Comparison of container formats

Information
Name and Supp file ort exten Proprietor/D for License sion, eveloper Bif fram differ es ent Vari able bit rate audi o Vari Video Metadat Menu Strea Attach able format Audio Captions a/Tags Suppor ming ment fram Chapters s formats (Subtitles) supporte t (like Suppo Suppor e suppor supported d DVD) rt t[1] rate ted H.263, AMR-NB, MPEG-4 AMR-WB, Part 2 3GPP Timed AMR-WB+, and Text AAC, HE-AAC H.264/ and HE-AAC MPEG-4 v2 AVC AMR-NB, H.263, AMR-WB, MPEG-4 AAC, HEPart 2 AAC, EVRC, 3GPP Timed and EVRC-B, Text H.264/ EVRC-WB, MPEG-4 13K (QCELP), AVC SMV or VMRWB Almost anythin g Almost through anything VFW or through ACM DMO; or DMO; H.264/A Vorbis is VC is problematic proble matic Almost anything 3D Sup port (cod ec) Suppo 3D rted Supp by ort at hardw conta are iner player level s

3GP

3GPP

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

3G2

3GPP2

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Advan ced Syste ms Forma t (.asf, .wma, .wmv) AVI

Microsoft

Proprietar y, patent encumbe red

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Microsoft

No[2] Yes[3] Yes[4]

Yes, via Yes, via Almost third party third party anythin

Yes through

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Name and Supp file ort exten Proprietor/D for License sion, eveloper Bif fram differ es ent

Vari able bit rate audi o

Vari Video Metadat Menu Strea Attach able format Audio Captions a/Tags Suppor ming ment fram Chapters s formats (Subtitles) supporte t (like Suppo Suppor e suppor supported d DVD) rt t[1] rate ted g through VFW; H.264/A VC is through proble ACM; Vorbis modificatio modification matic is ns s due to problematic [6] the limited B-frame support[
5]

3D Sup port (cod ec)

Suppo 3D rted Supp by ort at hardw conta are iner player level s

RIFF chunks

DivX Media Forma t (.divx )

DivX, Inc.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

MPEG-4 Part 2 video encode d to meet DivX profiles

MP3, PCM, AC-3

Yes

Yes

Yes

EVO

MPEG

Patent encumbe red

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

AC-3, E-AC-3, MPEG-2 Dolby Part 2, TrueHD, H.264/ Linear PCM, MPEG-4 DTS, DTSAVC, HD, MPEG-2 VC-1 Part 3 H.264/ MPEG-4 AVC MP3, AAC, HE-AAC[7]

Yes

F4V (Flash Video ) FLV (Flash

Adobe Systems Adobe Systems

Patent encumbe red Patent encumbe

Yes Yes

? ?

Yes Yes

? No

? No

Yes Yes

No No

Yes Yes

? ?

? ?

? ?

? ?

Sorenso MP3, n, VP6, Nellymoser,

Name and Supp file ort exten Proprietor/D for License sion, eveloper Bif fram differ es ent Video ) Matro ska (.mkv, CoreCodec, .mk3d Inc.[12] , .mka, .mks)

Vari able bit rate audi o

Vari Video Metadat Menu Strea Attach able format Audio Captions a/Tags Suppor ming ment fram Chapters s formats (Subtitles) supporte t (like Suppo Suppor e suppor supported d DVD) rt t[1] rate ted Screen ADPCM, Video, Linear PCM, H.264/ AAC[10], MPEG-4 Speex[11] AVC[8][9] Virtuall y anythin g under develop ment Yes[20] by CoreCo dec[19]

3D Sup port (cod ec)

Suppo 3D rted Supp by ort at hardw conta are iner player level s

red

Freely Yes[15 Yes[15 licensed[1 Yes[14] ] ]

3]

Yes[16]

Yes[17]

Virtually anything

Yes[18]

Yes[21]

Yes[22
]

Yes[22] Yes[23]

MCF

Community

BSD-style license for specs, Yes GNU for tools Patent encumbe red Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes[24]

Yes[24]

Not fully specifie d MPEG-2 Part 2, MPEG-4 ASP, H.264/ MPEG-4 AVC, H.263, VC-1, Dirac, others[2
7]

Not fully specified MPEG-2/4 (HE)-AAC, MPEG-1/2 Layers I, II, III (MP3), AC-3, Apple Lossless, ALS, SLS, Vorbis(with private objectTypeIn dication), others[27]

Yes

Possible
[25]

Yes[26]

Yes[24]

No

MP4

MPEG

Yes

Yes

1) In specially formatted text track (QuickTim e); 2) In userdata atom (started by Nero Digital) can't interact with the sceneDesc ription, or via

ttxt, VobSubs with private objectTypeI ndication not usable with the sceneDescri ption (started by Nero), BIFS

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Name and Supp file ort exten Proprietor/D for License sion, eveloper Bif fram differ es ent

Vari able bit rate audi o

Vari Video Metadat Menu Strea Attach able format Audio Captions a/Tags Suppor ming ment fram Chapters s formats (Subtitles) supporte t (like Suppo Suppor e suppor supported d DVD) rt t[1] rate ted segmentD escriptor

3D Sup port (cod ec)

Suppo 3D rted Supp by ort at hardw conta are iner player level s

MPEG Video File (.mpg , .mpeg )

MPEG

Patent encumbe red

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

MPEG-1 Layers I, II, III MPEG(mp3), other 1, formats only MPEGin private [28] 2 streams: LPCM[29]

No

No

Yes

Yes

MPEG progr am strea m PS (.ps)

