Video Formats vs. Video Codecs…what\’s the difference?
Digital video has brought a whole new dimension to computers. With digital video, and now online video, people can instantly share their memories and experiences with their friends and family, or people around the world. If you\’ve been trying to use digital video and have found the process complicated, you\’re not alone. There are several different terms that you need to become familiar with.
Video formats and video codecs are often used interchangeably but they are actually very different things. To understand how the two relate, think of video format as the film canister and the codec as the film. The codec is how the computer understands the digital images and the format is the delivery system.
Video formats are computer file formats that are used to compress and distribute digital video information. There are many different formats that are used and not all of them are compatible. Video formats are also called the \”containers.\” The container holds the video information and serves as the structure of the video file. Some of the most popular video formats are AVI, MOV, WMV, and MP4. There are dozens of other less popular formats that you may encounter from time to time.
Video codecs are a way of encoding the digital information so that it can be transferred and viewed by other people. Codecs are software devices that allow video compression and decompression. Some codecs are also video file formats, like WMV. But others are just codecs, like DivX and H.264.
Even though video has revolutionized the way people share and receive videos online, there is one major problem - not all video formats are compatible and you sometimes have to convert video in order to be able to see it. This makes things difficult because if you are sharing a video in WMV format and the recipient has a Quicktime player (that plays MOV files), the video might not work. In order to use different types of video formats and codecs, you need a video converter, avi converter
Movavi Video Converter is a groundbreaking video format converter that allows you to easily convert video and DVD files. Among other things, you can use Movavi Video Converter to convert video (including high definition video) and unprotected DVDs into all popular formats, and rip videos and DVDs for display on any portable device, such as DVD to iPod, iPhone, PSP, PDA, Zune, Archos, BlackBerry, cell phones, and so one.
Movavi Video Converter is also powerful and easy to use. Not only can you specify the quality level and file size of your output video with a single click, but you can also improve video quality with a range of unique editing tools.
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