Digital Media Production & Broadcasting
| Era/Category | Format/Standard | Year | Type | Resolution/Quality | Primary Usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analog Consumer | Betamax | 1975 | Analog Tape | ~250 lines | Home video recording | First consumer VCR format |
| Analog Consumer | VHS | 1976 | Analog Tape | ~240 lines | Home video recording | Won format war against Betamax |
| Analog Consumer | Video 2000 (V2000) | 1979 | Analog Tape | ~250 lines | Home video (Europe) | Philips format, failed commercially |
| Analog Consumer | VHS-C | 1982 | Analog Tape | ~240 lines | Compact camcorders | Compact VHS for portable use |
| Analog Consumer | Video8 | 1985 | Analog Tape | ~240 lines | Consumer camcorders | 8mm tape format by Sony |
| Analog Consumer | S-VHS | 1987 | Analog Tape | ~400 lines | Prosumer video | Super VHS with better quality |
| Analog Consumer | Hi8 | 1989 | Analog Tape | ~400 lines | High-end camcorders | Improved Video8 |
| Analog Consumer | LaserDisc | 1978 | Optical Disc | ~425 lines | Home video playback | First optical disc format |
| Analog Professional | U-matic | 1971 | Analog Tape | ~250 lines | Broadcast/industrial | 3/4 inch professional format |
| Analog Professional | Betacam | 1982 | Analog Tape | ~300 lines | Professional broadcast | Sony professional format |
| Analog Professional | Betacam SP | 1986 | Analog Tape | ~340 lines | Broadcast/production | Superior Performance variant |
| Analog Professional | M-II | 1986 | Analog Tape | ~340 lines | Broadcast | Panasonic professional format |
| Analog Professional | 1-inch Type C | 1976 | Analog Tape | ~330 lines | Broadcast standard | Studio recording standard |
| Analog Professional | 2-inch Quadruplex | 1956 | Analog Tape | ~300 lines | Early broadcast | First practical VTR |
| Broadcast Standards | NTSC | 1941/1953 | Analog Broadcast | 525 lines (480i) | North America/Japan | 29.97 fps interlaced |
| Broadcast Standards | PAL | 1967 | Analog Broadcast | 625 lines (576i) | Europe/Asia/Australia | 25 fps interlaced |
| Broadcast Standards | SECAM | 1967 | Analog Broadcast | 625 lines (576i) | France/Russia/Africa | 25 fps interlaced |
| Digital Tape | D1 | 1986 | Digital Tape | CCIR 601 | Broadcast production | First digital VTR, component |
| Digital Tape | D2 | 1988 | Digital Tape | CCIR 601 | Broadcast | Composite digital |
| Digital Tape | D3 | 1991 | Digital Tape | CCIR 601 | Broadcast | Composite 1/2 inch |
| Digital Tape | D5 | 1994 | Digital Tape | CCIR 601 | Broadcast | Component uncompressed |
| Digital Tape | Digital8 | 1999 | Digital Tape | 720x480 | Consumer camcorders | DV format on Hi8 tapes |
| Digital Tape | DV (MiniDV) | 1995 | Digital Tape | 720x480/576 | Consumer/prosumer | Standard definition DV |
| Digital Tape | DVCAM | 1996 | Digital Tape | 720x480/576 | Professional | Sony professional DV |
| Digital Tape | DVCPRO | 1995 | Digital Tape | 720x480/576 | Broadcast | Panasonic professional DV |
| Digital Tape | Digital Betacam | 1993 | Digital Tape | 720x486/576 | High-end broadcast | Professional digital format |
| Digital Tape | HDCAM | 1997 | Digital Tape | 1440x1080 | HD broadcast | Sony HD format |
| Digital Tape | HDCAM SR | 2003 | Digital Tape | 1920x1080 | HD broadcast | Superior Resolution HD |
| Digital Tape | HDV | 2003 | Digital Tape | 1440x1080 | Prosumer HD | MPEG-2 on MiniDV tapes |
| Optical Disc | VCD (Video CD) | 1993 | Optical Disc | 352x240/288 | Home video | MPEG-1 on CD |
