MOV video file uses a proprietary compression algorithm developed by Apple Computer. Mac still remains supreme with the.mov and.mpeg file types. Naturally, MOV is the standard and best video format for Mac. It is known to have the best video quality of all three streaming formats listed here. Any Video Converter Free Mac is the best free video converter to convert any video to MP4, AVI, WMV, MP3, and download YouTube videos, edit video on macOS for free.
I was just wondering what format everyone uses to watch movies on your Macs. Everyone in my dorm is totally stoked on the Divx and Xvid formats but I couldn't seem to get them to run on my girlfriends iBook. Also I was wondering what formats offer the best compression/playback quality? I plan on buying the next revision of PowerBook and using it to rip DVDs and such so I was just wondering what software I will need. Thanks for all the help. - MacRumors
Watching movies, video clips, TV shows, etc are nothing extraordinary for Mac users, whether they are using MacBook Air, iMac or Mac Mini. But embarrassment comes if your video clips are incompatible with Mac computer. So what video formats do Macs play? Longing for the best video format for Mac? For those who want to know the best video format readable on Macs, this article may well suit you.
Mac Supported Media Formats
Until now there are about 100 media types are supported by Mac OS X, covering a range of video, audio, image and streaming formats. The following table specifically lists some common video and audio formats supported by Mac.
Supported Formats | |
---|---|
Mac compatible Audio file and data formats | AAC, AIFF, WAVE, uLaw, AC3, MPEG-3, MPEG-4 (.mp4, .m4a), .snd, .au, .caf, Adaptive multi-rate (.amr) |
Video file formats Supported by Macs | AVI, AVR, DV, M-JPEG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AAC, OpenDML, 3GPP, 3GPP2, AMC, H.264, HEVC, iTunes (.m4v), QuickTime (.mov, .qt) |
Note: If your files are not in the Mac best video audio formats list, you can resort to a professional video converter for Mac to convert the video to Macbook Air/Pro friendly MP4, MOV, H264, HEVC formats first.
What is the Best Video Format for macOS?
The video and audio formats listed above are fair-weather fan of Mac computer. The net result of this is that it's not just about whether the Mac can play the format or not, it's whether there is any Mac software to support the codec within the file too. In other words, only when the supported video comes with specific codec that Mac supports can your OS X play the file smoothly. The following will list the best video format Mac supports and codecs you will need for a successful playback on your Mac (MacBook/MBP/iMac).
- MOV (A filename extension for the QuickTime multimedia file format)
MOV video file uses a proprietary compression algorithm developed by Apple Computer. Mac still remains supreme with the .mov and .mpeg file types. Naturally, MOV is the standard and best video format for Mac. It is known to have the best video quality of all three streaming formats listed here.
- MP4(A digital multimedia format most commonly used to store video and audio, subtitles and still images.)
MP4 (MPEG 4) is actually a standard that Apple really pushed with Quicktime 6. So, accordingly, you can use .mp4 format just fine on a Mac. Attention shall be paid it's possible that what's going on is that they use the MPEG4 architecture but they're using a weird codec. Between the native QT7 codecs, the Perian ones, and Flip4Mac, you are mostly covered. But MP4 files encoded with MPEG-4 video or H.264 (preferred) video are also considered as one of the best video formats compatible with Mac OS.
- M4V (A video container format developed by Apple and is very similar to the MP4 format.)
Generally, Apple uses M4V encode video files, such as TV episodes, movies, and music videos, in its iTunes Store. The copyright of M4V files may be protected by using Apple's FairPlay DRM copy protection.
Tips: To Unlock protection protection from iTunes M4V videos, you can check the well-known video converter for Mac for help.
How to Convert Unfriendly Videos to Mac Best Video Formats with Ease?
Your overwhelming video files are not all created in the best Mac video formats like MOV, MP4 and M4V, then video conversion process from the Mac unsupported videos to the video format that Mac can best recognize seems to be of top priority. Consequently, you will need a professional Mac video converter for help. Don't worry, the world's No.1 fast video converter for Mac is ready for help. It is built in 370+ video and audio codes, thus you can convert any video to the best video formats for your Mac, be it MOV, MP4 or M4V. Thus enjoying the movies, TV shows, online YouTube videos, recorded HD videos, etc on your Macs like MacBook Air, MacBook, MBP, iMac Pro, iMac, Mac Mini, etc can be a cherry pie.
On top of successfully converting 4K HD or SD video to Mac supported video format MP4 MOV etc., this all-inclusive mac video file converter can also aid you to download and convert online video from YouTube, Facebook, Dailymotion, Myspace, Vimeo, Vevo, Instagram, Metacafe and another 1000 video music sharing sites. So if you wanna play YouTube FLV video, Facebook MKV video or Vimeo WebM video on your Macs, you are needless to look around to seek help from others, just this video converter monster can handle all of tough tasks.
