The 8 Most Common Video Formats: Which One Should You Use?

It would not be a long shot to say that most of the content consumed in the digital era is via videos. Whether it’s for education or entertainment, videos have become the primary source of information.

However, did you know that each platform supports specific video formats? If you are a professional videographer, it’s crucial to know the different types of video formats. So, what are the most common video file formats?

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What Is a Video File Format?

For the sake of understanding, let’s first define a video file format. We know that a video is a series of pictures moving at high speed, paired with the audio at every instance of these pictures. Since videos contain two elements: images and audio, the files can be huge—making it harder to share them.

So, for convenience, we use a software tool called codec that helps compress or decompress and encode or decode this data. This compressed data is stored in a container called video file format. There are various video formats depending on the codecs they support and the functionalities they offer.

Related: All You Need to Know about Video Codecs, Containers, and Compression

Types of Video Formats

1. Video File Format: MP4

MP4 was developed and released by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) in 2001. It’s considered the international standard for audio-visual coding. It’s compatible with almost every video software out there with support for audio, video, subtitles, and still images.

MP4 also offers lossless video with higher quality while keeping the file size significantly small—making it easier to stream. So, streaming platforms like YouTube and social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram use this format.

2. Video File Format: MOV

MOV is another popular file format, first developed and introduced by Apple in 1998. Apple specifically created this file format for its QuickTime program. Similar to MP4, this file format supports video, audio, image, and text. However, MOV files are larger and have higher video quality than MP4.

Consequently, these are best suitable for editing in a professional capacity. It works well with a Mac since it’s made to be compatible with the macOS. These files exist in .mov or .qtt format and can be converted into other file formats.

Related: How to Edit Videos Using the Photos App on a Mac

3. Video File Format: WVM

WVM, an acronym for Windows Media Video, was developed and introduced by Microsoft in 1999. Microsoft developed this format to enable easy online streaming by packing data into a smaller file.

However, it lost popularity with time due to the inferior video quality. A WMV video file is compatible with Microsoft media players and other cross-platform media players like VLC.

Related: How to Create Videos With the Windows 11 Photos App

4. Video File Format: FLV

FLV, also known as Flash Video file format, was developed by Adobe Systems in 2003. It’s compatible with Adobe Flash Player and other cross-platform video players. Adobe Flash Player popularized FLV as the player can be added as a plugin on web browsers.

However, due to a lack of performance, users shelved this duo. Eventually, in December 2020, developers of the format ended support for the flash player. Later, the FLV video format was succeeded by the F4V format.

5. Video File Format: AVI

Audio Visual Interleave (AVI) was developed and released by Microsoft in 1992. It’s one of the oldest file formats and doesn’t support more compression—making the file size large and unsuitable for internet video transmission.

However, the video quality is high, making it ideal for storing. This is why video creators consider it a reliable video format. AVI is a go-to file format for camera brands like Nikon and Olympus. In addition, it’s compatible with Windows Media Player, Google Drive, and other cross-platform video players.

Related: How to Repair Broken AVI Files That Won’t Play

6. Video File Format: AVCHD

Advanced Video Coding High Definition (AVCHD) was developed in a combined partnership between Panasonic and Sony in 2006. It’s primarily used in HD consumer camcorders as it supports recording and playback of videos in HD quality. This is why it’s popular among professional videographers.

The AVCHD video format is compatible with Windows Media Player, VLC player, etc. It also supports removable hard disks and memory sticks. Its successor, AVCHD 2.0, supports 3D video too.

7. Video File Format: WebM

The commonly used format in modern browsers, WebM was released in 2011 to support video sharing via web browsers. It was initially developed by On2 and Xiph and later sponsored by Google. It’s an open-source video format used for commercial and non-commercial purposes.

As it’s specifically designed to stream videos on web browsers, the file size is small, and the buffer time is negligible. However, due to the rise of other better-performing video formats, WebM usage has declined over the years. Regardless, it’s compatible with browsers like Google Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Edge, and cross-platform players like VLC.

8. Video File Format: MKV

MKV video format, also known as Matroska, was released in 2002 and was supported by a French non-profit organization. Similar to the WebM video format, MKV is also a royalty-free open-source format.

This format is highly versatile as it can store video, audio, and subtitles in separate tracks within one file, even if they’re all encoded in different codecs. This is why it’s still compatible with modern codecs—making it future-proof. It’s used for storing short videos, movies, TV shows and for adding subtitles.

Related: How to Strip Unnecessary Subtitles From MKV Files

How to Choose the Right One?

As it isn’t one-size-fits-all in the case of video formats, your only choice is to pick one, as per your needs. Consider how they will be viewed, shared, and edited before choosing one. Some video formats are better than others for specific purposes and platforms.

1. Web browsers: If you want to share your video online via browsers, it’s good to choose a format compatible with the majority of them. It will ensure that your video will be viewed directly on the webpage; without the need for a separate plugin or player. These web-compatible formats include MP4 and WebM.
2. Social media: If you want to share your videos on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, you can use MP4 video format. However, YouTube supports multiple formats like AVI, FLV, MOV, WebM, and WMV.
3. TV and computers: You can pick AVI, WVM, MOV, and MKV to experience HD videos on your big screens like TV and computer.
4. Storing: If you want to archive videos to view in the future, you can use open-source formats like AVI, MKV, MP4, etc. This will ensure that your videos will be compatible with most players later down the line.

Related: The Most Common Audio Formats: Which One Should You Use?

Pick a Video File Format That Works for You

Choosing the right video format can be tricky as no single format serves all purposes. However, once you have a clear idea of your video specifications and usage, it is easier to choose one. Use different video formats according to your needs to optimize your storage and tweak your video quality.