Video Formats

The term video format encompasses the two separate concepts of  codec and container.

What is a codec?

Raw digital video and audio requires an tremendous amount of storage space. In order to make video manageable, a type of video software known as a codec has been created. The term codec is a mashup of the two words compress and decompress. A codec allows a file to be compressed into a small space and also allows a viewer to decompress that file as it is played. There are codecs for both audio and video. A tremendous amount of codecs, each with there own various licensing, compression levels, and quality loss levels exist. Some of the more rare codecs can frequently cause playback and compatibility issues and should be avoided for use in trial settings. For a more detailed list of codecs, go here. Some common examples of Codecs notable for trial services include:

MPEG-1 – a low compression, highly stable codec which is the standard for use in synchronized depositions.

MPEG-2 – a video compression format used by DVD formats and sometimes used for synchronizing depositions. This format can cause stability issues with longer depositions

XviD – an older high compression, high quality codec often used when ripping DVDs

X264 (MPEG-4) – a modern high compression, high quality codec used for most high definition videos found on devices and videos today.

What is a container?

A container is a bundle of files, usually consisting of a video codec and an audio codec. A container can also bundle data and data objects like subtitles. The container is identifiable by the extension of the video file. Common containers include:

.MPG, .MPEG – a container for various iterations of the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 Codecs

.MP4– a video compression format the creates small file sizes and the best picture quality.  At this point, not all trial presentation software programs can handle the various codecs used to create MP4 files from video depositions.

Flash Video (.F4V, .FLV) – an adobe format based off the flash platform. While it can use the MPEG-4 Codec and the modern AAC audio codec, it is not as well supported in trial presentations systems and is slowly being replaced by .MP4 video across the web.

Matroska (.MKV) – the Matroska video format is one of the most versatile feature rich formats available that supports virtually any codec. It is also open source. Because it is a relatively newer container, it is not widely used in trial presentation systems.

.WMV – This is an older Microsoft format. Although the MPEG-4 codec is not well supported, WMVs are likely to play on windows based machines. WMV also is the most stable playback inside of older versions of PowerPoint. WMV can be problematic for Mac users.

.MOV – This is an older QuickTime video format supported on Apple platforms. While it is the most feature rich container, it is not commonly used with trial presentation systems and should likely be converted to a more suitable format.