**The World of File Formats: A Comprehensive Guide**

In today's digital age, file formats play a crucial role in determining the quality and compatibility of various types of media. With numerous options available, choosing the right format can be overwhelming. In this article, we will delve into the world of file formats, exploring the most prevalent codecs, container files, and other related topics.

**H.264: A Popular Codec for Video Files**

One of the most widely used codecs today is H.264, which has gained popularity due to its ability to retain decent image quality while significantly reducing file sizes. This codec works by splitting frames into blocks of 256 pixels each and predicting what each subsequent block will look like based on either the rest of the frame or previous frames. The algorithm then compares the predicted block to the actual block, creating a difference called a residual. Next, the Kodak (or more accurately, the H.264 encoder) compares the residual to 16 checkerboard-like standard patterns and stores how much of each pattern contributes to the residual as a number. Higher frequency patterns are often discarded, taking up the most space, while lower quality video yields smaller file sizes.

**The Evolution of Video Compression**

H.264 is actually quite good at making predictions, even including a filter to reduce some of the compression blockiness that can be seen on low-quality video. This makes it a standard go-to codec for sites like YouTube as well as for Blu-ray discs. At similar visual quality, H.264 only takes up about half as much space as MPEG-2, which is still in use today for DVD video and broadcast TV. However, a new codec, imaginatively named H.265 (also known as HEVC), is even more efficient than H.264. It can use blocks of up to 4096 pixels and has more advanced prediction algorithms, critical for keeping file sizes manageable as internet streaming continues on its inevitable march towards 8K.

**Patents and Licensing: The Dark Side of File Formats**

One downside to both H.264 and HEVC is that they are protected by patents, which means companies that want to use these codecs have to pay royalties. This has led to the development of open-source standards like VP8 and VP9, being pushed by Google. While there are image quality differences between these formats, there is no real consensus on which one is better. As a result, service providers like Netflix just use whichever codec will work best on the device the user is watching from.

**Container Files: The Backbone of Modern Media**

When it comes to container files, MP4 stands out as a widely compatible format that can hold either an MPEG or H.264 encoded video along with an AAC or MP3 audio stream. Pro tip: if you ever see M4V at the end of a video, it's basically just a version of MP4 with DRM enabled. If one of these files refuses to play, simply changing the extension to MP4 and giving it another try can often resolve the issue.

**The Rise of Matroska (MKV): A Faster-Growing Alternative**

Matroska or MKV is one of the fastest-growing container formats today. It supports just about any combination of audio and video codecs, including newer ones like H.265, and has more flexible support for menus and chapters as well as the ability to play back corrupted files without losing all of that precious drone footage.

**Creative Options: MOV, FLV, F4V, and More**

For creative types, there are many other formats to consider, each with their own advantages and drawbacks. The MOV format, developed by Apple for QuickTime, supports multiple codecs and is easier to edit on the fly without having to rewrite the entire file when you're done. Finally, FLV and F4V indicate that a clip is meant to be played in Adobe Flash, which is being phased out now.

**KVM Switches: A Solution for Multiple Computers**

Juggling multiple computers can be difficult, with various sets of mice and keyboards on your desk making it look messy and confusing. KVM switches can partially solve this problem, but they are not very seamless and can sometimes be cumbersome. However, synergy offers a more elegant solution, allowing you to move the mouse seamlessly between your computers, which makes them feel like one computer.