And need to remind you that if you still have the demand to compress MP4 video file to smaller file size so as to better storing on your Macs with space saving and no quality loss, just leave this job to this Mac video converter program.
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From .WEBM, .OGG, .MP3, .MP4 and more, there are many video file formats you can expect to come across as a developer handling audio/video content in your application. Like in our last article The Complete Image File Extension List for Developers, and How to Choose the Best Audio File Format and Codec, in this article we'll delve into the different types of audio/video file types, and when to use which type of audio or video format for your application.
First, let's get a couple of common questions out of the way:
Which is the best video format?
Unfortunately, there is no single 'best' video format. The best video format for you depends on how you would like to balance the quality and size of the video file. Some formats are extremely small and are great for web video streaming, but are low quality. Other formats are high quality and the right choice for commercial videography but are very large in size.
What is the difference between a video codec, video container, and a video file format?
Video files are made of 2 parts: a codec and a container.
A video codec is a protocol for encoding and decoding video (the word codec comes from 'enCOde / DECode'). Common codecs include H.264, MPEG-4, and DivX. A well-engineered codec has high efficiency, or ability to preserve quality while reducing file size.
The container format is a definition of how the file metadata and data are structured, excluding how the video is actually encoded (which the codec determines). The container file holds the metadata and compressed video data which is encoded using the codec. The container format is also more generally called 'the format', and is reflected in the file's extension. Common container formats include .AVI, .MP4, and .MOV. Container formats can be paired with different codecs that influence what devices and programs the file will be compatible with.
![Video Video](http://www.macxdvd.com/mac-dvd-video-converter-how-to/article-image/compress-video-2-xrq.jpg)
Which file format is my video file?
On Mac, right-click the video file and click 'Get Info', then under 'More Info' you should see both the video and audio codec.
On Windows, right-click the file and click 'Properties'. Under the 'Details' tab you will see the file format and codecs used.
Which video format is the smallest?
As of now, the HEVC or H.265 codec is one of the most efficient available on the market and is commonly used to compress 8K UHD video. However, using the codec requires paying a licensing fee so it is not widely compatible or supported by devices or browsers. On the web, .WEBM and its corresponding VP8/VP9 codec are a widely compatible and popular way of making video files smaller.
However, it's important to consider factors besides size: where the files will be played and the required quality of the video. Next, we'll dive into each of the most popular container formats to understand the tradeoffs.
Video File Formats
.WEBM
Like the .WEBP image file, .WEBM was created by Google as an efficient means of disseminating media to a large audience. .WEBM video files are relatively small in size, and as such are not as high in terms of quality as some of the other file types on this list. The .WEBM video file format is used for HTML5 video streaming sites, such as YouTube.
.MPG, .MP2, .MPEG, .MPE, .MPV
.MPG, .MP2, .MPEG, .MPE, .MPV files can play audio/video media, or simply audio. They are low in file size but also relatively low in quality. They also have lossy compression, meaning their quality will degrade after being edited numerous times. .MPG, .MP2, .MPEG, .MPE, .MPV files are best used when video will be recorded once and never edited.
.OGG
.OGG files are an open-source alternative to .MPG files, and are used for high-quality videos to be streamed via the internet. Though .OGG files are used for streaming, they are higher in quality than .WEBM files – meaning they will take longer to be delivered to the end-user. Due to .OGG files being open sourced, they can be used in a variety of applications, including GPS receivers and media players (both desktop and portable).
.MP4, .M4P, .M4V
.MP4, .M4P, .M4V are similar to .MPG files in that they can contain audio and video, or can simply be solely audio files. Their file formats are lossless, which makes them ideal for editing as they won't lose quality through subsequent edits and file saves. .MP4, .M4P, and .M4V are used for streaming video via the internet. They are generally higher in quality than .WEBM files, but tend to be larger in file size. .M4V files are proprietary iTunes files that share the same qualities of .MP4 and .M4P files. M4V files are DRM copy-protected.
.AVI
.AVI files are one of the oldest and most compatible video file formats. Many different codecs can be used with an .AVI file, which means that this format has more flexibility in choosing a balance between quality and size. However, these files tend to be larger than the previously mentioned formats, which makes it less ideal for the web and more ideal for storing movies on a computer.
.WMV
.WMV is a video file format created by Microsoft and stands for Windows Media Video. The codec used by these files results in small file sizes but poor quality. This format is useful if you are sending video to someone with an older Windows computer.
.MOV, .QT
![Files Files](https://www.faasoft.com/images/video-converter-mac/download.jpg)
Which file format is my video file?
On Mac, right-click the video file and click 'Get Info', then under 'More Info' you should see both the video and audio codec.
On Windows, right-click the file and click 'Properties'. Under the 'Details' tab you will see the file format and codecs used.
Which video format is the smallest?
