Posted by Captain Midnight on 02/04/07 21:13

"Laphan" <info@PleaseDontSpam.com> wrote in message
news:12sc1iql98k0o77@corp.supernews.com...
>
> Hi All
>
> Could somebody please advise me as to which is the best file format for
> video.
>
> I've saved some DVD content as AVI and it created a huge file and the file
> wouldn't play unless the right codec was installed in my friend's laptop.
> All very messy.
>
> I've tried WMV, which did create a smaller file size, but I thought AVI
was
> the standard? If WMV makes smaller files and no codec issues then why
> doesn't everybody simply use WMV?
>
> Is AVI really MPEG-4?
>
> I've seen that I can save a file as MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 and I didn't know if
> these would be better formats, ie compatibility and file size wise.
>
> Any pointers you can give to fill the huge gaps in my knowledge would be
> really appreciated.
>
> Thanks

AVI is a container file. Until recently it usually held an uncompressed
file. Obviously that's the CoDec type you used. You have a larger file
without gaining any quality. Newer MPG4 variants use the AVI container too.
They're slightly more efficient than MPG2 but aren't very compatible.

AFAIC MPG2 is the top standard because it mostly what's used in DVDs. It's
also what's used in digital TV in the US. Some older AVI and MPG1 is in the
DVD standard but is seldom used.

I use MPG2 almost exclusively and convert to other formats when needed. If
you use something else it's much more likely you'll have to convert it to
MPG2 than the other way around. To me the small increase in efficiency of
the newer formats aren't worth the hassle.

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