If you’re venturing into video, you should understand how video recordings are created and viewed and the terminology used for describing video. Over time, changes in technology have led to some confusing terminology which is often reflected in cameras’ menus.
Video codecs
Each video recording must stipulate how the video and audio signals have been combined, using a ‘codec’ (coder/decoder) that also specifies how to play the recording back. The encoded data is held within a digital container, as shown in the diagram right.
Hundreds of audio and video codecs have been created for different uses. Some are compatible across many hardware and software platforms, while others are specific to professional equipment.
The most popular consumer codecs are MPEG-4 with the MP4 and MOV containers and Sony’s proprietary XAVC and XAVC-S codecs. Apple’s ProRes series of codecs are popular in professional and semi-professional equipment, as is CinemaDNG, which was developed initially by
