Have you recently recorded a video clip from your game that you’d like to share with your friends? Maybe you’d like to send them the video file directly, or upload it to YouTube to and share the link?
Before you actually share your gaming videos, you should take a moment to consider the format that they’re in. The reason for that is simple: Using the right format will make it easier to share them, and help ensure that viewers have no problem watching your videos.
To be more specific, there are three formats in particular that are best for sharing gaming videos:
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MP4 (H.264)
Using the MP4 format with a H.264 codec to share gaming videos is a good overall option. It will help to ensure your video can be viewed on practically any device or platform.
On top of that this format is preferred by most social media and online video platforms – which means that you should be able to upload and share it easily as well.
The one drawback is that while the compression of the H.264 codec is good, it is not the best any longer. In other words using a different format could let you reduce the file size further and make it easier to share your video.
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MP4 (H.265)
Rather than using the H.264 codec, you could encode your gaming videos in MP4 with H.265 instead. Because the H.265 codec is newer, it provides a much better compression ratio and can reduce the file size of H.264 videos by up to 50%.
However being a newer codec, H.265 is not as widely-supported as its predecessor. As such some people may have issues watching the video if it is shared in this format, especially if they use older mobile devices or platforms.
To add to that it is best not to publish videos in MP4 (H.265). Not only is it not recommended by most online platforms, but most browsers do not support the format either.
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MPEG-2
Although it is old, MPEG-2 remains a good format to share gaming videos if (and only if) you want to do so in the form of a DVD video. It is the only format that is universally supported by DVD players, making it the only real option you can use.
Assuming you do want to burn a DVD, you should be aware that you will have to follow the other DVD format specifications as well. If you don’t the video may not be displayed correctly.
Don’t worry if your video has already been saved in another format, as you can always convert it using the movie converter by Movavi.
The first thing that you should do however is determine which of the three formats fit your requirements best. In most cases MP4 (H.264) is the safest option to use if you aren’t sure, and should be your fallback option if you just want to make sure that your video can be played without any difficulty once it is shared.