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Choosing a Digital Video Format Massachusetts

How to choose a format for your digital video file.

Local Companies

Munich-IC Inc.
1-978-525-3040 x118
118 Magnolia Avenue, 2nd Floor
Gloucester, MA

Zap Electric
(413) 567-2228
455 Laurel St
Longmeadow, MA

Blockbuster Video
(413) 567-4543
666 Bliss Rd
Longmeadow, MA

Torrent Cables
781-820-4654
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Needham, MA

Chestnut Hill Sound
(617) 618-1800 x 206
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Newton, MA

Gazelle.com
www.gazelle.com
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Boston, MA

Connect-Techs Professional Home Audio-Video Installations
(413) 567-6900
749 Maple Rd
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Audio Lab, Inc
617-864-1144
36 JFK St.
Cambridge, MA

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Malden
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Techie
(508) 229-8324
282 E Main St
Marlborough, MA

Adapted From: Digital Photos, Movies, & Music Gigabook?For Dummies

Many different video formats are available for the movies that you edit on your computer. Each format uses a different codec. (A codec, short for compressor/decompressor, is a software tool that is used to make multimedia files smaller.) Common video file formats include MPEG and AVI, but these two formats are usually not suitable for movies that you plan to share online because they have big file sizes. Three other popular formats, however, are perfectly suited to the online world. These formats are as follows:

QuickTime (.QT): Many Windows users and virtually all Macintosh users have the QuickTime Player program from Apple. QuickTime is the only export format that's available with iMovie. Pinnacle Studio cannot export QuickTime movies, but some more advanced Windows programs like Adobe Premiere can.

RealMedia (.RM): This is the format that is used by the popular RealPlayer, which is available for Windows and Macintosh systems, among others. Pinnacle Studio can export RealMedia-format video.

Windows Media Video (.WMV): This format requires Windows Media Player. Almost all Windows users and some Macintosh users already have it. Both Pinnacle Studio and Windows Movie Maker can export Windows Media Video.

Each of these three video formats has strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, the format that you choose depends mainly on the editing software that you're using. For example, if you're using iMovie on a Mac, QuickTime is probably your only option.

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Featured Local Company

Munich-IC Inc.

1-978-525-3040 x118
118 Magnolia Avenue, 2nd Floor
Gloucester, MA

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Business Services	Fashion	Industrial Goods & Services	Retail & Consumer Services
Career	Financial Services	Insurance	Software
Cars	Food & Beverage	Internet	Technology
Computer Hardware	Franchise	Legal	Telecommunications
Construction	Health	Miscellaneous	Trade Shows
Education	Holidays	Nightlife	Travel
Entertainment	Home Appliances	Online Database	Weddings
Environmental	Home Electronics	Pets	World History