As of now, the HEVC or H.265 codec is one of the most efficient available on the market and is commonly used to compress 8K UHD video. However, using the codec requires paying a licensing fee so it is not widely compatible or supported by devices or browsers. On the web, .WEBM and its corresponding VP8/VP9 codec are a widely compatible and popular way of making video files smaller.
However, it's important to consider factors besides size: where the files will be played and the required quality of the video. Next, we'll dive into each of the most popular container formats to understand the tradeoffs.
Video File Formats
.WEBM
Like the .WEBP image file, .WEBM was created by Google as an efficient means of disseminating media to a large audience. .WEBM video files are relatively small in size, and as such are not as high in terms of quality as some of the other file types on this list. The .WEBM video file format is used for HTML5 video streaming sites, such as YouTube.
.MPG, .MP2, .MPEG, .MPE, .MPV
.MPG, .MP2, .MPEG, .MPE, .MPV files can play audio/video media, or simply audio. They are low in file size but also relatively low in quality. They also have lossy compression, meaning their quality will degrade after being edited numerous times. .MPG, .MP2, .MPEG, .MPE, .MPV files are best used when video will be recorded once and never edited.
.OGG
.OGG files are an open-source alternative to .MPG files, and are used for high-quality videos to be streamed via the internet. Though .OGG files are used for streaming, they are higher in quality than .WEBM files – meaning they will take longer to be delivered to the end-user. Due to .OGG files being open sourced, they can be used in a variety of applications, including GPS receivers and media players (both desktop and portable).
.MP4, .M4P, .M4V
.MP4, .M4P, .M4V are similar to .MPG files in that they can contain audio and video, or can simply be solely audio files. Their file formats are lossless, which makes them ideal for editing as they won't lose quality through subsequent edits and file saves. .MP4, .M4P, and .M4V are used for streaming video via the internet. They are generally higher in quality than .WEBM files, but tend to be larger in file size. .M4V files are proprietary iTunes files that share the same qualities of .MP4 and .M4P files. M4V files are DRM copy-protected.
.AVI
.AVI files are one of the oldest and most compatible video file formats. Many different codecs can be used with an .AVI file, which means that this format has more flexibility in choosing a balance between quality and size. However, these files tend to be larger than the previously mentioned formats, which makes it less ideal for the web and more ideal for storing movies on a computer.
.WMV
.WMV is a video file format created by Microsoft and stands for Windows Media Video. The codec used by these files results in small file sizes but poor quality. This format is useful if you are sending video to someone with an older Windows computer.
.MOV, .QT
.MOV and .QT files were developed by Apple to use with its Quicktime player. These files are of high quality but large in size. And they have poor compatibility with non-Quicktime players. This format is useful if you intend to archive a high-quality video on an Apple computer.
.FLV, .SWF
Matroska Video File For Mac
.FLV and .SWF files were designed by Adobe as the video file format for Flash. The use of these file formats has declined rapidly as Flash has become less popular, especially after Flash support ended for iOS devices. The use of these formats is only recommended if you need to support a legacy system that can only accept this type of file.
AVCHD
AVCHD or Advanced Video Coding High Definition files are the format generated by many digital camcorders. These files use the H.264/MPEG-4 video codec and are similar to an .MPG file.
How to choose the best video file format
Choosing the right video file format depends entirely on what you plan on using the video for. You should choose a format that achieves the quality of video you require, but nothing more. Unnecessarily high-quality video files can be unwieldy to move, share, convert, and manage. In addition, how the video files will be viewed is important. Not all programs, browsers, and devices can open a specific video format. Consider a couple of scenarios:
- If the video will be viewed on the web, choose a format that is supported by most browsers. This way, your video will be able to be played without downloading the file and using a separate player. Browser compatible video formats include MP4 and WEBM.
- If you are archiving a home video, choose a format that is high quality and has a good chance of being playable in the future. Open source formats are more future-proof than proprietary formats that are controlled by a specific company. Formats that fit this category are MP4 or AVI (using an open codec).
- If you work at a company that uses older Windows computers, you should choose a format that is highly compressed and compatible with Windows. In this case, you'd want to use a WMV file.
Conclusion
In summary, the most common video file types are:
- .WEBM
- .MPG, .MP2, .MPEG, .MPE, .MPV
- .OGG
- .MP4, .M4P, .M4V
- .AVI, .WMV
- .MOV, .QT
- .FLV, .SWF
- AVCHD
How to convert video file formats
Matroska Video File For Mac
There are certain times when it is best to use one file format over another, and often, you have to convert between file formats. To programmatically convert between audio or video file types, you can use Filestack's audio andvideo transcoding API. Filestack's API also supports extracting audio files from video files, cropping or resizing video files, extracting thumbnails from videos, and more. Get started for free with Filestack today.
Video File Compressor For Mac
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