TOML

Video File Formats - TOML

Video file formats are standards for storing digital video and audio in containers. Various formats such as MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, and WebM each have distinct characteristics in compression, compatibility, and functionality. Choosing the optimal format for your use case allows you to balance video quality, file size, and playback environment.

video file format MP4 MKV AVI MOV WebM codec container

[[items]]
code = "1"
slug = "mp4"
name = "MP4"
description = "The most widely used video file format."
bestFor = "[\"YouTube uploads\",\"Social media\",\"Mobile playback\",\"Streaming\"]"
compatibility = "Excellent"
developer = "MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)"
extension = ".mp4"
license = "Patent-encumbered"
releaseYear = 2001
supportedCodecs = "[\"H.264\",\"H.265/HEVC\",\"AV1\",\"MPEG-4\"]"

[[items]]
code = "2"
slug = "avi"
name = "AVI"
description = "A legacy video file format developed by Microsoft."
bestFor = "[\"Legacy compatibility\",\"Uncompressed video\",\"Windows environments\"]"
compatibility = "Good (Windows)"
developer = "Microsoft"
extension = ".avi"
license = "Proprietary"
releaseYear = 1992
supportedCodecs = "[\"DivX\",\"Xvid\",\"H.264\",\"H.265\",\"MPEG-4\"]"

[[items]]
code = "3"
slug = "mkv"
name = "MKV"
description = "An open-source, high-functionality video container format."
bestFor = "[\"Media archiving\",\"Multi-language content\",\"Blu-ray backup\",\"Anime storage\"]"
compatibility = "Good (PC-focused)"
developer = "Matroska/CoreCodec"
extension = ".mkv"
license = "Open-source"
releaseYear = 2002
supportedCodecs = "[\"H.264\",\"H.265\",\"VP8\",\"VP9\",\"AV1\",\"DivX\",\"Xvid\"]"

[[items]]
code = "4"
slug = "mov"
name = "MOV"
description = "A professional video format developed by Apple."
bestFor = "[\"Professional editing\",\"Mac workflows\",\"High-quality preservation\",\"Post-production\"]"
compatibility = "Best on Apple devices"
developer = "Apple"
extension = ".mov"
license = "Proprietary"
releaseYear = 1991
supportedCodecs = "[\"Apple ProRes\",\"H.264\",\"H.265\",\"MPEG-4\"]"

[[items]]
code = "5"
slug = "webm"
name = "WebM"
description = "An open-source video format optimized for the web."
bestFor = "[\"Web embedding\",\"HTML5 video\",\"Streaming\",\"Bandwidth-limited scenarios\"]"
compatibility = "Modern browsers only"
developer = "Google"
extension = ".webm"
license = "Royalty-free"
releaseYear = 2010
supportedCodecs = "[\"VP8\",\"VP9\",\"AV1\",\"Vorbis\",\"Opus\"]"