| Optical Disc | SVCD | 1998 | Optical Disc | 480x480/576 | Home video | MPEG-2 on CD |
| Optical Disc | DVD-Video | 1996 | Optical Disc | 720x480/576 | Home video | MPEG-2, standard def |
| Optical Disc | HD DVD | 2006 | Optical Disc | 1920x1080 | HD home video | Failed HD format |
| Optical Disc | Blu-ray | 2006 | Optical Disc | 1920x1080 | HD home video | H.264/MPEG-2/VC-1 |
| Optical Disc | UHD Blu-ray | 2016 | Optical Disc | 3840x2160 | 4K home video | HEVC (H.265) |
| Codec/Standard | H.120 | 1984 | Compression | CIF | Early videoconferencing | First digital video standard |
| Codec/Standard | H.261 | 1988 | Compression | CIF/QCIF | Videoconferencing | First practical DCT standard |
| Codec/Standard | MPEG-1 | 1993 | Compression | 352x240 | VCD, internet | Early internet/CD video |
| Codec/Standard | Motion JPEG | 1992 | Compression | Variable | Editing, cameras | Frame-by-frame JPEG |
| Codec/Standard | H.262 / MPEG-2 | 1995 | Compression | SD/HD | DVD, broadcast TV | DVD and digital TV standard |
| Codec/Standard | H.263 | 1996 | Compression | Low bitrate | Videoconferencing, mobile | Low-bandwidth video |
| Codec/Standard | MPEG-4 Part 2 | 1999 | Compression | Variable | Internet video | DivX, Xvid implementations |
| Codec/Standard | DV Codec | 1995 | Compression | 720x480/576 | Camcorders, editing | Intra-frame compression |
| Codec/Standard | WMV (Windows Media) | 1999 | Compression | Variable | Windows streaming | Microsoft proprietary |
| Codec/Standard | RealVideo | 1997 | Compression | Variable | Early streaming | RealNetworks format |
| Codec/Standard | Sorenson Video | 1998 | Compression | Variable | QuickTime | Early Mac/web video |
| Modern Codecs | H.264 / AVC | 2003 | Compression | SD to 4K | Blu-ray, streaming, broadcast | Most widely used codec (2019: 91%) |
| Modern Codecs | VC-1 | 2006 | Compression | SD to HD | Blu-ray, streaming | Microsoft/SMPTE standard |
| Modern Codecs | Theora | 2004 | Compression | SD to HD | Internet, open source | Royalty-free codec |
| Modern Codecs | Apple ProRes | 2007 | Compression | HD to 8K | Video production | Professional editing codec |
| Modern Codecs | DNxHD/DNxHR | 2004 | Compression | HD to 4K | Professional editing | Avid editing codec |
| Modern Codecs | VP8 | 2008 | Compression | SD to HD | WebM, YouTube | Google open codec |
| Modern Codecs | VP9 | 2013 | Compression | HD to 8K | YouTube, streaming | Google royalty-free, 40-50% better than H.264 |
| Modern Codecs | H.265 / HEVC | 2013 | Compression | HD to 8K | 4K streaming, UHD Blu-ray | 50% better than H.264 (2019: 43%) |
| Modern Codecs | AV1 | 2018 | Compression | HD to 8K | Netflix, streaming | Open codec, 25-40% better than VP9 |
| Modern Codecs | H.266 / VVC | 2020 | Compression | 4K to 8K | Next-gen streaming | 50% better than HEVC |
| Streaming/Container | QuickTime (.mov) | 1991 | Container | Variable | Mac video | Apple multimedia format |
| Streaming/Container | AVI | 1992 | Container | Variable | Windows video | Microsoft container |
| Streaming/Container | ASF/WMV | 1999 | Container | Variable | Windows streaming | Microsoft streaming |
| Streaming/Container | FLV (Flash Video) | 2002 | Container | Variable | Web video | Adobe Flash streaming |
| Streaming/Container | MP4 | 2001 | Container | Variable | Universal streaming | MPEG-4 Part 14 container |
| Streaming/Container | MKV (Matroska) | 2002 | Container | Variable | Universal | Open container format |
