What is video encoder and what does a video encoder do? What’s the video codec and the list of video codecs? How to compare and change the video encoder?

1. Title: Video Encoder and Video Codecs: How to Change Video Encoder?
Keywords: videoencoder,whatisavideoencoder, videoencoderanddecoder, videoencoders,
videocodec,videocodecconverter, videocodecs
Description: What is video encoder and what does a video encoder do? What’s the video codec and
the list of video codecs? How to compare and change the video encoder?
URL: https://videoconvert.minitool.com/video-converter/video-encoder.html
Summary: This article expressed by MiniTool Software mainly elaborates on the meaning/definition,
function, types, comparison, as well as editing of video encoder (video codec). After reading this post,
you will have a better understanding of how various formats of videos come into being.
To learnvideoencoderandaudioencoder,justgettoknow whatis videocodec.
What isa videocodec?A videocodecisa kindof software orhardware that compress and
decompressesdigital video.Inthe contextof videocompression, “codec”isa portmanteauof
encoderand decoder.
What Is A Video Encoder?
A videoencoderreferstoa device,eithersoftware orhardware,that(only) compressesdigital
videos,whereasadevice that(only) decompressesa videoiscalled avideodecoder.
Usually,the compresseddataformatconformstoa standard videocodingformat.The compression
isoftenlossy.Thatis to say,the compressedvideoslacksome informationpresentinthe original
videos.Asaresult,decompressedvideos have lowerquality thanthe source onesforthere is
insufficientinfotoaccuratelyreconstructthe original videos.

2. There are complicatedrelationshipsbetweenthe videoquality,the amountof datausedto
representthe video(bitrate),the complexityof the encodinganddecodingalgorithms,sensitivityto
data lossesanderrors,ease of editing,randomaccess,aswell as an end-to-enddelay(latency).
Tip:Top 5 BestVideoCompressorsof All Time
The Applications of Video Codecs
Videocodecsare appliedin DVDplayers,Internetvideo,videoondemand(VoD),videotelephony,
digital cable (HDMI),digital terrestrial television,aswell asvariousotherapps.Especially, video
codecsare widelyusedinprogramsthatrecordor transfervideos,whichmaynotbe feasible with
the highdata volumesandbandwidthsof uncompressedvideo.
Anyvideofile orstreamcan be encodedwithawide varietyof live videoformats.Some video
encoderH.264 settingsneedtobe setwhenstreamingtoan HTML5 videoplayer.
Common Video Codec Format
Many videocompressionformatscanbe implementedonpersonal computers(PCs)andin
consumerelectronicsdevices.Thus,multiplecodecs are availableinthe same equipment,reducing
the needto selectasingle majorvideocompressionformattoachieve interoperability.
Standardvideocompressionformatscan be appliedtomultiple videoencodersanddecodersfrom
multiple sources.Forexample,videoencodedwithastandardMPEG-4 Part 2 codeclike Xvidcanbe
decodedbyanyotherstandard MPEG-4 Part2 decoderlike DivXProCodecor FFmpegMPEG-4 for
theyall adoptthe same videoformat.
Codec Packs
Since online videodataisencodedbyvariouscodecs,codecpackscome intobeing.Itis a pre-
assembledsetof usuallyusedcodecscombinedwithaninstalleravailable asasoftware package for
PCs.Some popularcodecpacks are the K-Lite codecpack and PerianandCombinedCommunity
codecpack.
How to Change Video Encoder Format?
If you geta videobutyourcurrentmediaplayercan’tplayit forthe videocodecnotsupported by
the player,youneed toconvertthe videoencodertothe supportedtype of yourvideoplayer.Thus,
youneeda videocodec convertersuch as MiniTool VideoConverter,afree videoandaudioformat
convertingprogram.
VC-Free
1. Download,install,andlaunchMiniTool VideoConverteronyourWindowscomputer.
2. By default,youwill enterthe Convertingsubtabunderthe VideoConverttab.There,clickthe big
+ iconinthe centerof the screento add yourvideo.

3. Alt=MiniTool VideoConverterdefaultinterface
3. Clickon the settingicon (an arrow pointingintoasquare) withinthe Targetsectiontotriggerthe
outputformatsettingswindow.

