Codec / Container Compatibility Matrix
Quick reference for codec and container support
✓ Supported
△ Limited / Non-standard
✗ Not supported
| Container | H.264 | H.265 | AV1 | VP9 | MPEG-4 | ProRes | AAC | MP3 | Opus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .mp4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | △ | ✓ | △ | ✓ | △ | △ |
| .mkv | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| .mov | ✓ | ✓ | △ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | △ | ✗ |
| .webm | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| .avi | ✓ | △ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | △ | ✓ | ✗ |
| .ts | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| .flv | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | △ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
- MP4 + VP9: Technically possible but non-standard; can cause browser compatibility issues
- MP4 + ProRes: Playable on macOS but not recommended for general use
- MP4 + MP3: Allowed by older specs but AAC is strongly preferred
- MP4 + Opus: Relatively new support; some players do not support it yet
- MOV + AV1: Supported on Apple Silicon and newer Apple devices; not on older hardware
- AVI + H.265: Unofficial support only; works in VLC and some other players
- MKV is the most flexible container and can hold virtually any codec combination