10 replies to this topic

[vijay.gupta]

Can anyone please help me understand the difference between container format and video format? As far as I understood by reading on Wikipedia and other sites (random searches on Google), container format is basically wrapper format in which data in various formats can co-exist. Now, I read this (about container format) because I come to know that .avi format is a container format which wraps audio and video. There are 2 queries: 1) What is the meaning of audio and video format here? Does it mean that audio is pure audio and video is pure video (and no audio with it. If yes, then can anyone please let me know of pure video format?

[Jimbo1]

Can anyone please help me understand the difference between container format and video format?

As far as I understood by reading on Wikipedia and other sites (random searches on Google), container format is basically wrapper format in which data in various formats can co-exist.

You said your self Google is your best friend.

Now, I read this (about container format) because I come to know that .avi format is a container format which wraps audio and video.

Looks to me you found the answer to this.

What is the meaning of audio and video format here? Does it mean that audio is pure audio and video is pure video (and no audio with it. If yes, then can anyone please let me know of pure video format?

Here is a link to some of what you are asking about pure Video.

http://www.nvidia.co...revideo_HD.html

Jimbo1

[terry1966]

1) What is the meaning of audio and video format here? Does it mean that audio is pure audio and video is pure video (and no audio with it. If yes, then can anyone please let me know of pure video format?

codecs :- http://windows.micro...asked-questions

ARE CODECS AND FILE FORMATS THE SAME?
No, although it can be confusing because they sometimes have the same name. You can think of a file format as a type of container. Inside the container is data that has been compressed by using a particular codec. For example, a file format such as Windows Media Audio contains data that is compressed by using the Windows Media Audio codec. However, a file format such as Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) can contain data that is compressed by any of a number of different codecs, including the MPEG-2, DivX, or XviD codecs. AVI files can also contain data that is not compressed by any codec. Consequently, you might be able to play some AVI files and not others, depending on which codecs were used to compress the file and which codecs you have installed on your computer. For the same reason, you also might be able to play the audio portion of an AVI file, but not the video portion.

XviD :- http://www.xvidmovies.com/faq/#1.1

It's important to understand that video and audio are two separate things, which when combined make up movies. A movie consists of a video stream for the picture and an audio stream for the sound. The XviD codec is what makes it possible to decode the video stream, but it has nothing to do with decoding the audio stream. If the sound in a movie isn't working you have to find out which audio codec is missing and install it.

it's the players job(mplayer, vlc, etc) to decode and put both sound and video together using the correct codecs and output it for you to watch/listen to.

[Jimbo1]

1) What is the meaning of audio and video format here? Does it mean that audio is pure audio and video is pure video (and no audio with it. If yes, then can anyone please let me know of pure video format?

codecs :- http://windows.micro...asked-questions

ARE CODECS AND FILE FORMATS THE SAME?
No, although it can be confusing because they sometimes have the same name. You can think of a file format as a type of container. Inside the container is data that has been compressed by using a particular codec. For example, a file format such as Windows Media Audio contains data that is compressed by using the Windows Media Audio codec. However, a file format such as Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) can contain data that is compressed by any of a number of different codecs, including the MPEG-2, DivX, or XviD codecs. AVI files can also contain data that is not compressed by any codec. Consequently, you might be able to play some AVI files and not others, depending on which codecs were used to compress the file and which codecs you have installed on your computer. For the same reason, you also might be able to play the audio portion of an AVI file, but not the video portion.

XviD :- http://www.xvidmovies.com/faq/#1.1

It's important to understand that video and audio are two separate things, which when combined make up movies. A movie consists of a video stream for the picture and an audio stream for the sound. The XviD codec is what makes it possible to decode the video stream, but it has nothing to do with decoding the audio stream. If the sound in a movie isn't working you have to find out which audio codec is missing and install it.

it's the players job(mplayer, vlc, etc) to decode and put both sound and video together using the correct codecs and output it for you to watch/listen to.

Nice one Terry1966

[vijay.gupta]

it's the players job(mplayer, vlc, etc) to decode and put both sound and video together using the correct codecs and output it for you to watch/listen to.

@Terry - Thanks for the response. I just want to confirm the format for this audio and video stream. As per my understanding, example format for audio stream is mp3 and example format for video stream is jpeg. Also, every video format (like mkv etc) is also a container format because it consists of audio and video stream. Can you please confirm my understanding?

Edited by vijay.gupta, 20 February 2011 - 05:44 AM.

[terry1966]

yes that is my understanding too, mkv is both the format and the codec.

Edited by terry1966, 20 February 2011 - 12:50 PM.

[vijay.gupta]

Thanks Terry. Can you please confirm if every video format is also a container format?

Edited by vijay.gupta, 20 February 2011 - 12:07 PM.

[terry1966]

by video format only,

i'm assuming you mean a file that ends in .??? of what ever video format.

and then can not include any type of audio file with the video file thus turning it into what you think of as a container format,

the truthful answer is i don't know,

i don't think any video formats are containers for both audio and video to start off with, video formats are exactly that video only, but i don't know why they couldn't be turned into containers by adding a sound file to them.

that's my problem i know a little about a lot, but not a lot about anything..

and my memory confuses things sometimes.

but here's a list of video file formats just to give you an idea of how many different types there are and not just the ones we know as "video files" containing both sound and video. :- http://www.fileinfo....filetypes/video



has usual memory was playing up a bit when i wrote this post..
format is just a standard way of coding things.
yes there are video only formats that have no sound, so no not all video formats are container formats.
if your talking about a video being a movie with sound then yes it is always in a container format.

Edited by terry1966, 20 February 2011 - 08:01 PM.

[terry1966]

here's a link that i think might answer any more questions you have about video formats a lot better than i can. :- http://www.videoformatguide.com/

[terry1966]

here's a better link maybe :- http://en.wikipedia....e_formats#Video

gives a list of video formats and tells you which are the container formats like avi and mkv.

Edited by terry1966, 20 February 2011 - 04:23 PM.

[terry1966]

been thinking about this more, and seeing if i could come up with a better way of explaining, without getting to technical with details i don't really know anyway. this is how i understand things, a digital video stream is just lots of pictures, and each picture is just a lot of 0's and 1's. a digital sound stream is just a lot of noise also made up of lots of 0's and 1's now formats(codecs) are just a standard way of breaking the picture/sound down into these 0's and 1's one video format might break down the picture so the first 10 bits(bit is either a 0 or 1) mean the height of the picture but with another format they might mean the width, etc. when you play the file using the correct codec you'll get the picture back but of course no sound. the same thing applies to a sound format, now container formats will take both a video format file and a sound format file and store them into a single file, say in an avi container format the first 10 bits of data are for video info and the next 10 bits are for music info and so it goes on until there is no more data in the video or music files, when played you'll get both sound and picture just as long as the player has the correct codecs to use. anything you watch with sound means the file is in a container format, but if there's no sound doesn't mean it's in a video only format, might be it's a container format but with no sound data or the player is missing the correct sound codec to decode the sound, even tho it knows every other 10 bits is the sound data.

Edited by terry1966, 20 February 2011 - 07:48 PM.