For those of you who may be new to the video scene, video can get messy very quickly. Two of the most confusing pieces of the video puzzle to deal with are file format, and which codec to use when recording or creating a video. There are SO many, each with a different use for different times in the production and post-production processes. Let me break some of them down for you.
Recording Formats [Broadcast RAW]
CinemaDNG or DNxHD(AVI & MOV), Cineform(AVI), ProResHQ(MOV), ArriRaw
How the big boys do it: Raw file types allow the most delicate and precise control over how a video looks in post-production. Uncompressed files are huge in terms of storage & backup.
Web Formats [Streaming]
.MP4, .H264, .Webm, .FLV, .WMV
These formats are for playback from inside a browser and are in use across all popular video sites. When video is uploaded to one of these sites, chances are they are making a new copy, and creating different versions to serve to each user that they visits their site.
Playback Containers
.MP4, .WMV, .MOV, .AVI, .MKV, .MPG
We won't get into the science of these just yet, but I'd like to talk more about the Broadcast RAW side of things. The reason that you see all of these different formats is because each of them is created and owned by different companies. Apple owns the .MP4/.H264 MOV file and codec, Adobe owns .FLV, Google owns Webm, and so on. It's difficult to find a format compatible across Mac's, Linux, and PC's.
One of the largest problems with these formats is that there are licenses that come with these formats that prevent complete openness for simply developing good video. I recently have run into problems exporting to certain formats for mass production and archiving and had been looking for a good cross-compatible video codec with multiple qualities for post-production use. If the vendor updates anything on their end with this format too quickly, it could break compatibility with the programs that are used daily by those in the industry. These types of vendor changes can cause massive headaches at the end of a production and further complicates the process and wastes time in the production timeline or budget. As a director with limited budget and resources, I need something that is more open that gives full creative ability for the end vision in my mind.
Enter The .MOX
I found this project on Indiegogo through researching other broadcast formats, and on 10/31/2014 have put my support towards the goal of making this happen. Others larger vendors have backed up this movement, including cinegy and video copilot. One nice feature about this format is that it stores each video frame separately as an image within the container, so you can extract just that one frame later if you need to. Another is that it's being built with plug-ins to widely used programs, which will ease the update process going forward. This way they can integrate into a program that may not have native support for the format yet.
Get Your .MOX
There is a full explanation of all the benefits at their Indiegogo project page. Go there and support it now, there's only a little time left for this first run. Every little bit helps, and be sure to tell other producers as well.
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.MOX. a format you can achieve in." That's my tagline for the movie title, LOL. Have a great day!