From Codecs to Containers: The Basics of Working With Video Files

If you spend even a little time working with video files, you may be familiar with terms like MP4, MOV, AVI, AVC, and a dozen other three-letter abbreviations. Often, playing these types of video files requires downloading a codec to get this video to play. Have you ever found yourself wondering which player you should be using to play video files (Windows Media Player? VLC?), or if it even makes a difference?

Join Tim Bate, Video Technology Manager at Magnet Forensics, as he walks through the basic anatomy of a video file and helps make sense of it all. He’ll discuss the different formats and codecs, break down which codecs you should use and explain the difference between transcoding and re-wrapping along with why you should care. Finally, he’ll demonstrate how to use free tools properly when handling video evidence.