6月1日 23:26

What video formats and codecs does FFmpeg support? How to choose the appropriate format?

FFmpeg supports numerous video formats and codecs. Understanding their characteristics is crucial for choosing the appropriate encoding scheme.

Common Video Container Formats

MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14)

Features:

Excellent compatibility, supported by almost all devices
Supports multiple codecs (H.264, H.265, AAC, etc.)
Suitable for network transmission and storage

Use Cases: Web video, mobile devices, social media

bash
# Create standard MP4
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4

# Create fast-start MP4
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac -movflags +faststart output.mp4

MKV (Matroska)

Features:

Open source format, powerful features
Supports almost all codecs
Supports multiple audio tracks and subtitle tracks
Suitable for storage and collection

Use Cases: HD video storage, multi-language videos

bash
# Create MKV
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mkv

# Preserve all tracks
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy output.mkv

AVI (Audio Video Interleave)

Features:

Legacy format, good compatibility
Relatively simple features
Does not support modern codecs

Use Cases: Legacy device compatibility

bash
# Create AVI
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v mpeg4 -c:a mp3 output.avi

WebM

Features:

Open source format developed by Google
Optimized for web
Supports VP8, VP9, AV1 codecs
Small file size, good quality

Use Cases: Web video, HTML5 video

bash
# Create WebM
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libvpx -c:a libvorbis output.webm

# Use VP9 encoding
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libvpx-vp9 -c:a libopus output.webm

MOV

Features:

Format developed by Apple
Supports professional codecs like ProRes
Suitable for professional video production

Use Cases: Professional video production, Apple devices

bash
# Create MOV
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mov

# Use ProRes encoding
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v prores_ks -profile:v 3 output.mov

Common Video Codecs

H.264 (AVC)

Features:

Most widely used video encoding standard
Excellent compatibility
Medium compression efficiency
Fast encoding speed

Use Cases: General video, web video, mobile devices

bash
# H.264 encoding
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 23 output.mp4

# High quality H.264
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow output.mp4

# Fast H.264
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset ultrafast output.mp4

H.265 (HEVC)

Features:

Successor to H.264
50% higher compression efficiency than H.264
Slower encoding speed
Compatibility is improving

Use Cases: 4K/8K video, high compression requirements

bash
# H.265 encoding
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx265 -crf 28 output.mp4

# High quality H.265
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx265 -crf 23 -preset slow output.mp4

VP9

Features:

Open source codec developed by Google
Compression efficiency close to H.265
Completely free
Suitable for web video

Use Cases: Web video, YouTube

bash
# VP9 encoding
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libvpx-vp9 -crf 30 -b:v 0 output.webm

# High quality VP9
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libvpx-vp9 -crf 18 -b:v 0 output.webm

AV1

Features:

Next-generation open source codec
30% higher compression efficiency than H.265
Slow encoding speed
Limited compatibility

Use Cases: Future video, high quality compression

bash
# AV1 encoding
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libaom-av1 -crf 30 -strict experimental output.webm

ProRes

Features:

Professional codec developed by Apple
Visually lossless compression
Larger file size
Suitable for post-production

Use Cases: Professional video production, post-production

bash
# ProRes encoding
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v prores_ks -profile:v 3 output.mov

# ProRes 422
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v prores_ks -profile:v 1 output.mov

Audio Codecs

AAC

Features:

Most widely used audio encoding
Excellent compatibility
Good quality, small file size
Supports multi-channel

Use Cases: General audio, web audio

bash
# AAC encoding
ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.aac

# High quality AAC
ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a aac -b:a 256k output.aac

MP3

Features:

Most popular audio format
Excellent compatibility
Lossy compression
Suitable for music

Use Cases: Music, portable devices

bash
# MP3 encoding
ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k output.mp3

# High quality MP3
ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 320k output.mp3

Opus

Features:

Open source audio codec
Excellent quality, low latency
Suitable for speech and music
Small file size

Use Cases: Web audio, voice calls

bash
# Opus encoding
ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libopus -b:a 128k output.opus

# High quality Opus
ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libopus -b:a 256k output.opus

FLAC

Features:

Lossless audio compression
Quality same as original file
Smaller file than WAV
Suitable for music collection

Use Cases: Music collection, lossless audio

bash
# FLAC encoding
ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a flac output.flac

Format Selection Guide

Choose Based on Use Case

Scenario	Recommended Format	Recommended Codec
Web video	MP4	H.264 + AAC
HD storage	MKV	H.265 + AAC
Web video	WebM	VP9 + Opus
Professional production	MOV	ProRes
Music storage	FLAC	FLAC
Mobile devices	MP4	H.264 + AAC

Choose Based on Quality Requirements

High Quality:

bash
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -preset slow -c:a aac -b:a 256k output.mp4

Medium Quality:

bash
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

Low Quality (Small File):

bash
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 28 -preset fast -c:a aac -b:a 96k output.mp4

Format Conversion

Format Interconversion

bash
# MP4 to MKV
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy output.mkv

# AVI to MP4
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4

# WebM to MP4
ffmpeg -i input.webm -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4

Codec Conversion

bash
# H.264 to H.265
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx265 -crf 28 output.mp4

# VP9 to H.264
ffmpeg -i input.webm -c:v libx264 -crf 23 output.mp4

Choosing the appropriate format and codec requires considering multiple factors such as compatibility, quality, file size, and encoding speed.

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