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Video coding format
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<p>A video coding format (or sometimes video compression format) is an <a href="/facts/Code/CSntvnEo">encoded</a> format of <a href="/facts/Digital_video/xsn9omqG">digital video</a> content, such as in a data file or <a href="/facts/Bitstream_format/CPuf17up">bitstream</a>. It typically uses a standardized <a href="/facts/Video_compression/gMFuY4FT">video compression</a> algorithm, most commonly based on <a href="/facts/Discrete_cosine_transform/gPpDhPwP">discrete cosine transform</a> (DCT) coding and <a href="/facts/Motion_compensation/6BM2Ylxn">motion compensation</a>. A computer <a href="/facts/Software/RP79lVSW">software</a> or <a href="/facts/Computer_hardware/8jSjsCNv">hardware</a> component that compresses or decompresses a specific video coding format is a <a href="/facts/Video_codec/psfSuqg7">video codec</a>. </p><p>Some video coding formats are documented by a detailed <a href="/facts/Technical_specification/xEMUsktp">technical specification</a> document known as a video coding specification. Some such specifications are written and approved by <a href="/facts/Standardization_organization/8o7wGeYg">standardization organizations</a> as <a href="/facts/Technical_standard/P4orT1SM">technical standards</a>, and are thus known as a video coding standard. There are <a href="/facts/De_facto_standard/TRELHVwI"><i>de facto</i> standards</a> and formal standards. </p><p>Video content encoded using a particular video coding format is normally bundled with an audio stream (encoded using an <a href="/facts/Audio_coding_format/qHAhppfD">audio coding format</a>) inside a <a href="/facts/Container_format_(digital)/mSfwwdSA">multimedia container format</a> such as <a href="/facts/Audio_Video_Interleave/2pr8AoRT">AVI</a>, <a href="/facts/MP4/PM0FNvUU">MP4</a>, <a href="/facts/FLV/rbbPoE7H">FLV</a>, <a href="/facts/RealMedia/xpntRL1s">RealMedia</a>, or <a href="/facts/Matroska/hDrffBx0">Matroska</a>. As such, the user normally does not have a <a href="/facts/H.264/soCzKcmJ">H.264</a> file, but instead has a <a href="/facts/Video_file/GJge2TqW">video file</a>, which is an MP4 container of H.264-encoded video, normally alongside <a href="/facts/Advanced_Audio_Coding/VAG9NpI4">AAC</a>-encoded audio. Multimedia container formats can contain one of several different video coding formats; for example, the MP4 container format can contain video coding formats such as <a href="/facts/MPEG-2_Part_2/uKxBALVh">MPEG-2 Part 2</a> or H.264. Another example is the initial specification for the file type <a href="/facts/WebM/tP4xgYJc">WebM</a>, which specifies the container format (Matroska), but also exactly which video (<a href="/facts/VP8/dfoDPMDg">VP8</a>) and audio (<a href="/facts/Vorbis/rqJDTF0T">Vorbis</a>) compression format is inside the Matroska container, even though Matroska is capable of containing <a href="/facts/VP9/dBP8ffoc">VP9</a> video, and <a href="/facts/Opus_(audio_format)/VP4KuGre">Opus</a> audio support was later added to the <a href="/facts/WebM/tP4xgYJc">WebM</a> specification. </p>