CONTAINER vs. CODEC CONTAINER A Container format is essentially a wrapper that can contain numerous types of information such as: video, audio, meta data, streaming information, etcetera. Video and audio maybe compressed with a codec to reduce file size or to allow real time playback or output. Example Container Formats Video: AVI & Quicktime. Example Container Formats Audio: AIFF & WAV. CODEC Codec is a type of compression scheme for video or audio which typically resides in a container format. Compression will typically reduce the quality of the source while making the file smaller and less resource intensive. Example Codecs Video: 10-Bit Uncompressed, Animation, DV, H.264, MPEG-2, & MPEG-4. Example Codecs Audio: AAC, Little Endian, & MP3.
EXAMPLE OF A QUICKTIME FILE QUICKTIME FILE
VIDEO (H.264)
META DATA
AUDIO (AAC)
STREAMING DATA