That metadata can be as simple as the frame rate of the video up to showing what camera and lens were used to record the footage, what camera settings were used, where it was shot and information about the shot and the production. The container has information to tell if there are both audio and video data held within it so things like media players will know to play them both at once.Ĭontainers often also hold metadata on media in the file. mov, can hold data in a variety of audio and video codecs. mpg file container that’s used for MPEG files, some containers, like.
While some containers only tend to hold media in a particular codec, like the. Diagram of Codecs – Delivery ContainersĪ container or a wrapper is what is used to hold audio and video data together in a single file along with additional information. There are many different types of audio and video codecs, and they each have their own advantages. Codecs are used to organize media data, but that data is held within a container. When someone asks what format a video is in, they often want to know what container and codec were used to make it - and possibly what standard it is encoded to - unless, of course, the video is from the dark ages and then they usually want to know what kind of video tape it’s stored on and hope that they can find something on which to play it.Ī codec is the order used to layout the data of an audio or video file in such a way that it may be utilized for playback, editing or changing to other codecs (transcoding). What Exactly is a Format?īy understanding a little about the codecs and containers used in popular formats, you will be able to make better choices for the work you do. When a film festival or broadcaster asks for a delivery format for video, the better you understand it, the easier it will be to have your project looking the best it can.
To know if editing or color correction software can handle a format natively or if it will have to be transcoded, you need to have knowledge of the format of the footage. If you understand the format that a camera shoots in, then you can calculate how much storage space you will need for the footage you plan to shoot. There’s a multitude of reasons a video format is important. Many work hours can be lost to footage in formats that render slowly or need to be transcoded but fear not! Once you unlock the knowledge of codecs and containers, you’ll be able to continue your quest for great video.