Video conversion is no longer a difficult task, as there are several programs available for purchase not only online, but in stores as well. You only need to look for the proper one, but most now are able to process different video formats. Depending on how you want the file to be converted and what OS your PC is running on, you can choose WMV, MPEG or MP4 converter for Mac or Windows. For many people, the process is a no-brainer.
Before choosing a converter, you have to check out the formats it supports. It should be able to process videos to whatever format you choose. At the same time, it should be compatible with the format of your original videos.
There are other considerations like the quality, conversion speed, and features. It is important to know whether changing the format would affect the quality.
Expensive, famous software does not affect the quality, resolution, and size of files. How fast it takes is another factor that determines the reliability of the converter. Today, many people want much control when converting their files. Some important aspects that people like to have control of are the bit rate, frame rate, and size.
What are common video formats?
AVI
AVI means Audio Video Interleave, which is basically for Windows. This container format was created in 1992 for Windows 3.1, but newer container formats have been developed, like the MPEG and MP4. However, the AVI format is still widely used today. With AVI, audio and video are fused into a single file, making sure the sound is in sync with the picture. The simple format allows AVI videos to be played on other operating systems, like Mac and Linux.
WMV
This format was introduced in 1999, and now it is a popular format for those files being posted online. That is why many people want to change to this format. WMV converter for Mac users are available online. Windows Media Video is Microsoft’s video encoding solution and is its own version of the MPEG4 technology.
MP4
MP4 is a combination of several multimedia tracks into one. This was created by Motion Pictures Experts Group or MPEG. Text and graphic files can be stored in the MP4 format. The versatility of MP4 also allows it to be compatible with 2D and 3D animation.
MPEG
The Moving Picture Experts Group sets the bar in digital video and audio compression. MPEG files play well on computers with capable processors and memory space. These files are smaller than other video files of the same quality.
FLV
Macromedia initially created the FLV or Flash Live Video, which is a file format purposely designed to deliver video over the internet. It needs Adobe Flash Player version 6 or up. The content of the file can be embedded within SWF files, and the embedded video on the internet is usually in the FLV format. If you watch YouTube, you are watching videos in FLV format.
So now the question is why there is a need to convert files from one format to another? Well, it should be easy to answer now. With the differences among video formats, one may be more suitable for a certain purpose.
