The fact that it’s an older codec also explains all its different names: the codec was standardized by both MPEG and the International Telecommunication Union around 2002, and over time multiple codec developers have created versions of the codec. While H.264 is not the newest codec in the land, it’s certainly been the most widely adopted. (It may also sometimes be referred to as H.264/MPEG-4, or MPEG-4 AVC.) It’s versatile, provides quality video, avoids many concerns surrounding royalties, and can play on nearly any device. In 2021, and most likely the immediate future, the most commonly used video codec by far (and especially for streaming) is H.264/AVC, often referred to as just AVC or H.264. (“MPEG” refers to the Moving Picture Experts Group who developed the standards.) We’ve come a long way since then! MPEG coding standards, which have been the most popular standards for video codecs, were originally invented in the 1990s to compress analog videos. For a deeper technical look at video codecs, particularly how they affect video encoding, you can also check here. With that, we’ll move on to discuss the most commonly used video codecs of the current day. Old-timers (!!!) might also remember hearing about codecs such as MPEG-2, which is used for DVD/Blu-ray, broadcast, and satellite, or even “film” delivery codecs such as the Apple ProRes 422 family and DNxHD/DNxHR. In addition, lossy and lossless video codecs, a distinction should be made between a capture codec (something your camera might use), an editing codec (something that’s optimized for video or photo editing), and a deliverable codec (the codec dictating the settings of the content an end-user watches).ĭesignated “delivery” codecs for streaming include H.264 (as mentioned, this is a key one), WMV, VP6(…and up), and several others.
The data thrown out is generally considered unnecessary. But fear not! “Lossy” codecs are good actually, because they are capable of delivering both high-quality video and reasonable data rates the objective of a good delivery codec is to provide the best quality deliverable possible so that viewers will never miss any data “lost” in the compression process. But let’s keep in mind uncompressed audio and video files are huge, making them challenging to store and transport.įor purposes of video streaming, you’ll virtually always be using lossy codecs because they lower the data rate, so we won’t cover lossless codecs much here. A camera, for instance, may shoot with a lossless codec. Codec technology is essential and involved every step of the way in creating, editing, and delivering digital video.Īs a broad note, there are two essential types of video codec: “lossless” and “lossy” –based on how exactly original captured image data is reproduced after decompression.
However, a codec is distinct in that it must be able to do BOTH compression and decompression.
The concept may sound familiar from some of our other posts about streaming media, compression, and comparing software vs. Video codecs are essential to the process of video streaming no codecs, no streaming media, as they say. At the most basic level, a video codec applies an algorithm that compresses video files into a “container format.” When the video files are transported (particularly across the internet) the codec decompresses them so they’re suitable for viewing. Additionally, codecs are used to optimize files for playback. So, a video codec is a hardware or software that compresses and decompresses digital video, to make file sizes smaller and storage and distribution of the videos easier. Let’s start at the beginning: “Codec” is a portmanteau word combining “encoder” and “decoder” (or possibly “compressor-decompressor”).
Sources for Video Codecs to Download for FREE.Commonly Used Video Codecs in 2021-2022.
Continue through below for the full picture, or skip over to the subhead that’s most relevant to what you want to know. However, if you’re looking to learn the ins and outs of video codecs, now’s your chance! This article is going to take a deep dive into the video codec, what it is, what it does, and what some of the most popular current solutions are. Video codecs have come up around here before, usually as a part of a larger conversation about transcoding and streaming.