In addition to being a tool for communication and work, the need to watch movies and listen to music is of great interest to everyone when using technology devices such as phones, laptops, speakers or music players. So do you know anything about popular audio and video formats today? Let’s learn more about popular audio and video formats today!

What is audio and video format?

A file format is the structure of a file that tells a program how to display its contents. File formats store data by compressing it to reduce file size and specify how bits are used to encode information in a digital storage medium.

For example, when listening to music, you often see video files with the extension .mp4 or audio files with the extension .mp3. Those extension characters are the file format recorded for video files and audio files.

Popular audio formats

MP3 files

MP3 (MPEG-1 audio Player 3 or Motion Pictures Expert Group 1 Layer 3), is the most popular audio format used to listen to music today thanks to its lightweight and good quality. This format is created when audio compression has cut off the low and high ranges.

WMA file

WMA (Windows Media Audio) is developed by Microsoft, with the file extension .wma. Although the quality is similar, WMA files are lighter than MP3. WMA is limited in supported devices due to copyright.

WAV file

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) was developed by Microsoft and IBM, usually with the file extension .wav. WAV formats have very good sound quality but in return are quite heavy in capacity.

FLAC files 

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is a popular format used after MP3. FLAC is an audio format that compresses data files while maintaining the original quality.

OGG file (Vorbis)

OGG is an open source audio format, although it is similar in size to MP3 but has better sound quality than MP3, usually with the file extension .ogg. OGG contains all kinds of compression formats, commonly used to hold Vorbis files.

PCM file

PCM (Pulse-Code Modulation). This is the original audio format for analog audio commonly used in CDs and DVDs, with the file extension .pcm. This format does not go through any compression steps, so the sound quality is very good.

AIFF file

AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) was developed by Apple Inc. AIFF files have the same capacity as WAV files, are often used to store CD audio, and have the extension .aiff. This audio format is suitable for enjoying music on most music players and can contain many different types of audio.

ALAC files (M4A)

ALAC (Apple lossless audio code) also known as M4A, created by Apple, usually has the file extension .alac.. Is a high quality audio format, created using lossless compression method.

AMR file

AMR (Adaptive Multi-Rate) was developed by Ericsson, with the file extension .amr. AMR has the function of storing spoken audio, often used in conversations and is commonly used on many audio devices such as phones or music players,…

Lossless Files

Lossless is a form of digital audio, created by removing unnecessary data (bits) from the original audio, usually with the following file extensions: .flac, .ape, .alac. Lossless files are compressed but still retain most of the original file data. Therefore, the quality of this format is very good but the capacity is quite large.

MIDI file

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a digital interface for musical instruments, with file extensions of .midi, .mid. MIDI is used to communicate and connect between digital audio instruments, commonly used in electronic devices such as electric guitars, saxophones, etc.

WMA9 files

WMA9 (Window Media Audio) was developed by Microsoft. This format is an audio compression standard equivalent to MP3 but with half the bit rate.

AC3 File

AC3 (Audio Coding 3) has the function of expanding the surround sound system, allowing the digitization of sound with lower frequencies but still ensuring sound quality. AC3 files are often found in computer sounds or ringtones, AC3 files usually have the file extension .ac3.

AAC file

AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is a versatile, lossless compressed audio format, based on the MPEG-2 standard. AAC has much better sound quality than MP3 and is also widely used but not as popular as MP3.

AAC+ files

ACC+ is an upgraded version of the ACC format thanks to its structure with 2 technologies Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) and Spectral Band Replication (SBR), AAC+ can maintain stable sound quality due to its low binary bit rate.

AAC++ files

ACC++ is an upgraded audio format from AAC+, so it has better sound quality. AAC++ has the ability to expand the audio signal distribution to improve the performance of the sound.

eAAC+ Files

The eAAC+ format is a high-quality audio codec with excellent compression and sound quality. It is found in many high-end audio devices. eACC+ is based on the AAC audio codec, providing superior compression and sound quality compared to AAC.

MP2 file

MP2 was developed by MPEG, is used for lossy audio compression, commonly used for audio broadcasting, used for digital radio and digital television broadcasting.

MP1 File

MP1 is one of three audio formats in the MPEG-1 standard. Because of its age, MP1 audio files have low compression quality and do not require a lot of hardware power. Although MP1 can be used on most devices, it is considered obsolete and has been replaced by MP2 and MP3.

Popular video formats

AVI file

AVI (Audio Video Interleave) is a format developed by Microsoft with the advantage of providing good sound experience and extremely high quality images.

MP4 files

MP4 (Moving Picture Expert Group 4) is a popular format used today, with the advantage of compressing data to take up less space, so most video viewers are compatible.

WMV file

WMV (Windows Media Video) is also developed by Microsoft, with good quality images and sounds, allowing quick sharing due to its light capacity and is an AVI replacement used on the internet.

MKV files

MKV (Matroska Video) is a format with many advantages such as being lightweight and having the ability to combine audio, video and subtitles into a single file. Most of the video files available for download on the Internet with subtitles are MKV files.

VOB file

VOB is commonly found on DVDs that record this format. Files copied from DVDs usually have the file extension .vob .

FLV file

FLV (Flash Video) is considered a popular video format on the internet today, it is easy to encounter FLV when downloading movies from the internet. FLV’s big advantage is that it consumes little bandwidth to transmit and is easy to share.

H.263 files

H263 (File Extension) was developed by N/A, used to store recorded scenes in meetings, television, telephone, surveillance, etc.

H.264 files (MPEG4-AVC)

H.264 or MPEG-4 Part 10 AVC (Advance Video Coding). Is a video compression standard, commonly used in recording, compressing and broadcasting images today, with the advantages of saving and good display quality.

H.265 (HEVC) files

H.265 (High Efficiency Video Coding), this format helps create the clearest videos possible, supporting a variety of resolutions including 8k Ultra HD quality. H.265 has the ability to compress videos faster than H.264.

WMV9 files

WMV9 (Windows Media Video) is developed by Microsoft, is a format that supports playing high resolution videos with the advantage of sharp video image quality.

MPEG file

MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group) is commonly found on the internet. The MPEG file format is divided into 4 versions to support different situations.

3GP file

3GP was developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project, 3GP files usually have the file extension .3gp. This format has capacity and bandwidth so it is suitable for supported phone lines.

WebM File

WebM (Web Media) is a free, open source video format developed by Google with the file extension .webm. WebM files are commonly used in web browsers to play online videos.

Which audio format is best?

Uncompressed audio file formats such as PCM, WAV, AIFF all produce the best sound quality and clarity when listening.

Which audio formats are compressed and which are uncompressed?

• Uncompressed audio formats: PCM, WAV, AIFF.
• Lossless compressed audio formats: FLAC, ALAC, WMA Lossless.
• Lossless compressed audio formats: MP3, AAC, OGG (Vorbis), WMA.

How to convert the extension format of video and audio files?

You can use the toolConvert audio formatTextToSound to convert audio extensions easily.

So above I have introduced and explained in detail the most popular audio and video formats today. What do you feel when listening to each of these formats? Leave a comment below to let everyone know! Thank you for taking the time to read this article.