more widely-used formats in the not too distant future due to the benefits it brings to the table.
Knowing each of these formats will be helpful when you use a video converter for Mac to transcode your videos, for example Movavi Video Converter for Mac. As you can see each format has specific advantages and disadvantages that affect how it is currently being used.
Although some of these formats are likely to be supplanted sooner or later, for now they are a good place to start if you are converting video formats.
Pinstripe Magazine Staff
Online Men’s Lifestyle Magazine on Gear, Grooming, Girls, Gadgets
