---
title: 'Explaining Digital Video: Formats, Codecs & Containers'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=-4NXxY4maYc'
video_id: '-4NXxY4maYc'
date: 2026-07-28
duration_sec: 883
---

# Explaining Digital Video: Formats, Codecs & Containers

> Source: [Explaining Digital Video: Formats, Codecs & Containers](https://youtube.com/watch?v=-4NXxY4maYc)

## Summary

This video explains the fundamentals of digital video formats, focusing on the distinction between video codecs and containers. It covers common codecs like H.264, H.265, ProRes, and DNxHD, as well as containers such as MP4, MOV, and MXF, and how they combine to create various video formats for acquisition and delivery.

### Key Points

- **Digital Video Formats Defined by Codec and Container** [00:35] — Digital video formats are not defined by file extension but by a combination of a video codec and a container. File extensions indicate the container, not the codec.
- **Common Codecs and Containers** [01:37] — Common codecs include H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), H.262 (MPEG-2), MJPEG, ProRes, DNxHD, and DNxHR. Common containers include MP4, AVI, MOV, MXF, 3GP, 3G2, MTS, M2TS, and TS.
- **MiniDV Tape as a Container Example** [02:21] — A MiniDV tape is a container that can store video encoded with different codecs: consumer DV, professional DVCAM, or HDV. This illustrates that the container does not determine the format.
- **Intra-frame vs Inter-frame Compression** [03:29] — Intra-frame compression encodes each frame individually, while inter-frame compression uses keyframes and delta frames. Intra-frame is higher quality and easier to edit but produces larger files.
- **H.264 (AVC) Codec** [05:56] — H.264 is a popular inter-frame codec defined by MPEG in MPEG-4 Part 10. It produces relatively small files but can also be used as an intra-frame codec in some professional formats.
- **H.265 (HEVC) Codec** [06:40] — H.265 is a newer inter-frame codec that offers the same quality as H.264 with roughly half the data rate, but requires more processing power for encoding and decoding.
- **H.262 (MPEG-2) Codec** [07:15] — H.262 is an older inter-frame codec used for standard definition TV broadcasts and DVDs. It is less efficient than H.264 or H.265, producing larger files.
- **Common Containers: MP4, AVI, MOV** [07:48] — MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14), AVI (Audio Video Interleave), and MOV (QuickTime Movie) are common containers that can store video encoded with many different codecs.
- **Niche Containers: MXF, 3GP, MTS** [08:45] — MXF is used in professional production, 3GP/3G2 for mobile phones, and MTS/M2TS/TS for AVCHD and Blu-ray.
- **Examples of Video Formats for Acquisition** [09:33] — AVCHD uses H.264 with MTS/M2TS containers. XAVC-I and XAVC-L use H.264 with MXF or MP4 containers. XF-AVC uses H.264 with MXF. ProRes is stored in MOV, DNxHD/DNxHR in MXF or MOV.
- **Delivery Formats** [11:25] — For consumer delivery, H.264 in MP4 is common and recommended for YouTube. Professional delivery often uses MXF with ProRes, DNxHD, DNxHR, or AVC Intra. Digital cinema uses DCP with MJPEG in MXF.

### Conclusion

Digital video formats are complex, combining codecs and containers. Understanding this distinction is crucial for choosing the right format for shooting, editing, delivering, and archiving video.

