Audio Video Converters – Converts Media Files

A media file format (or sometimes referred to as a wrapper format) is a format that can contain various types of data such as audio and video data. The data is compressed using a codec. A codec (coder and decoder compound) is the algorithm used to compress and/or decompress stream multimedia data to reduce the number of bytes needed to store or send.

Some files are limited to audio formats such as WAV files for Windows, AIFF for Mac and XMF; some are restricted to still images as FITS and TIFF. There is also a flexible file; that can withstand several types of audio, video and other media such as ASF files for Windows, MP4 and Matroska. The most common multimedia file are:

3GP – used by mobile phones

ASF – standard WMA and WMV containers

AVI – Windows standard containers

Matroska – an open standard container

MPEG – standard container for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2

MP4 – standard container for MPEG-4

Ogg – free and open standard container for codec Vorbis (audio) and Theora (video)

There are also media converters available online. You can find out more about them by visiting their website.

Here is a comparison of the different file formats popular these days (from Wikipedia).

3GP

Support for B-frames; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; 3GPP Timed Text subtitle; supports MPEG-4 Part 2, H.263, and MPEG-4 video format H.264 / AVC; support AAC, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AMR-WB, HE-AAC and HE-AAC version 2 audio formats

Advanced Systems Format

Support for B-frames, chapters, subtitles, and metadata/tags; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; supports almost all video formats through the DMO or VFW; supports almost every audio via ACM or DMO

AVI

Support for B-frames; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; chapters and subtitles through modification of a third party; supports almost all video formats through the VFW; supports almost all audio formats through ACM

Matroska (MKV, MKA)

Support for B-frames, chapters, subtitles, and metadata/tags; variable bit rate audio; variable frame rate; supports almost all video and audio formats

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