Converting video formats can be very useful as a way to ensure a video is compatible, or even optimized. Nowadays there are lots of convenient tools that make it easier than ever to convert videos between formats as well.
If you intend to convert the format of your videos, there are a few important tips that you should always remember that could make a world of difference:
- Don’t discard or replace the original video
Although you may have a new version of the video, you shouldn’t replace and discard the original video. At some point you may want convert the same video into a different format, and it is always best to do that from the original video rather than a converted version.
All in all you should think of the original as the version of the video that has the best quality, and store it in case it is required. Any time you need to convert, compress, or even use footage from the video in other projects – you can use the original.
- Try to convert to formats that have hardware support
Despite the fact that technically all that is required to play a video is software support, it is always best to convert to formats with hardware support instead. Simply put hardware support is more efficient, and requires less processing power than decoding a video using software does.
If you aren’t sure which format has hardware acceleration on your device, you should be able to check its technical specifications. Generally MP4 with H.264 is a good option however, and most modern devices over the last decade tend to have hardware support for it.
- Not all video converters can remove DRM
In many cases if you run into issues and can’t seem to convert a video, you should check if it has DRM. Many video converters (especially the more basic ones) won’t be able to convert a video file that has some sort of DRM and you’ll need to use a different converter or find a way to remove the DRM first.
Keep in mind that there are different types of DRM currently in use and not all converters can cope with all of them. On top of that if you want to retain the DRM but just convert the format, you may need to find a converter that is specifically able to do so.
Be sure to keep these tips in mind, and you should have a much easier time converting your videos to the formats that you require. It really can be quite easy, and for example if you want to quickly convert QuickTime to MP4 you can just use Online Video Converter.
The first tip is undoubtedly the most important, and so long as you store the original video file – should anything go wrong when you convert the video, you can always revert back to it. In short it will be a fallback that you can turn to if and when you need.
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
