What are the various video formats used and how to play/convert them?
Video Formats
- VOB – This is the format in which the DVD video files are present. You can find them in Video_TS folder of your DVD. There are usually more than one VOB files if the DVD is of a complete movie. Each VOB may correspond to a part of the movie or a chapter.
Advantages: - Being as close to DVD quality is is the aim of making any vido file. SO it is the standard to which other formats are compared. Superb audio and visual quality is the hallmark. Plays on standalone DVD players, so can be watched on TV.
Disadvantages: - Huge size so eats up whole discs and hence cost becomes a factor.
- DAT – The VCD video. Can be found in the MPEGAV folder of your VCD. Quality is nowhere in comparison to DVD/ newer compression standards.
Advantages: - Plays on old VCD players as well as most standalone DVD players.
Disadvantages - Poor quality.
- AVI – Audio Video Interleave", Microsoft's old, but widespread container. This is the format that you most often download as what are called DVD rips. Since AVI is a container it can contain videos in various codecs DIVX, XVID (MPEG 4), X264 MP4.
- Divx – This was one of the most popular codecs that combines very high quality with wonderful compression.
Advantages - Great quality to compression ratio hence a preferred codec for DVD rips. Plays on Divx compatible DVD players.
- Xvid – More or less the same as Divx with the additional advantage of being open source and possibly less pixelation. Some people still prefer Divx but XVid is fast becoming the standard format for ripping DVDs.
Advantages: - Open source codec, great quality to compression ratio.
- X264 MP4 in AVI – another codec that is becoming popular but most people feel that AVI is not the appropriate container for MP4.
- MP4 in MKV container – A possible threat to Xvid as it gives even better compression than Divx/ XVid. Nero have come up with their own MP4 codec format known as Nero Digital MP4. x264 MP4 (MPEG 4 AVC) is open source however. None of the standalone players at present support these formats and this is a drawback. There is a news that nero digital compatible players will be launched soon.
- WMV – The windows media video format with its latest WMV9 codec. Gives good compression but lacks flexibility and plays on few selected players.
- Real Media – RV/ RMVB – Propriety of real networks. Lossy compression. Does not play on any standalone players at the moment. Gives excellent compression, but as mentioned it is lossy (loss in quality).
Playing files
- VLC/ KMplayer/ GOM player will play almost all formats except real media.
- If you just want to play files, you don’t need to install codec packs. The above mentioned players and real player will play almost anything. If you are into encoding, install klite mega pack with real alternative and x264 AVC.
- Gspot is a tiny utility which will easily enable you to identify what codec the video uses.
Converting files
- DVD to Divx/ Xvid – MEGUI/ Gordian Knot/ Auto Gordian Knot/ Fairuse Wizard/ Staxrip,
- DVD to X264 Mp4 – MEGUI
- DVD to WMV/ RM – WinAvi/ Xilisoft/ Total Video Converter should do the job.
- DAT to Divx/ XVid – Virtualdub/ Lonely Cat Smart Movie Converter.
- AVI/ DAT to real media - Real Producer Basic.
- AVI(Divx/ Xvid) to DVD - ConvertX to DVD, Avi2DVD, TMPGEnc Xpress
Total Video Converter (TVC) and SUPER are two wonderful utilities that convert almost anything to anything. TVC is not a freeware though.
Conversions depend on the purpose the video is intended to be used. For posting small clips on eXBii, preferably convert them to Xvid using vritualdub and change the resolution and audio bitrate so that the eventual size of the video is small. Real media is another alternative.
What all plays where
- For old DVD players – Only DVDs and VCDs will play. If you want to play your video files on these, use NERO and burn them either as DVD video files or VCDs.
- For DVD players that support Divx - DVD, VCD, AVI files with DIVX and XVID codec will play on these players. Burn a data CD/ DVD and play them.