| Streaming/Container | WebM | 2010 | Container | Variable | Web streaming | VP8/VP9 in Matroska |
| Streaming/Container | 3GP/3G2 | 1998 | Container | Variable | Mobile video | Mobile phone video |
| Streaming/Container | MXF | 2004 | Container | Variable | Professional broadcast | Material Exchange Format |
| Digital Broadcast | ATSC 1.0 | 1996 | Digital TV | 480i/720p/1080i | North America digital TV | MPEG-2 HD broadcast |
| Digital Broadcast | ATSC 3.0 | 2017 | Digital TV | Up to 4K | Next-gen US broadcast | HEVC 4K broadcast |
| Digital Broadcast | DVB-T/T2 | 1997/2009 | Digital TV | SD to 4K | European digital TV | MPEG-2/H.264/HEVC |
| Digital Broadcast | DVB-S/S2 | 1995/2005 | Satellite TV | SD to 4K | Satellite broadcast | MPEG-2/H.264/HEVC |
| Digital Broadcast | ISDB-T | 1999 | Digital TV | SD to HD | Japan/South America | Japanese digital TV |
| Resolution Standard | SD (480i/576i) | 1990s | Standard Def | 720x480/576 | DVD, digital TV | Standard definition |
| Resolution Standard | ED (480p) | 2000s | Enhanced Def | 640x480 | Early progressive | Enhanced definition |
| Resolution Standard | HD Ready (720p) | 2005 | High Def | 1280x720 | HD broadcast, gaming | Progressive HD |
| Resolution Standard | Full HD (1080p) | 2007 | High Def | 1920x1080 | Blu-ray, streaming | Full high definition |
| Resolution Standard | 2K | 2000s | Cinema | 2048x1080 | Digital cinema | Cinema 2K |
| Resolution Standard | QHD/1440p | 2013 | Quad HD | 2560x1440 | Gaming, monitors | Quad HD |
| Resolution Standard | 4K UHD | 2012 | Ultra HD | 3840x2160 | 4K streaming, UHD TV | Consumer 4K standard |
| Resolution Standard | DCI 4K | 2012 | Cinema | 4096x2160 | Digital cinema | Cinema 4K |
| Resolution Standard | 5K | 2014 | Ultra HD | 5120x2880 | Professional displays | Retina 5K |
| Resolution Standard | 8K UHD | 2018 | Ultra HD | 7680x4320 | Next-gen broadcast | 8K television |
| Professional/Cinema | Cineon | 1990s | Digital | 2K/4K | Film scanning | Kodak digital intermediate |
| Professional/Cinema | DPX | 1994 | Digital | 2K/4K/8K | Film/VFX production | Digital Picture Exchange |
| Professional/Cinema | OpenEXR | 2003 | Digital | Any | VFX, film production | High dynamic range format |
| Professional/Cinema | CinemaDNG | 2009 | RAW | Variable | Digital cinema cameras | RAW video format |
| Professional/Cinema | ProRes RAW | 2018 | RAW | Variable | Apple professional | RAW codec for editing |
| Professional/Cinema | REDCODE RAW | 2007 | RAW | 4K to 8K | RED digital cinema | Compressed RAW |
| Professional/Cinema | ARRIRAW | 2006 | RAW | 2K to 6.5K | ARRI cameras | Uncompressed/compressed RAW |
| Modern Streaming | Netflix 4K | 2014-present | Streaming | 3840x2160 | 4K streaming service | HEVC (H.265) Main10 profile |
| Modern Streaming | YouTube 4K/8K | 2010-present | Streaming | Up to 7680x4320 | Video platform | VP9, AV1 for 4K/8K |
| Modern Streaming | Amazon Prime 4K | 2016-present | Streaming | 3840x2160 | 4K streaming | HEVC, AV1 |
| Modern Streaming | Disney+ 4K | 2019-present | Streaming | 3840x2160 | 4K streaming | HEVC |
| Modern Streaming | Apple TV+ 4K | 2019-present | Streaming | 3840x2160 | 4K streaming | HEVC, Dolby Vision |
| Modern Streaming | HLS (HTTP Live) | 2009 | Protocol | Variable | Apple streaming | Adaptive bitrate streaming |
| Modern Streaming | DASH | 2012 | Protocol | Variable | Universal streaming | Dynamic Adaptive Streaming |
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