Each compression scheme can be implemented in different ways which creates different codecs for the same compression scheme. Common compression schemes include H.264, MPEG4 part 2, ProRes, DNxHD, and so on.Ī codec (encoder/decoder) is a piece of hardware or software that interprets an audio or video signal and compresses it. Inside of each audio and video track, the information is represented in the language of the compression scheme. Common container formats include MOV, MXF, and AVI.Ĭompression Scheme – The Language of the Book The multimedia container is like the bookshelf in that it can hold many tracks of audio and video just like a bookshelf can hold many books.
Think of a video file as a bookshelf filled with books. To understand the difference between a container, a compression scheme, and a codec, first we need to break down the parts of a video file.
