Video formats decoded

Want to know your QuickTime from your HEVC? Darien Graham-Smith demystifies the popular video-sharing formats and codecs.

While capturing and editing video is easier than ever, the fighting file formats are a pit of complexity. We’re asked to choose between AVI, MP4, H.264 and so forth, but what’s the difference between them? Here’s everything you need to know to produce the best videos for your needs, whether you’re looking for smaller files, fast transcodes or the best possible quality. The big picture The fundamental reason why all these different formats exist is that each frame of video – in the form that we see on our screens – is huge. A single frame of Full HD video consists of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, which is to say just over two megapixels. If each pixel were represented by a single bit, the full frame would represent over two…

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APC (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 2025

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