This prevalent video file format integrates MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video and audio compression. MPEG-1 is almost exclusively used for VCDs (Video Compact Disks ), which failed to catch on in the US but remain popular in other countries. MPEG-2 (also known as H.262) is used for DVDs and broadcast HDTV.

The MPEG-4 format is used to share files on the web. Video and audio tracks are compressed separately where the video file is compressed with MPEG-4 encoding and audio with AAC compression, which is the same audio compression type used in .AAC files.

The WMV codec is a popular choice for streaming video or audio – where a small portion of a video or audio file downloads and begins to play while the full download continues behind the scenes. WMV includes support for high definition 720 and 1080 resolutions. Based on the ASF container, files ending in the .wmv suffix are normally stored in the .asf container.

The H.264 codec is a popular standard for high definition digital video. It’s a versatile little codec and works with very high and very low bit-rates. For example, it can send low resolution and highly compressed videos across the web and then can easily encode high definition movies at high bit-rates to play on a HD television. The H.264 codec is often used with digital video cameras and camcorders and it uses the AVCHD container.

AVI files are the long running digital video workhorse from the Microsoft stable. The format’s popularity has dipped in recent times but AVI still reigns supreme with the swarms of legacy videos propagating the internet. AVI was replaced by Microsoft’s Windows Media Video (WMV) format and usually offers less compression than comparable video file formats including MOV and MPEG. It also does not allow users to select aspect ratios manually, which can be a rather irritating feature.

The MOV and QT Apple QuickTime Movie file formats both support a wide range of codecs. The.mov format saves video files and the .qt suffix is cross-platform, meaning that it supports both Mac and Windows systems. The two file extensions are commonly saved together.

Flash Video has been around for some time and comes in numerous versions. Old Flash videos tend to use the Sorenson codec and new Flash uses H.264. It is a popular container format for streaming videos across the internet but a large drawback is that it is not supported on IOS devices such as iPhone's and iPad's.