**Conclusion**

In conclusion, file formats play a crucial role in determining the quality and compatibility of various types of media. From H.264 and HEVC codecs to container files like MP4, MKV, and MOV, understanding these formats can help you make informed decisions when working with digital media. Whether you're a creative professional or just someone who wants to enjoy high-quality video content on their device, this guide has provided a comprehensive overview of the world of file formats.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthanks for watching techwiki click the subscribe button then enable notifications with the bell icon so you won't miss any future videos when it comes to video files there are a lot of file formats out there if you're a video editor or a media enthusiast you've probably encountered a veritable alphabet soup of different ones so just like in our episodes on audio and image formats which you can check out up here we're going to demystify some of the common formats that you can choose for your newfangled moving picture movies first up to avoid confusion it's important to keep in mind that the extension you see at the end of a file name such as mp4 or mkv or mov actually specifies what kind of container the file is in but there's more to formats than just the container so all those video clips and trailers that you got could be using any number of different codecs as well but what's a codec glad you asked most digital video is compressed in some way since otherwise it'd take up tons of space on your hard drive a codec is simply a particular scheme that's used to compress or decompress a file there are lots of codecs out there but one of the most prevalent ones today is h.264 which is popular because it retains decent image quality while shrinking the file sizes significantly the way it works is by instead of saving each frame of the video pixel by pixel h.264 splits frames into blocks of 256 pixels each and tries to predict what each subsequent block will look like based on either the rest of the frame or from previous frames the algorithm then compares the predicted block to the actual block creating a difference called a residual next the kodak compares the residual to 16 checkerboard-like standard patterns and how much of each pattern contributes to the residual is stored as a number with higher frequency patterns you see to the lower right often discarded as these take up the most space this is really similar to how jpeg works for still images and like jpeg you can choose how much compression you want with higher compression discarding more patterns and yielding smaller file sizes but also lower quality however h.264 is actually pretty good at making predictions and even includes a filter to reduce some of the compression blockiness you sometimes see on low quality video making it a standard go-to codec for sites like youtube as well as for blu-ray discs at similar visual quality h.264 only takes up about half as much space as mpeg-2 which is still in use today for dvd video and broadcast tv but a new codec the imaginatively named h.265 better known as hevc is even more efficient than h.264 it can use blocks of up to 4096 pixels and has more advanced prediction algorithms which is critical for keeping file sizes manageable as internet streaming continues on its inevitable march towards 8k of course one downside to both h.264 and 265 is that they're protected by patents so companies that want to use these codecs have to pay royalties that seems to be the motivation behind the development of vp8 and vp9 a pair of open source standards being pushed by google that are technologically quite similar to hevc there are image quality differences but there's no real consensus as to which one is better so some service providers like netflix just use whichever codec will work best on the device the user's watching from there are other codecs floating around there like the venerable avi but at this point we've covered the major modern ones so let's get back to container files starting with the familiar mp4 mp4 enjoys wide compatibility and can hold either an mpeg or an h.264 encoded video along with an aac or mp3 audio stream pro tip if you ever see m4v at the end of a video it's basically just a version of mp4 with drm enabled so if one of these files refuses to play try simply changing the extension to mp4 and give it another go but although mp4 is still really popular especially among youtubers the matraska or mkv container is one of the fastest growing it can support just about any combination of audio and video codecs including newer ones like h.265 and has more flexible support for menus and chapters as well as the ability to play back a corrupted file so you won't necessarily lose all of that super important drone footage of your boring neighborhood and for creative types there are many other formats that you might encounter each with their own advantages and drawbacks for example the mov format which was developed by apple for quicktime supports multiple codecs and is easier to edit on the fly without having to rewrite the entire file when you're done a cool feature that makes exporting a finished video from final cut much faster than competing video editors that have to encode the entire project from scratch finally we can't wrap this video up without talking about flv and f4 v these indicate of course that the clip is meant to be played in adobe flash which is being phased out now you know i'd love to tell you all about that but we're out of time so go and watch the video that we already made about it and be sure to yell at us down in the comments if we neglected the file video format of your choice juggling multiple computers is difficult you end up with various sets of mice and keyboards on your desk which not only looks messy but gets super confusing kvm switches can partially solve this problem but we found that they aren't very seamless and are sometimes cumbersome but with synergy you can move the mouse seamlessly between your computers which makes them feel like one computer check out the full details at the link below so thanks for watching guys be sure to like the video dislike it if you have to leave a comment for what we should do