Container video files.
Container format files are widely used to keep multiple types of digital media in a single file for easy storage and transfer. They’re pivotal during the video production phase and ensure all aspects of your video are kept in one place, for ease of use.
Read on to learn how container video files work, and why they’re the preferred format when it comes to file transfers or video streaming.
What is a video container?
Also known as a wrapper or metafile, the container format file stores multiple media streams such as video, audio, subtitles, and metadata in one place. Metadata synchronizes and aligns all embedded streams and keep things running smoothly.
Container files help to efficiently store and transfer complex file structures under one “cover”. You can encode several different file formats into a container file with the help of a codec – a compression algorithm.
Learn more about container files
What are container files used for?
Container files are often used to keep video, audio, and subtitle tracks of a video clip or a film in one place. You can store multiple multimedia streams in one file and play the whole set together.
Container files are good for streaming video online as the compressed files don’t take up as much space and are easy to transfer. Video editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe After Effects export video projects in the container format so you can easily play it on, or import to, other software.
Advantages and disadvantages of container files.
Advantages
- Multiple media streams. It is very handy to have all your media streams in one file. Especially when you have to deal with multiple languages, audio, and subtitle tracks for the same video.
- Smaller file size. When you’re creating a container file you can compress the digital media files within it, so they take up less space. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the quality is automatically reduced. Most of the container files can hold videos with 4K resolution and beyond.
Disadvantages.
- Require codecs. Codecs are algorithms that run video compression, creating a file that’s smaller in size. The final quality of a video stream depends on the codec used and sometimes you’ll need codecs to unpack a container file.
- Compatibility issues. There are quite a few container types available. Some are easily opened and played by native software on both Mac and Windows OS, while you’ll need to convert other container files to be opened by media players or editing tools.
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Can you play and edit container files?
What does a video container do?
What is the difference between a video container and a codec?
Does container format reduce video quality?
How do you convert a video from one container format to another?
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