4. Alt=entervideooutputsettings
4. Switchto the Videotab in the settingswindow and selectavideoformatinthe leftmenu.If you
don’twant toalter otherparametersof yourvideo,justchoose the same formatandclickon the
Create Custom optioninthe bottomright.

5. Alt=customize videooutputformat
5. In the nextpopup,findthe Encoderoptionunderthe Videosectionandpickup a compatible
videocodecfromthe drop-downmenu.

6. Alt=change videoencoder
6. click the Create buttonto create your customizedvideoformatandselectitwhenyouare
redirectedbacktothe videotab.
7. Finally,clickthe Convertbuttoninthe mainwindow tostart the process.
Wait until itcompletes.Then,youcanplaythe videowithyourmediaplayer.
History of Video Encoding
In the past, a videowassavedasan analogsignal onmagnetictape.Whenthe compact disc(CD)
was developedandusedasa digital alternative foranalogaudio,peoplefinditpossible todirectly
store and delivervideoindigitalform.
To record andconveyraw video,youneedalarge amountof storage space and bandwidth.To
improve thatsituation,engineersandmathematicianshave foundmanywaysinvolvingthe
compressionof digital videodata.
H.261 was the firstpractical videocodingstandard.Itwas developedbyanumberof companies
includingHitachi,PictureTel,NipponTelegraphandTelephoneCorporation(NTT),BT,Toshiba,as
well asmanyothers.The most popularvideocodingstandardsare the MovingPicture ExpertsGroup
(MPEG) standards.

7. In 1991, MPEG-1 was developedbythe group.Itwas designedtocompressVideoHome System
(VHS) qualityvideo.In1994, MPEG-1 was succeededbyMPEG-2/H.262. The successorwas
developedbythose companies:Sony,Thomson,Mitsubishi Electric,etc.MPGE-2 became the
standardvideoformatforDVD and SD digital television(TV).
https://videoconvert.minitool.com/video-converter/vhs-to-dvd.html
In 1999, MPET-4/H.263 came intobeing,whichwasamajor leapforwardforvideocompression
technology.Also,alotof firmshadcontributedtothe developmentof MPEG-4includingMitsubishi
Electric,Hitachi,andPanasonic.
However,the mostwidelyusedvideocodingformatnowadaysisMPET-4AVC(H.264), whichwas
developedin2003 bythese organizations:Panasonic,GoodKaishaIPBridge,LGElectronic,andso
on.H.264 isthe mainvideoencodingstandardforBlu-rayDiscs.Itisalsowidelyacceptedbyweb
applicationsincludingAdobe FlashPlayerand MicrosoftSilverlight;streamingnetworkserviceslike
YouTube,Vimeo,iTunesStore,andNetflix;aswell asmanyhigh-definitiontelevision(HDTV)
broadcastsoverterrestrial andsatelliteTV.
In 2013, AVC(AdvancedVideoCoding) hadbeensucceededbyHigh-EfficiencyVideoCoding(HEVC),
alsoknownas H.265 or MPEG-H Part 2. It is heavilypatentedbySamsungElectronics,General
ElectricCompany(GE),NTT, andJVC Kenwood.However,the adoptionof HEVChasbeenhampered
by itscomplex licensingstructure.Inturn,HEVCwas succeededbyVersatile VideoCoding(VVC).
In addition,there are free VP8,VP9,and AOMediaVideo1(AV1) videocodingformatsadoptedby
YouTube,all of whichwere developedwithinvolvementfromGoogle.
Since the featuresandapplicationsof eachvideocodingformat are different,there isnobestvideo
encoderformatforall,but goodvideoencoderformats;or,just the bestvideoencoderformatfora
certaintype of situation.
https://videoconvert.minitool.com/video-converter/free-hevc-h265-video-converter.html
List of Video Codecs
A videocodingformat,alsocalledvideocompressionformat,isacontentrepresentationformatfor
storage or transmissionof digital videossuchasina data file orbitstream.Typically,itmakesuse of
a standardizedvideocompressionalgorithm, mostcommonlybasedondiscrete cosine transform
(DCT) codingand motioncompensation.
VideoCodecvs. VideoFormat
A specifichardware orsoftware implementationcapableof compressionordecompressionto/from
a specificvideocodingformatiscalledavideocodec. Forinstance,FFmpegathe mostcommon
videocodecformany videoformatslike H.264,CorePNG,andVP9.
Firstof all,the videocompressionformatscanbe sortedinto3 categories,non-compression,lossless
compression,andlossycompression.
# Non-Compression Video Codec Formats
 RGB
 YUV: Intel IYUV
 10-bit uncompressedvideo
 Composite digitalsignal
 AvidDNxUncompressed