MPEG

Patent encumbe red

Yes

Yes

MPEG1, MPEG-1 Only in Only in MPEG- Layers I, II, III private private 2, (mp3), other streams streams MPEG-4 formats only used in used in VOB Part in private VOB files files on 2[28], streams: on DVDs DVDs VC-1, AAC, AC-3, H.264[30 LPCM, DTS[29]
]

No

Only in private streams used in VOB files on DVDs

Yes

MPEG trans port strea m TS (.ts)

MPEG

Patent encumbe red

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

MPEG1, MPEG-2 MPEG-1 Part 2, Layers I, II, III MPEG-4 (mp3), AAC, ASP, possible via other H.264, ETSI EN 300 formats in other 743 private formats streams: ACin 3, LPCM, private DTS[31] streams : VC-1, Dirac[31] Yes MPEG-2 AC-3, DTS,

No

No

Yes

Yes

BDAV

Blu-ray Disc Proprietar Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes[32]

Name and Supp file ort exten Proprietor/D for License sion, eveloper Bif fram differ es ent MPEG -2 trans port Association strea m (.m2ts ) MXF SMPTE

Vari able bit rate audi o

Vari Video Metadat Menu Strea Attach able format Audio Captions a/Tags Suppor ming ment fram Chapters s formats (Subtitles) supporte t (like Suppo Suppor e suppor supported d DVD) rt t[1] rate ted

3D Sup port (cod ec)

Suppo 3D rted Supp by ort at hardw conta are iner player level s

LPCM, Dolby Part 2, Digital Plus, H.264, DTS HD, VC-1 Dolby Lossless Virtuall y anythin g Theora, Dirac, OggUV S, MNG and others[3 3][34] , almost anythin g through VFW

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Virtually anything

Yes

No

No

Ogg

Xiph.org

Patentfree, Free software Yes[2] Yes implemen tations available

Yes

Yes

Ogg Writ, Ogg Kate

Vorbis, FLAC, CMML, Speex, CELT, Ogg OggPCM[33] Skeleton, [34] , almost Vorbis anything comment[ 35] through ACM

No

Yes

Yes

Quickt ime (.mov, .qt)

Apple

Proprietar Yes y

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Limited to what is Limited to availabl what is e to the available to QuickTi Sound me Manager or codec CoreAudio manage r

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Name and Supp file ort exten Proprietor/D for License sion, eveloper Bif fram differ es ent Proprietar Yes y

Vari able bit rate audi o

Vari Video Metadat Menu Strea Attach able format Audio Captions a/Tags Suppor ming ment fram Chapters s formats (Subtitles) supporte t (like Suppo Suppor e suppor supported d DVD) rt t[1] rate ted (HE)-AAC, RealVid Cook Codec, eo 8, 9, Vorbis, 10 RealAudio Lossless AC-3, Linear MPEG-2 PCM, DTS, Part 2, MPEG-2 Part MPEG-1 3, MPEG-1 Part 2 Layer II VP8[37] Vorbis

3D Sup port (cod ec)

Suppo 3D rted Supp by ort at hardw conta are iner player level s

RMVB RealNetworks

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

VOB+I Proprietar DVD Forum Yes FO y

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes

perpetual Yes, license but WebM WebM Project Yes grant to unuse [36] patents d Supp ort Proprietor/D for License eveloper Bfram es Vari able bit rate audi o

Yes

No

No

No

No

Yes[38]

No

No

Yes

Yes[39]

Vari Video Metadat Menu Strea Attach able format Audio Captions a/Tags Suppor ming ment fram Chapters s formats (Subtitles) supporte t (like Suppo Suppor e suppor supported d DVD) rt t rate ted

3D Sup port (cod ec)

Suppo 3D rted Supp by ort at hardw conta are iner player level s

Formats supported
Audio formats supported
Lossy compression MP WM RealAudi 3 A o Yes Yes No Yes Yes No Vorbis Yes not officially Lossless compression DT PC AP FLA ALA WavPac MLP / Dolby Musepack AAC AC-3 S M E C C k TrueHD No Yes Yes ? Yes No Yes Yes ? No No Yes
[40]

QuickTime AVI

DTSHD No ?

Yes

Yes Yes No

No

No

No

No

Matroska MP4 MXF Ogg

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No

Yes No No No

Yes not officially ? Yes

Scheduled
[41]

Yes

Yes
[42]

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No Yes

Yes Yes No No

Yes No No No

Yes No Yes No

Yes No Yes No

? ? No

Yes Yes Yes No

Yes No

Yes Yes No No Yes No

Video formats supported

MPEG- MPEG1 2 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes MPEG-4 (A)SP Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Yes Problematic, limited B-frame support[5] Yes Yes Yes Yes VC1/WMV Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes[44] Yes RealVide Theor Microsoft MPEG4 VP MVC o a V2 8 ? Yes ? ? ? Yes ? Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No ? Yes ? Yes ? ? Yes ?

QuickTime AVI OGM Matroska MP4 MXF

? ? Yes Yes[43] ? Yes ? ?

Caption (Subtitle) formats supported

AQTitle JACOSub [2] MicroDVD MPEG-4 Timed Text MPSub Ogg Kate Ogg Writ Phoenix Subtitle PowerDivX RealText [3] SAMI Structured Subtitle Format SubRip Gloss Subtitle (Advanced) SubStation Alpha SubViewer Universal Subtitle Format QuickTime ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? AVI No No No No No No No No No No ? ? Yes, via third party modifications No Yes, via third party modifications ? No OGM ? ? ? ? ? Yes Yes ? ? ? ? ? Yes ? ? ? ? Matroska ? ? ? ? ? Yes[45] ? ? ? ? ? ? Yes ? Yes ? Yes MP4 ? ? ? Yes ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Yes ? Yes ? ? MXF ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

VobSub XSUB

? ?

? ?

? ?

Yes [46] ?

? ?

? ?