Other Video Formats
As you know by now, the list of video formats is extremely wide and includes hundreds of different types. So, we’re taking things even further by listing some of the top formats also used on Mac.
MPEG/MPG Files
MPEG, short for Motion Picture Experts Group, is a family of video and audio compression standards that are widely used for multimedia content, among which digital television, DVD, and Blu-ray. The most popular file format used for MPEG videos is .mpg or .mpeg. These files contain compressed, low-size, video and audio data and can be played on most media player software.
MKV (Matroska) File
An open-source format that is known for its flexibility, MKV can hold unlimited video, audio, and subtitles in a single file. It’s also called Matrsoka exactly because of its capacity to store multiple files in one, just like the dolls that go one inside the other. The file extension is .mkv and it can be played by all the top video players - Elmedia Player, VLC, or KMPlayer. Besides saving lots of disk space, MKV are great for providing high-level of customization for video playback.
VOB File
VOB, or Video Object, is a container file format that was developed initially for DVDs. It uses MPEg-2 audio, video, subtitles, and menu data. Each VOB file stands for a distinct chapter on a DVD and can be played with a dedicated player. You will usually find these files in the “VIDEO_TS” folder on the DVD.
MTS File
Short for MPEG Transport Stream, this file format uses MPEG-4 / H.265 video compression to record video on consumer camcorders. It’s also based on the AVCHD standard - Advanced Video Coding High Definition - and you will usually find it under the .mts file extension. If you want to play video from any camcorder or do a professional video project, you’ll be using an MTS file.
TS File
TS (Transport Stream) is a container file format used for delivering video and audio over a network or for storing on a computer. It is used to transmit MPEG-2 or H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) video and audio data in a way that allows for error correction and stream synchronization.
WMV File
WMV is a file format produced by Microsoft with the thought of compressing and streaming digital videos. It’s very widely used but especially for video-on-demand services. The extension is .wmv and these files use Windows Media Video compression technology to maintain an increased quality while keeping file size in check.
RMVB/RM Files
Standing for Real Media Video, RMVB files use a variable bitrate to optimize video storage. It’s a newer version of the classical Real MEdia format which paved the road for this improved compression while maintaining quality. This format became well-known in Asia, especially for Anime videos, thanks to their smaller file size and lower bitrate compared to DivX files.
ASF File
Next on our list of multimedia formats have the Advanced Systems Format - or ASF - which is a proprietary video and audio container. Besides video and audio, it can also handle metadata like title, author, or copyright data. Just like WMV, this format is also developed by Microsoft with the intent of streaming online media.
3GP & 3GPP Files
If you watched videos on your mobile phones back in the day when smartphones were not such a big thing, you certainly used 3GP or 3GPP formats. These file formats are used to store audio and video files optimized for transmission over mobile networks. 3GP is a file format that was developed for third-generation (3G) mobile phones and is designed to reduce the storage size and bandwidth required for video and audio content. 3GPP is a file format used by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), an industry collaboration developing mobile telecommunications standards.
NSV File
NSV, or Nullsoft Streaming Video, is one of the proprietary video file formats developed for streaming video over the internet. It offers a balance between compression and quality so that disk space is taken into consideration equally as resolution. It was used in connection with Winamp TV, for those readers that caught the Winamp times - before YouTube was the go-to platform for videos and music.
VCD File
Video CD (VCD) is a legacy digital format for storing video on CD-ROM discs. It uses MPEG-1 video compression and is limited to low-resolution videos (352x240 pixels). Since most of devices nowadays, especially macOS ones, don’t even include an optical drive anymore, VCD is almost obsolete.
TiVO File
TiVo is a proprietary digital video recorder (DVR) that uses its own file format for storing recorded television shows and movies. The TiVo file format is not widely compatible with other media players and that’s why you need reliable third-party solutions like Elmedia Player to make sure you can watch all your favorite videos.
BDMV/Blu-Ray File
Blu-ray Disc Movie Video (BDMV) is a video file format used on Blu-ray Discs, which are high-definition optical discs used for storing and playing high-definition video. Thanks to their extended capacity, Blu-Ray discs can hold uncompressed videos for an exceptional experience.
MPV File
MPV is a free and open-source video file format that is a derivative of the popular MP4 format. It is almost always used for playing videos on desktop computers and mobile devices. Furthermore, it contains raw video data that is usually encoded with MPEg-2 codecs. What’s impressive about MPV is that it doesn’t use any container format.
OGM and OGV Files
Ogg Media (OGM) is a multimedia container format that is used for storing audio, video, and other data in a single file. It was developed as an alternative to proprietary formats such as AVI and MP4. OGM stands for Origin Matrix File and it’s a more complex file type compared to OGV that mainly handles video.
HDV File
High Definition Video (HDV) is a video format used for recording high-definition video on MiniDV cassette tapes. It uses MPEG-2 video compression and supports resolutions up to 1080p. Developed by JVC, it can be delivered on Blu-ray discs without the need for re-encoding or converting to AVCHD.
RV File
Short for RealVideo, this proprietary format is similar to a .RM file, but it also contains video and not just audio data. It was designed for the RealPlayer app, but it can be opened with any other software supporting the Real codec.
DAT File
DAT files are included in VCD files for users to be able to play videos from optical discs. It is commonly saved under MPEG-1 or MPeg-2 formats and contains video information from the optical disc.