8.  V210
# Lossless Video Codec Formats
ITU-T/ISO/IEC standards
 H.264: x264, FFmpeg
 H.265: x265, UHDcode, FFmpeg
 MotionJPEG 2000: libopenjpeg
 JPEG XS: FastTICO-XS
IETF standards
 FFV1:FFmpeg
SMPTE standards
 VC-2HQ: libdirac, libschroedinger
Alparysoft LosslessVideoCodec(Alpary)
Apple Animation(QuickTime RLE)
 QuickTime
 FFmpeg
ArithYuv
AV1
 libaom
AVIzlib
 LCL (VfWcodec) MSZH andZLIB
 FFmpeg
AutodeskAnimator Codec (AASC)
 FFmpeg
CamStudio GZIP/LZO
 FFmpeg
Chennai Codec(EVX-2)
Dxtory
 FFmpeg
FastCodec
Flash ScreenVideov1/v2
 FFmpeg
FM ScreenCapture Codec
 FFmpeg

9. Fraps codec (FPS1)
 FFmpeg
Grass ValleyLossless
 Grass ValleyCodecOption
 FFmpeg
Huffyuv
 FFmpeg
IgCodec
Intel RLE
innoHeim/RsupportScreenCapture Codec
 FFmpeg
Lagarith
 Lagarith Codec(VfWcodec)
 FFmpeg
LOCO
 FFmpeg
MagicYUV
 MagicYUV SDK
 FFmpeg
MicrosoftRLE
MSU LosslessVideoCodec
MSU ScreenCapture Lossless
CorePNG
 FFmpeg
ScreenPresso(SPV1)
 FFmpeg
ScreenPressor
 FFmpeg
SheerVideo
 FFmpeg
Snow lossless
 FFmpeg

10. TechSmithScreen Capture Codec (TSCC)
 EnSharpenVideoCodecforQuickTime
 FFmpeg
Toponoky
Ut VideoCodecSuite
 libutvideo
 FFmpeg
VBLE
 FFmpeg
VMnc VMware screen codec
 FFmpeg
VP9
 libvpx
 FFmpeg
YULS
ZeroCodec
 FFmpeg
ZMBV (ZipMotion Block Video) Codec
 FFmpeg
https://videoconvert.minitool.com/video-converter/h264-vs-h265.html
Losslessgame codecs
DXA
 ScummVMTools
 FFmpeg
# Lossy Video Codec Formats
Discrete cosine transform (DCT)
General
ITU-T/ISO/IEC standards
 H.120
 H.261 (a.k.a.Px64): FFmpegH.261 (libavcodec), MicrosoftH.263
 MPEG-1 Part 2 (MPEG-1 Video):ElecardMPEG-1videoEncoder/Decoder,FFmpeg,
MainConceptMPEG-1, TMPGEnc

11.  H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 (MPEG-2 Video):CanopusProCoder,CinemaCraftEncoder,Elecard
MPEG-2 VideoDecoder/Encoder,FFmpeg,InterVideoVideoDecoder,MainConceptMPEG-2,
MicrosoftH.263, TMPGEnc
 H.263: FFmpegH.263
 MPEG-4 Part 2 (MPEG-4 AdvancedSimpleProfile):3ivx,DivX, ElecardMPEG-4
Decoder/Encoder,libavcodec, HDX4,NeroDigital,Xvidvideocodec
 H.264/MPEG-4 AVCor MPEG-4 Part 10 (MPEG-4 AdvancedVideoCoding):CoreAVC,Elecard
AVCDecoder/Encoder,MainConcept,NeroDigital,QuickTime H.264,SorensonAVCPro,
OpenH264, x264, FFmpeg
 MPEG-4 AVCvariants:MPEG-4 Web VideoCodingorMPEG-4 Part 29, XAVC
 HEVC (High-EfficiencyVideoCoding,H.265,MPEG-H part 2): x265
 Versatile VideoCoding:VVCTestModel,FraunhoferVersatile VideoDecoder,Fraunhofer
Versatile VideoEncoder
 VideoCodingforBrowsers(VCB)/VP8(MPEG-4Part 31): libvpx,FFmpeg
 InternetVideoCoding(MPEG-4IVC)
 Essential VideoCoding(EVC;MPEG-5Part 1)
 Low ComplexityEnhancementVideoCoding(LCEVC;MPEG-5Part 2)
IETF Internet Draft (NETVC)
 xvc
 Thor
SMPTE standards
 VC-1:FFmpeg
 Dirac: Schrödinger,dirac-research, FFmpeg
Alliance for OpenMedia
 AV1:libaom, SVT-AV1,rav1e,dav1d,libgav1
Xiph.Org Foundation
 Daala
 Theora:FFmpeg,libtheora
Apple Video(Apple RPZA)
 QuickTime
 FFmpeg
Blackbird
Firebird
Digital VideoInteractive standards
 RTV 2.1 (a.k.a.Indeo2):FFmpeg
 PLV (ProductionLevel Video)
Indeo3/4/5
MicrosoftVideo1 (MSV1, MS-CRAM)

