What are the most common movie file types?

Not every movie file on the Internet has the same file type. Windows Media files are different than QuickTime movies, which are not the same as Real media files. Each format has specific uses and run through specific programs. Here are some of the most common movie file types you will find on the Internet.

Windows Media File

Windows Media video files (or .wmv) are one of the most popular movie file types on the Internet. They are played in the standard Windows Media Player that comes with all Windows computers.

QuickTime Movie

The QuickTime movie format (or .mov) is Apples equivalent to Windows Media Video files. It is very popular because this proprietary video format can be played on both Mac and Windows computers. .mov files are played by apples QuickTime player.

Real Media file

Real media files (or .rm) are files that can be completely downloaded before playing, or can be streamed directly from the Internet. These files can contain audio data, video data, or both. Real media files are
played on the Realnetwork’s Real Player.

MPEG

Moving Pictures Expert Group (or .mpg) files contain compressed audio and video data. MPEG files can be played on either QuickTime or Windows Media Player.

DIVX

DIVx files are high quality compressed movie files. It allows videos to be a lot smaller data-wise while still delivering crystal clear video. There are quite a few different programs that will play these files, but
DIVx does offer a downloadable program that will play these files.

SWF

SWF files are animation files that are created by Adobe Flash. They can contain audio and visual imagery, but instead of movies, the visual components are usually vector images. SWF files are vey popular in web
design and advertising applications. Any web browser with the downloadable flash player plugin can view these files.

What if you are trying to play a video file that is not listed above?

If you have a video file that you would like to play, but is not in one of the above formats, you are going to have to do some extra research to find the correct player or codec. If you type the file extension into
almost any search engine, many results will pop up and give you information on the necessary software needed to execute your given file type.