As a marketer you don’t need to be familiar with all the many video formats out there – but you should be aware of the more popular options.
That is because you will probably need to distribute videos in various ways, and knowing more about the more common video formats and when they should be used could make it easier.
Although the video formats that are frequently used do change from time to time, as of right now the 4 common video formats marketers need to know are:
• MP4 with H.264 for compatibility
Over the years MP4 with H.264 has become the ‘default’ video format for most purposes, and is certainly the most widely-used right now. It is supported by most devices and platforms, which is why it is so frequently used.On top of that support, MP4 with H.264 is normally the preferred format for online platforms. For example you can see that in YouTube’s guidelines for video uploads.
• 
HEVC (H.265) for compression
The HEVC codec was meant to be the successor to H.264, but its adoption has been slow and it has taken a while for it to be supported. Although nowadays more devices and platforms support HEVC, there are many that still do not.
The reason it helps to know about HEVC is the simple fact that it can compress videos more efficiently than its predecessor, reducing the file size by up to 50%. As such if you’re distributing videos to a specific person (or group) that have devices with HEVC support, there are benefits to using it.
• MPEG-2 for DVD video
While the MPEG-2 format is definitely dated, it remains relevant to this day due to the fact that it is the format for DVD video. Simply put most DVD players can only play DVD videos that are encoded in MPEG-2, so if you’re ever burning a video DVD you will need to use it.
• AV1 for the future
Technically AV1 isn’t a ‘common’ format quite yet, but it is heading in that direction. It is a new format that was recently released by the AOMedia consortium and is designed to supplant H.264 and H.265.
The rollout of AV1 has been proceeding at a steady pace and many AOMedia members have already started to support or test the format. Considering the AOMedia consortium includes tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Netflix, and many others – it seems only a matter of time till AV1 becomes the most widely-used format on the internet.
Aside from knowing about the formats listed above, as a marketer you should also have a tool that you can use to convert the formats of your videos if need be. For example you could use Movavi Video Converter to convert MKV to MP4, AVI, or any other formats.
Keep in mind that even the formats listed above are subject to change, and some may very well be supplanted by others and fade into the background. For now they remain extremely relevant however – and knowing them could help you identify the best option to use.
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— Will Corry (@slievemore) November 22, 2018