The MOV file format is most commonly associated with Apple and the QuickTime video clip. The file format was developed by Apple as was QuickTime Player, it is compatible with both the Microsoft and MacOS platforms. MOV files are capable of storing two or more tracks which can be video, audio, text, graphics or effects. This flexibility makes this file format very popular for music and video editing.
MOV files use a proprietary compression algorithm and each track that is held within the file is made up of an encoded media stream or a reference to a media stream that is located in another file - this allows the embedding of existing media. QuickTime player which was developed and created by Apple allows a user to open and play .MOV files and later version of QuickTime Player, such as QuickTime Pro allows the user to edit and export .MOV files.
Associated programs
Apple QuickTime Player CyberLink PowerDirector Roxio Easy Media Creator
Using Zamzar it is possible to convert MOV files to a variety of other formats:
mov to 3gp (3GPP Multimedia File) mov to 3g2 (3GPP2 Multimedia File) mov to aac (Advanced Audio Coding File) mov to ac3 (AC3 Audio File) mov to avi (Windows video file) mov to flac (Free Lossless Audio Codec) mov to flv (Flash video) mov to gif (Compuserve graphics interchange) mov to ipad (MPEG-4 (H264) Video File) mov to iphone (MPEG-4 (H264) Video File) mov to ipod (MPEG-4 Video File) mov to mp3 (Compressed audio file) mov to mp4 (MPEG-4 Video File) mov to mpg (Moving Picture Experts Group File) mov to ogg (Ogg Vorbis Compressed Audio File) mov to wav (Windows audio file) mov to webm (Multimedia Container Format) mov to wmv (Windows Media Video)
Similar to the MKV file extension, WEBM is a file format developed by a number of parties, including Google. Launched in 2010, it is open source format designed to deliver video through the web. It can be used for a variety of types of video, from video calls to high definition movies. WebM is growing, and by using the HTML5 version of YouTube, it is possible to watch video encoded in WebM.
WebM benefits from being designed for use on the modern web, rather than for local use. This means the format is specifically designed for the wide range of devices that are used to access the web, from Smart Phones to Powerful PCs. The video element of the file is encoded using VP8 video codec and the audio element of the file is encoded using the Vorbis audio codec.
Associated programs
Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox VLC Media Player
Developed by
Google (Previously developed by On2, Xiph, and Matroska)