## Transcript

[Music]
welcome to another video from explaining
computers
this time i'm going to talk about
digital video
formats to do this i also need to
explain
digital video codecs and containers
so let's go and get started
digital video files can have many
different file extensions
including mp4 mov and
mxf however the first thing to
understand about digital video formats
is that they're not defined by their
file type
this makes digital video formats far
more complex than for example
image formats where you can be certain
that a jpg
file is an image in the jpeg format
rather than being defined by a file type
a digital video format
is a combination of a video codec and a
container
codec stands for coder decoder and
refers to the algorithm used to
digitally encode a video
meanwhile a container is a digital box
or wrapper
used to store video streams in related
content in a single
file it is therefore digital video
containers that can be identified by
their file extension
and not digital video formats
today the great many video codecs and
containers are in use
with common codecs including h.264
also known as avc h.265
also known as hevc h.262
also known as mpeg-2 part 2 mjpeg
prores dnxhd and dnxhr
common containers include mp4 avi
mov mxf 3gp and 3g2
and mts m2ts and ts
there are many other digital video
codecs and containers
but the ones listed are those i'll
explain in more detail
later in this video
as you probably gathered digital video
is complex
and can get somewhat confusing so
to help us get our heads around the
critical concept the video format being
a combination of a codec
and a container let's take a look at one
of these
a mini dv tape which was for years a
common means of storing
digital video however a minidv
tape is a container and not a format as
it can be used to store video
in three different ways specifically a
minidv
tape like this one can store video
encoded with the standard definition
consumer dv
codec with a professional standard
definition codec called
dv cam and with a high definition codec
called hdv this means that it's
impossible to look at the dv
tape like this and to know its format
and precisely the same is true when it
comes to digital video
files where the file extension indicates
the container
but not the videos codec
digital video just like a reel of movie
film
is made up of a series of still frames
a codec or coder decoder digitally
encodes these frames
with the term codec used to refer to
both the software or hardware
that performs the encoding operation as
well as the algorithm
it applies because videos contain a
great deal of information
most but not all codecs compress a
video's frames
to limit file size such compression can
also
be achieved in two ways known as
intra-frame
and interframe intra-frame compression
compresses each frame individually in
contrast
inter-frame compression stores some
complete frames as keyframes
but all frames in between as delta
frames which only contain
incremental changes this allows
interframe compression
to produce smaller video files however
intra-frame video is generally of a
higher quality
and is easier for a computer to edit as
every frame is immediately accessible
so if you are planning to edit your
video it's best to shoot it using an
intra-frame codec if possible
common intra-frame codecs include mjpeg
prores dnxhd and dnxhr
as you may guess mjpeg stands for motion
jpeg
and stores each video frame or field as
an individual jpeg image
prores is a family of intraframe codecs
created by
apple which is widely used in
professional video acquisition
and production for different codecs in
the prores family are named prores 422
proxy which has the lowest data rate and
quality
up to prores 444xq which has a very high
data rate
and produces very large files
dnxhd stands for digital non-linear
extensible high definition and is a
family of intra-frame codecs
created by avid for professional video
editing but now also used for
acquisition
as you may guess dnxhr is a higher
resolution
version of dnxhd supporting 4k video
and above in common with prores dnxhd
and dnxhr data rates and file sizes can
get very large
indeed
one of the most popular codecs in use
today is h.264
also known as avc or advanced video
coding
h.264 was defined by the motion picture
experts group
or mpeg in part 10 of their standard
mpeg-4
most of the time h.264 is an interframe
codec
that produces relatively small video
files by storing keyframes
and the incremental differences between
them however
the specification allows h.264 to be
used
as an intra-frame codec and some
professional video formats take
advantage of this
usually describing their codec as iframe
h264
a more recent and increasingly popular
interframe codec
is h.265 also known as hevc
or high efficiency video coding this was
also defined by the motion picture
experts group
in part two of their standard mpeg-h and
can produce video with the same quality
as an interframe h.264 codec
with roughly half the data rate and file
size
however h.265 requires more computer
power to encode and decode with h.264
and so is not as easy to edit
an earlier and still very important
interframe codec
is h.262 which was defined by the motion
picture experts group
in part two of their mpeg-2 standard
h.262 is not as efficient as h.264
or h.265 so produces much larger video
files however it is still widely used
for standard definition digital
television broadcasts
and dvds
as noted earlier a digital video format
is a combination of a video codec and a
container
here a container is a digital box or
wrapper
that is used to store a video stream as
well as one or more accompanying audio
streams
and potentially other related content
such as subtitles
and metadata digital video containers
include mp4 avi and
mov mp4 was defined by the motion
picture experts group
in their mpeg-4 part 14 specification
avi was developed by microsoft and
stands for audio video into leave
and mav was created by apple and is
short for movie
all three of these containers can store
video encoded with many different codecs
with mp4 and mov currently having the
widest
range of both professional and consumer
applications
more niche containers include mxf 3gp
and 3g2 as well as mts m2ts
and ts mxf stands for material exchange
format
and is a container used in professional
video production and distribution
meanwhile 3gp and 3g2 are containers
developed by the third generation
partnership project
for use on mobile phones finally
mts m2ts and ts
were created for the avchd video format
and blu-ray discs and stand for mpeg
transport stream
and peg 2 transport stream and transport
stream
respectively
the codecs and containers we've just
looked at can be combined
to create a wide variety of video
formats some of which
are mainly used for recording and others
for the delivery of final video files
to provide just a few examples when it
comes to acquisition
videos recorded in the still relatively
popular consumer format
avchd which stands for advanced video
coding high definition
use the h.264 codec and either an mts
or m2ts container the xavc-i
and xavcl formats used on many sony
cameras then store h.264 video in an mxf
container
while the closely related xavcs format
uses an h.264 codec and an mp4 container
many canon cameras shoot in a format
called xfavc
which again uses the h.264 codec and an
mxf container
often especially in the consumer arena
video formats are not given a name
for example most dslrs do not declare a
format
but use an h.264 or h.265 codec
with either an mp4 or mov container
similarly video captured on cameras and
recorders that use a prores codec
is typically described as being in the
prores format
and stored in a mod container whilst
dnxhd
and dnxhr codec videos are usually
placed in either an fxf
or mov file videos shot on smartphones
also don't have a named format but are
usually encoded with an h264 or h.265
codec
and stored in a 3gp 3g2
or mp4 container on an android device or
in a mav container
on an iphone
when it comes to the delivery of final
digital video files
once again we often lack specific format
names
although h264 and h.265 codex
used with mp4 or mov containers are the
most common
in the consumer space and if you are
ever in doubt
render your final video using the h.264
codec
and an mp4 container as this is always a
very safe bet
as well as being the recommended upload
format for youtube
the professional delivery of final video
files
usually takes place in an mxf container
using codecs that include prores dnxhd
and dnxhr this said
an intra-frame panasonic codec called
avc
intra is also very common
indeed in october 2014 all uk
broadcasters began using a format called
as11dp for hd program delivery
which uses the avc intra codec and an
mxf container
finally most cinemas these days project
from a format
called digital cinema package or dcp
this uses an mjpeg codec and an mxf
container
so the mjpeg codec is not as rare
as you may have imagined
for the best part of a century the most
stable and widespread motion picture
format
was this 35 millimeter film now
technically we could argue that even the
role of 35 millimeter film
is a container and not a format because
the
frames on a roll of 35 millimeter film
can be
optically stretched to accommodate
different aspect ratios and
the vista vision format shot 35
millimeter film
horizontally and not vertically in order
to get a bigger frame with higher
resolution but for the most part
for the best part of about a hundred
years if you wanted to shoot
high quality moving images with a good
archive potential
you chose the 35 millimeter film format
today digital video reigns supreme
online on television and in the cinema
and as we've seen in this video there
are a wide range of codecs and
containers available
which give us a bewildering array of
digital video formats
and deciding which one to shoot in to
edit in to deliver in
and to archive in is a very tricky
decision
but i hope at least in this video i've
given you some useful
information but now
that's it from me and the role of 35
millimeter film
if you've enjoyed what you've seen here
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[Music]
you