in future videos like subscribe all that good stuff i said subscribe already so thanks for watching guys make sure to like the video if you liked it dislike it if you didn't like it leave a comment for ideas of what we should do in future videos subscribe follow see you laterthanks for watching techwiki click the subscribe button then enable notifications with the bell icon so you won't miss any future videos when it comes to video files there are a lot of file formats out there if you're a video editor or a media enthusiast you've probably encountered a veritable alphabet soup of different ones so just like in our episodes on audio and image formats which you can check out up here we're going to demystify some of the common formats that you can choose for your newfangled moving picture movies first up to avoid confusion it's important to keep in mind that the extension you see at the end of a file name such as mp4 or mkv or mov actually specifies what kind of container the file is in but there's more to formats than just the container so all those video clips and trailers that you got could be using any number of different codecs as well but what's a codec glad you asked most digital video is compressed in some way since otherwise it'd take up tons of space on your hard drive a codec is simply a particular scheme that's used to compress or decompress a file there are lots of codecs out there but one of the most prevalent ones today is h.264 which is popular because it retains decent image quality while shrinking the file sizes significantly the way it works is by instead of saving each frame of the video pixel by pixel h.264 splits frames into blocks of 256 pixels each and tries to predict what each subsequent block will look like based on either the rest of the frame or from previous frames the algorithm then compares the predicted block to the actual block creating a difference called a residual next the kodak compares the residual to 16 checkerboard-like standard patterns and how much of each pattern contributes to the residual is stored as a number with higher frequency patterns you see to the lower right often discarded as these take up the most space this is really similar to how jpeg works for still images and like jpeg you can choose how much compression you want with higher compression discarding more patterns and yielding smaller file sizes but also lower quality however h.264 is actually pretty good at making predictions and even includes a filter to reduce some of the compression blockiness you sometimes see on low quality video making it a standard go-to codec for sites like youtube as well as for blu-ray discs at similar visual quality h.264 only takes up about half as much space as mpeg-2 which is still in use today for dvd video and broadcast tv but a new codec the imaginatively named h.265 better known as hevc is even more efficient than h.264 it can use blocks of up to 4096 pixels and has more advanced prediction algorithms which is critical for keeping file sizes manageable as internet streaming continues on its inevitable march towards 8k of course one downside to both h.264 and 265 is that they're protected by patents so companies that want to use these codecs have to pay royalties that seems to be the motivation behind the development of vp8 and vp9 a pair of open source standards being pushed by google that are technologically quite similar to hevc there are image quality differences but there's no real consensus as to which one is better so some service providers like netflix just use whichever codec will work best on the device the user's watching from there are other codecs floating around there like the venerable avi but at this point we've covered the major modern ones so let's get back to container files starting with the familiar mp4 mp4 enjoys wide compatibility and can hold either an mpeg or an h.264 encoded video along with an aac or mp3 audio stream pro tip if you ever see m4v at the end of a video it's basically just a version of mp4 with drm enabled so if one of these files refuses to play try simply changing the extension to mp4 and give it another go but although mp4 is still really popular especially among youtubers the matraska or mkv container is one of the fastest growing it can support just about any combination of audio and video codecs including newer ones like h.265 and has more flexible support for menus and chapters as well as the ability to play back a corrupted file so you won't necessarily lose all of that super important drone footage of your boring neighborhood and for creative types there are many other formats that you might encounter each with their own advantages and drawbacks for example the mov format which was developed by apple for quicktime supports multiple codecs and is easier to edit on the fly without having to rewrite the entire file when you're done a cool feature that makes exporting a finished video from final cut much faster than competing video editors that have to encode the entire project from scratch finally we can't wrap this video up without talking about flv and f4 v these indicate of course that the clip is meant to be played in adobe flash which is being phased out now you know i'd love to tell you all about that but we're out of time so go and watch the video that we already made about it and be sure to yell at us down in the comments if we neglected the file video format of your choice juggling multiple computers is difficult you end up with various sets of mice and keyboards on your desk which not only looks messy but gets super confusing kvm switches can partially solve this problem but we found that they aren't very seamless and are sometimes cumbersome but with synergy you can move the mouse seamlessly between your computers which makes them feel like one computer check out the full details at the link below so thanks for watching guys be sure to like the video dislike it if you have to leave a comment for what we should do in future videos like subscribe all that good stuff i said subscribe already so thanks for watching guys make sure to like the video if you liked it dislike it if you didn't like it leave a comment for ideas of what we should do in future videos subscribe follow see you later\n"