12. OpenMedia Commonsstandards:
 OMS Video
On2 Technologies
 FFmpeg
RealVideo1, G2, 8, 9 and 10
 FFmpeg
 RealMediaHDSDK
RealVideoFractal Codec(a.k.a. Iterated SystemsClearVideo)
 FFmpeg
RealMediaHD (a.k.a. RealVideo11)
 RealMediaHDSDK
Snow WaveletCodec
SorensonVideo,SorensonSpark
 FFmpeg
VP9
 libvpx
 FFmpeg
WindowsMediaVideo(WMV)
 WAX
 FFmpeg
Guobiaostandards (GB/T)
 AudioVideoStandard(AVS):AVS1-P2(FFmpeg), AVS1-P7(AVS-M),AVS2-P2
(uAVS2/xavs2/davs2), AVS3-P2(uavs3e/uavs3d)
https://videoconvert.minitool.com/video-converter/to-play-this-video-you-need-a-codec.html
Scalable
VP8, VP9, AV1,and H.266/VVCsupportscalable modesbydefault.
 Scalable VideoCoding(H.264/SVC)
 Scalable High-EfficiencyVideoCoding(SHVC)
Intra-frame-only
MotionJPEG
 FFmpeg
 Morgan MultimediaM-JPEG
 PegasusPICVideoM-JPEG

13.  MainConceptM-JPEG
ISO/IEC standard
 MotionJPEG 2000: libopenjpeg,FFmpeg,MorganMultimediaM-JPEG2000, Morgan
MultimediadcpPlayer
 JPEG XS: intoPIXfastTICO-XS
 DV: FFmpeg
 MPEG-4 SStP:FFmpeg
 MotionJPEG XR
Apple ProRes 422/4444
 FFmpeg
Apple Intermediate Codec
 FFmpeg
Apple Pixlet
 FFmpeg
AVC-Intra
 x264
 FFmpeg
AVC-Ultra
XAVC-I
CineFormHD
 CineForm-SDK
 FFmpeg
SMPTE standard
 VC-2SMPTE (a.k.a.Dirac Pro.):Schrödinger, dirac-research,VC-2Reference videoEncoder
and Decoder, FFmpeg
 VC-3SMPTE: AvidDNxHD, FFmpeg
 VC-5SMPTE
Grass ValleyHQ/HQA/HQX
 Grass ValleyCodecOption
 FFmpeg
NewTekNT25
NewTekSpeedHQ
 FFmpeg
Stereoscopic3D

