Ultimate Guide to Playing and Transcoding Downloaded Videos

Posted 12/16/2009 at 9:30am | by Paul Lilly

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Downloading video isn't rocket science, but it sure can feel that way sometimes. First, you have to figure out what kind of video it is you're trying to snag from cyberspace. Then there's the question of what to do with it once you've downloaded the clip to your hard drive. And that's assuming you even got that far, fetching Flash-based content isn't as simple as mashing a 'download' button, nor will it play in Windows Media Player. In fact, there's' a good chance the video you downloaded won't play on your portable device, either.

The underlying problem with video playback is there isn't a single universal standard. There are as many file containers as there are handheld digital devices, and don't even get us started on codecs.

Is this all starting to sound foreign to you? Don't worry if it is, on the following the pages we're going to show you the ins and outs of video playback. We'll start with the basics, like explaining what a file container is and why it matters, and then move on to more advanced topics, such as how to convert just about any video clip into a format that's compatible with your mobile device. We'll also show you how to handle subtitles, enable GPU Flash acceleration, and a whole lot more.

• Essential Video Playback Software

• Advanced FFDShow Tweaking

• How to Convert x264 MKV Video to Mobile Formats

• How to Encode, Fix, and Package Subtitles

• How to Split Up Large Video Files for Disc Backup

• Audio Tracks Explained

• Become a Flash Video & YouTube Jedi

• How to Extract Audio from Movies

Video Terminology 101

You probably already know what DVD stands for, but do you know the difference between transcoding and encoding? Can you define a bitrate? If not, don't even think about skipping this section. Get to know the following terms, because you'll be seeing a lot of them in this guide.

Aspect Ratio: Put simply, this is the ratio of a picture as measured in width by height. The two most common aspect ratios are 4:3 and 16:9 (widescreen).

Bitrate: In nerd speak, this refers to the number of bits that are processed or transferred in a specific unit of time, usually in seconds. One example of a bitrate is the measurement of your internet connection, such as 768kbps. This means your internet connection is theoretically capable of transferring 768 kilobits of data every second. Another example -- one more relevant to this guide -- is an MP3 bitrate. The more bits that are used to represent the audio, or the higher the bitrate, the better the audio quality will be.

Container: You may also see this referred to as the wrapper format, but in either case, a container refers to the file format in which audio, video, and other elements are contained. MOV, for example, is Apple's Quicktime video container, which holds both audio and video data.

Codec: Derived from compressor- decompressor or coder-decoder, a codec is a program that compresses and decompresses specific audio and video data streams. This can also be implemented in hardware, or through both hardware and software. If you play a video file and don't see a picture but can hear sound (or vice versa), it's probably because you're missing the necessary video or audio codec.

Decoder: A decoder is a program that opens up the video file you're trying to play and displays it.

Encode: To create a video file in a specific codec, such as DivX or MPEG-2. An encoder is a program that does the encoding.

Lossless Compression: A method of compressing and recreating the original file without any loss of data.

Lossy Compression: Essentially the opposite of lossless compression, lossy removes data during the compression process. The result is a smaller file, but it may also be of lower quality.

NTSC: Stands for National Television Standards Committee. The NTSC sets TV and video standards in the U.S.

PAL: Stands for Phase Alternating Lines. This is the most prominent TV standard in Europe.

Ripping: Copying audio or video data from one media to another, such as ripping the contents of a DVD onto your hard drive.

Transcoding: Converting an encoded video file into a different one.

Know Your Video Codecs and File Containers

Wouldn't it be great if there was a single video extension that worked on all playback devices at any resolution, no matter which software you installed? Keep dreaming. While we can dream all we want about a universal video extension, the harsh reality is there are oodles of different containers, and no one hardware or software device plays them all. Here are some of the more popular ones you should be familiar with.

Image Credit:  BullBoyKennels

Codecs

DivX: A popular video compression technology developed by DivX, Inc. DivX is touted for its ability to create and play high quality videos with a relatively low file size (compared to DVD video).

Xvid: Like Coke is to Pepsi or the Joker to Batman, Xvid is the competing video codec to DivX. Note that Xvid is DivX spelled backwards.

FLV: The file format for Flash video streamed over the internet and intended for use with Adobe's Flash Player. YouTube, Google Video, Metacafe, and several other popular streaming video sites use Flash.

H.264/MPEG-4 AVC: A popular video compression standard perhaps best known for its use on Blu- ray discs, as well as high-definition videos from Apple's iTunes Store.

MPEG-1: One of the early compression standards for audio and video. MPEG-1 is used on Video CD, SVCD, and low quality DVDs.

MPEG-2: A much more popular compression technology than MPEG- 1, the MPEG-2 standard supports interlacing and high-definition content.

MPEG-3: Don't mistake MPEG-3 for MP3, because the two are totally different. MPEG-3 was designed with 1080p HDTV signals in mind before it was widely known that MPEG-2 could also handle the higher data rates.

MPEG-4: One of the video formats supported by Apple's iPod.

WMV: Any Windows users should immediately recognize this as the abbreviation for Windows Media Video. The WMV codec is required for PlaysForSure-certified gadgets.

Containers

3GP: Used primarily on 3G mobile phones, like the HTC Dream (T- Mobile G1) handset.

MOV: Apple QuickTime file container.

AVI:: Stands for Audio Video Interleave. This container was first introduced by Microsoft. AVI files can hold both audio and video data. An AVI container can use different codecs and formats.

SVCD: Stands for Super Video Compact Disc. This is the format for storing video on CDs. As one might expect, the quality falls short of DVD video.

VOB: Short for Video Object, VOB files contain video, audio, subtitles, and even the menu contents of a DVD.

Believe it or not, these are only the tip of the video iceberg. There are a lot more video file extensions, some of which are not widely used any more (or ever), most of which you can reference here.