“What kind of file do you need?”
By Marco DuBose
That's the question we'll ask you when your project is complete. Don't panic! If you don't know we'll help you figure it out. Raw video makes for very large file sizes. There's a lot of information in each frame and a lot of frames. Those big frames aren't going to playback smoothly in most places. In order to make the video file smaller and more manageable, it must be compressed. But then, to playback that compressed video, you have to know what method was used to compress it. That's where the file format comes in. Essentially, it is the instructions for playing the video file. There are many, many file formats out there. In fact, it breaks down even further into codecs and wrappers with different codecs for video and audio. It can be a dizzying array. Let's make it a little simpler.
The word codec comes from “coder-decoder” or “compress-decompress.” If you were a spy sending a secret message to headquarters and didn't want anyone else to be able to read it you would use a secret code that headquarters could then use to decode and read the message. That's essentially what a codec is doing. JPG is a codec for still images. MP3 is a codec for audio. The codec is the method you use to compress or “code” your data. Since a video program consists of both audio and video (and sometimes text information for subtitles) you put everything into a “wrapper” or container. MOV and MPEG-4 are examples of wrappers. The wrapper holds everything. The codec is the instruction for how to playback the file.
All that action happens under the hood. Your computer or phone or tablet knows how to read and playback many containers, codecs, and file formats. So which is the right one for you? It all depends on how and where the file is being used. (That's the next question we'll ask!) Broadcast commercials, social media video, streaming video, email, trade show kiosks, etc., all have different requirements to get your show to the viewer. Of course, we always want your program to look the best possible but better quality means a bigger file size. What works great if you are playing the file from a laptop or a USB memory stick may not work if the program is going over the internet to a phone or a tablet, that high-resolution file is going to be too big and your video will stutter and freeze up. Smaller file size is needed. There is always a trade-off between quality and file size.
Most outlets such as networks, TV stations, streaming services, etc. have their own preferences for files. They can provide you (or us) with their “spec sheet.” For example, if you are sending a commercial to Comcast, they prefer a MPEG file with specific frame size and data rates – although the “spec sheet” lists a couple of alternatives, as well (more on that later.) For the most part, each outlet has its own specifications. We have on hand the spec sheets for most of the common outlets so we've got you covered. If your program is part of a bigger media project, that project may have its own file specifications. In that case, it's a good idea for us to talk to the tech person for that project. We talk the same language!
Whew! That's still pretty complicated, but let's make it even simpler. In the early days of the file-based video, there arose an incredible number of formats. Everyone had their own idea for compressing videos. Fortunately, things have settled down a bit and there is one codec that has become pretty universal: h.264. It has a good balance between file size and image quality and will be accepted just about anywhere you can send a video file and will playback on almost anything. You'll find h.264 in both Quicktime (.mov)and MPEG4 (mp4) wrappers. When we ask “What kind of file do you need?” mp4 is usually the answer.
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn all take mp4 as a first choice. You can always send a higher resolution file such as ProRes but that takes more time to upload, takes up more of your storage, and will be converted anyway. But you do want that high-resolution file format as your “master” or “archive” copy. We make a high-resolution ProRes file of your program as our master copy which we keep in our archive. It will always be there for you.