14. MultiviewVideoCoding
Securityandsurveillance cameras
Guobiaostandards
 AVS-S-P2
 SVAC
InfinityCCTV Codec(IMM4/IMM5/IMM6)
 FFmpeg
https://videoconvert.minitool.com/video-converter/vlc-could-not-open-mp4a-audio-encoder.html
CD-ROMor CD-relatedvideocodecs
 CDXL codec:FFmpeg
 Cinepak(a.k.a.AppleCompactVideo):FFmpeg
 PhotoCD codec: FFmpeg
 MotionPixels:FFmpeg
 CD+G (CD+Graphics):FFmpeg, VLC
 CD+EG (CD+ExtendedGraphics)
Networkvideocodecs
 HEVC-SCC
 ZRLE
 SunMicrosystems'CellBvideo(RTPplayloadtype 25)
 Xerox PARC'sNetworkVideo(nv;RTPplayloadtype 28)
 CU-SeeMe
 GoToMeeting:FFmpeg
Bayervideocodecs
 CinemaDNG
 Redcode RAW:libredcode
 ArriRaw
 CineformRAW:CineForm-SDK
 BlackmagicRAW: BlackmagicRAWSDK
 Cintel RAW:FFmpeg
 Apple ProResRAW
 intoPIXTICORAW:intoPIXfastTICO-RAWSDK&TICO-RAWFPGA/ASIClibraries
Videogames
 BinkVideo/Smackervideo:FFmpeg,libavcodec
 NintendoMobiclip:FFmpeg
 CRI Sofdec
 CRI P256
 IndeoVideoInteractive (akaIndeo4/5):FFmpeg,IntelIndeoVideo
Real-time

15.  Hap/Hap Alpha/HapQ:VIDVOXhap codec, FFmpeg
 DXV Codec:Resolume DXV Codec,FFmpeg
 NotchLC:FFmpeg
 VESA DisplayStreamCompression(DSC)
 VESA DisplayCompression-M(VDC-M)
https://videoconvert.minitool.com/video-converter/how-to-export-after-effects-to-mp4.html
List of Open-Source Video Codecs
Amongthe above videocodecslist,some of the codecsare open-source.
 x264
 OpenH264
 x265
 Xvid
 libvpx
 SVT-AV1
 VideoLAN dav1d
 Xiph.Orgrav1e
 Google libgav1
 xvc
 FFmpeg
 Lagarith
 libtheora
 Dirac as dirac-research
 Huffyuv
 Daala
 Thor
 Turing
 libaom
 Kvazaar
 VVenC&VVdeC
Comparison of Video Codecs
The primarygoal of most videocompressionsolutionsistoproduce videos thatmostclosely
approximate the fidelityof the original videoswhile deliveringthe smallestfile size.Besidessome
otherfactors that needtoconsiderwhencomparingthe codecsof videos include videoqualityper
bitrate (range of bitrate),performance,andgeneral software characteristics.
# Video Quality
Objective videoquality
 Full reference
 Reducedreference
 No-reference
Subjective videoquality
 Pre- and post-filters
 Motionestimation(ME) searchstrategy

16.  Rate control strategy
# Performance
Seedcomparison
 Decompressionframe timeuniformity
 SIMD support
 Multi-threadingsupport
 RAMspeed
 Processorcache size
 GPU usage
Profilessupport
 Baseline profile (BP)
 Main profile (MP)
 Extendedprofile (XP)
 Highprofile (HiP)
 High10 profile (Hi10P)
 High4:2:2 profile (Hi422P)
 High4:4:4 predictive profile(Hi444PP)
 Multiviewhighprofile
 High10 intraprofile
 High4:2:2 intraprofile
 High4:4:4 intraprofile
 CAVLC4:4:4 intra profile
 Scalable baseline profile
 Scalable highprofile
 Scalable highintraprofile
Supportedrate control strategies
 Variable bitrate (VBR)
 Constantbitrate (CBR)
https://videoconvert.minitool.com/video-converter/audio-codec-not-supported.html
# Software Characteristics
 supportedOS:Windows,Linux (e.g.Ubuntu),macOS
 technical details: compressiontype,basicalgorithm, highestsupportedbitrate/resolution,
variable frame rate.
 supportedinterfaces:VfW,DirectShow,etc.
 price:value formoney,volume discounts,etc.
 license type:free,open-source,commercial
 manufacturer,
 versionnumber
 release date
Videos/Audio/Photos Management Tools Recommended
These applications are completely compatiblewith Windows11/10/8.1/8/7.

17. MiniTool MovieMaker
An easy-to-use videoeditingsoftware withoutwatermarksandlimits.The embeddedtemplates
enable youtoquicklymake personal slideshowsandshare themwithyourfriends!
MM-Free
MiniTool uTube Downloader
Free downloadYouTube videos,audio,andsubtitleswithoutadsorbundles.Itcan operate multiple
taskssimultaneouslyatahighspeedandsupportsmultiple file formats.
UD-Free