Standards: Appendix F - Abbreviated Container Type Names
This is a list of the abbreviations for media container files which are commonly used within documentation.
This is an Appendix to our series of articles on Standards.
These are not file extensions, they are abbreviations that are often used to describe media containers in documentation, which can often cause confusion.
| Abbreviation | Format |
|---|---|
| 3G2 | 3GPP2 |
| 3GP | 3GPP |
| AIFF | Audio Interchange File Format |
| ALAC | Apple Lossless Audio Codec |
| ASF | Advanced Systems Format |
| AVI | Audio Video Interleave |
| DMF | DivX Media Format |
| EVO | Enhanced VOB |
| F4V | Flash Video |
| FLAC | Free Lossless Audio Codec |
| FLV | Flash Video |
| ISOBMFF | ISO Base Media File Format |
| M2TS | Blu-ray BDAV MPEG-2 transport stream |
| MKV | Matroška nested object file |
| MP4 | MPEG-4 Part 14 |
| MXF | Material Exchange Format |
| PS | MPEG program stream (Do not confuse with raw PostScript print stream) |
| QTFF | QuickTime File Format |
| RIFF | Resource Interchange File Format |
| RMVB | Real Media Variable Bitrate |
| TS | MPEG transport stream |
| VOB | DVD Video Object |
| WAV | Waveform Audio File Format |
You might also like...
The Changing Face Of Live Sports: Part 1 - The Rise Of Nimble Production
Live sports broadcasting has always been the preserve of big leagues and big broadcasters with the infrastructure, the clout and the resources to match. But it is no longer the only game in town.
Standards: Audio - High Efficiency Audio Codecs (HE-AAC)
HE-AAC builds on the foundations of AAC to deliver near CD-quality audio at bitrates as low as 32 kbps, making it the codec of choice for mobile TV, digital radio and low-bandwidth streaming. This guide unpacks the key technologies behind its…
IP Security For Broadcasters 2026 – The Psychology Of Security
As engineers and technologists, it’s easy to become bogged down in the technical solutions that maintain high levels of computer security. But as the boundaries between traditional broadcast engineering and IT continue to dissolve, the first port of call i…
Standards: Audio - Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)
AAC succeeded MP3 by delivering better quality at lower bitrates. This guide examines how it works, compares the leading encoder implementations, and explains where it sits within the broader MPEG audio standards landscape.
Broadcast Standards - The Science Of AI: New Foundations
We begin this series with the foundational building blocks of AI. Basic principles, the technology stack and the types of AI based upon it, and how to apply them effectively in a broadcasting enterprise.