Top 8 Video Formats for 2024

Videos are everywhere over the internet, blogs, social media sites, industries, online education, entertainment, and much more. Keeping up with the increased use of videos advanced technology as well as formats are launched from time to time. Since videos are played on a wide range of platforms and devices, compatibility is a major concern and here the role of different formats comes into play.

There is a wide range of video formats compatible with different devices and supporting different codecs, and other features. So, if you too are keen to learn about the top video formats for 2022, we have shortlisted them in the following parts.

Part 1. What is a Video file format?

A video may sound like a simple term but actually, it is a complex term comprising of multiple parts like audio, metadata, coding scheme, subtitles, and more. Two major things that are talked about in a video are its codec and container.

A container is responsible for holding the video and the audio content together along with other important information like video file extensions, metadata, and more. A container is majorly used for knowing about the audio and the video files. Codecs on the other hand are used for organizing the data of the media files and used for compression and decompression of the data. If a codec is missing a video file will not play on your device. There is a wide range of codecs available each having its own pros and cons.

Part 2. Top 8 Video File Formats, Codecs, and Containers

So now when you have a general idea about container and codec, let's look out what are the top video file formats for 2022

1. MP4

When it comes to videos, MP4 is the most widely used format as it is compatible with the majority of devices and players. MP4(MPEG-4 Part 14) is capable of storing a wide range of data including video, audio, images, and subtitles. The majority of the time, MPEG-4 is used for video compression and AAC is used for audio compression by the format. MP4 can maintain high-quality files while maintaining a smaller file size that makes it one of the most popular formats.

Supported Video Codecs: MPEG-2, MPEG-4, /AVC, /, and more.

Supported Audio Codecs: AAC/MPEG-1 Layers I, II, III/AC-3, MP3, etc.

2. MOV

Also known as QuickTime format, it was developed by Apple specially for QuickTime Player. Since QuickTime Player is now available for Windows system as well, MOV files can be played on Windows also. A variety of media files can be contained in MOV files like video, audio text, effects, and more. MOV is known for offering high-definition quality and thus the files in this format are comparatively large in size.

Supported Video Codecs: Apple ProRes, Cinepak, Component Video, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, , , H.263, DV, DVC Pro 50, Motion JPEG, QuickTime Animation, Sorenson Video 2/3

Supported Audio Codecs: AAC, HE-AAC, Apple Lossless, MP3, AMR Narrowband, MS ADPCM, QDesign Music 2, Qualcomm PureVoice (QCELP), IMA 4:1, MACE 3:1, MACE 6:1, ALaw 2:1, ULaw 2:1

3. WMV

Standing for Windows Media Video, the format is developed by Microsoft. Since the format was created by Microsoft it gained a lot of popularity initially, but later on, its use and compatibility became less owing to loss in quality during compression. But if you want a smaller size file to be shared over email and other platforms, WMV is a good format.

Supported Video Codecs: Windows Media Video 9/8/7, VC-1, MPEG-4.

Supported Audio Codecs: Windows Media Audio 9, MP3, Microsoft G.7 series, Microsoft ADPCM.

4. FLV

FLV stands for Flash Video Format is just perfect if you want to play high-quality videos using Adobe Flash Player. Almost all browsers and platforms support this format and are widely used on platforms like YouTube, Google Video, and similar others. This format is easy to download as it is small in size and retains decent quality at the same time. Since the bandwidth I saved while using FLV, it is the most popular format for the internet.

5. AVI

Standing for Audio Video Interleave, this is one of the oldest formats developed in 1992 by Microsoft, but still very popular. If you want your video files in high quality and do not mind them being larger in size, AVI is just right for you. The format is compatible with an array of browsers including Windows, Linux, and Max.

6. AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition)

AVCHD is developed by Sony and Panasonic mainly for recording high-quality videos through digital camcorders. The files in AVCHD are recorded using MPEG-4 AVC/ compression codec and facilitate storing hours of HD files and that too without using much data. Some of the key features of the format include a slide show, menu support, subtitle, option to store and play on different storage devices, and more.

Supported Video Codecs: MPEG-4 AVC/

Supported Audio Codecs: Dolby Digital (AC3), PCM

7. WebM

This is an open-source and royalty-free video format developed by Google in 2010. The format is used widely for watching videos over the web, live streaming, video call, and more. WebM basically defines the structure of the container and the manner in which the video and the audio files are encoded. This is an apt format for embedding and if you want to distribute video files to a large group.

Supported Video Codecs: VP8, VP9

Supported Audio Codecs: Vorbis, Opus

8. MKV

This is also a free and open-source format developed in 2002 and is also known as Matroska Video File. Using this format audio, video, and subtitles can be included in a single file, and owing to its flexibility and wide use, it is among the list of the top video formats. The format can be easily accessed and compatible with an array of players and OS.

Supported Video Codecs: All commonly used codecs.

Supported Audio Codecs: All commonly used codecs.

Part 3. FAQ about Video File Extensions

Summary

Different formats have their own characteristics, pros, and cons. Depending on the platform, size, and other parameters, you can choose the best suitable video file types. If your videos files are large in size and having trouble uploading, and sending compression can be done using Wondershare UniConverter which is one of the best tools in its category.

* Some of the above codec formats may need to be supported by system.