BitComet Support Team's BLOG

MPEG/MPG  is not actually a format but short for Moving Picture Experts Group, a working group of ISO/IEC that develops video and audio encoding standards. But in most cases MPEG is taken for the name of the standard formats introduced by that group.

There are several MPEG formats, all standardized.

MPEG-1 is initial video and audio compression standard. The video quality of this standard is almost as good as a VHS tape.

MPEG-2 compared with MPEG-1, it has better quality of coding, multi-channel sound and higher image resolution. Due to all this MPEG-2 became standard in digital television and DVD industry.

MPEG Audio Layer-3 is used for audio compression and creates almost CD quality sound. Previous versions were MPEG Audio Layer 1 and 2. Today most people know this format as MP3.

MPEG-4 was created to stream DVD quality video at lower data rates and smaller file sizes. MPEG-4 supports video/audio "objects", 3D content, sprites, text and other......

An MPA file is an elementary MPEG Audio Stream.

MPEG-1 Audio Layer II (MP2, sometimes Musicam) is an audio codec defined by ISO/IEC 11172-3. An extension exists: MPEG-2 Layer II and is defined in ISO/IEC 13818-3. The file extension for files containing such audio data is usually .mp2. While it has largely been superseded by MP3 for PC and Internet applications, it remains a dominant standard for audio broadcasting as part of the DAB digital radio and DVB digital television standards. It is also used internally within the radio industry, for example in NPR's PRSS Content Depot programming distribution system.

You can use mpcstar to open files with this suffix. http://www.mpcstar.com/

MPV is MPEG video streams with no audio. MPEG-1 streams have a .m1v extension and MPEG-2 streams have a .m2v extension.

DivX is video format created by DivX, Inc. DivX became quite popular due to the ability to compress videos to almost 15% of the original size (i.e. 2Gb doen to 700Mb). That means that a full film can be fitted into a CD. What is important, the .divx files retain much of the original quality of the DVD, sometimes the result is even indistinguishable from the source.

Compared to DVD, DivX had some shortcomings. It didn't have interactive video menus, multiple subtitles or audio tracks, chapter points and some other features of DVD. But in June 2005 DivX 6, the latest generation of DivX codecs,was released. DivX 6 can be called a full media container format that supports all above mentioned features of DVD but the files are of much less size.

You can use mpcstar to open files with this suffix. http://www.mpcstar.com/

VOB is the extension of the files contained in DVD-Video media. All DVD movies are stored in VOB files on DVDs. VOB file contains video, audio, subtitle and menu in stream form. VOB files are very similar. One may just change .vob extension to .mpeg and it will be readable and most MPEG players will support it.

You can use mpcstar to open files with this suffix. http://www.mpcstar.com/

A group of digital music file types produced by a variety of software applications (trackers). Mod files include sequencing information and waveform samples, and may be compared to XMF files. It is more a music than a sound format. Files of MOD formmat store digitized instruments and contain a musical score which produces a lengthy composition with a very small amount of data. There have been various extensions to this format, but SoundApp only supports a subset using two different drivers. Among them are Amiga SoundTracker, NoiseTracker, Protracker, Amiga StarTracker (4- and 8-track), Oktalyzer (4-8 tracks), Amiga MED/OctaMED (4-16 tracks, MMD0/1/2 formats), IBM FastTracker (4-, 6- and 8-track), IBM TakeTracker (1-32 tracks). Using the ZSS driver, SoundApp also supports S3M (ScreamTracker 3), MTM (Multitracker) and IT (Impulse Tracker). Playback of XM or 669 files is not currently supported by either driver

.mid is the filename extension of Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) file format.

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is an industry-standard protocol that enables electronic musical instruments, computers and other equipment to communicate, control and synchronize with each other.

Note names and MIDI note numbers.MIDI does not transmit an audio signal or media — it simply transmits digital data "event messages" such as the pitch and intensity of musical notes to play, control signals for parameters such as volume, vibrato and panning, cues and clock signals to set the tempo. As an electronic protocol, it is notable for its success, both in its widespread adoption throughout the industry, and in remaining essentially unchanged in the face of technological developments since its introduction in 1983.

You can use mpcstar to open files with this suffix. http://www.mpcstar.com/

RealAudio(RA) is a proprietary audio format developed by RealNetworks. It uses a variety of audio codecs, ranging from low-bitrate formats that can be used over dialup modems, to high-fidelity formats for music. It can also be used as a streaming audio format, that is played at the same time as it is downloaded. Many internet radio stations use RealAudio to stream their programming over the internet in real time.

The first version of RealAudio was released in 1995. As of 2006, the current version is RealAudio 10.

RealAudio is a proprietary audio format developed by RealNetworks. It uses a variety of audio codecs, ranging from low-bitrate formats that can be used over dialup modems, to high-fidelity formats for music. It can also be used as a streaming audio format, that is played at the same time as it is downloaded. Many internet radio stations use RealAudio to stream their programming over the internet in real time.

The first version......

RAM is a file extension for the RealAudio file format.

In many cases, web pages do not link directly to a RealAudio file. Instead they link to a .ram (Real Audio Metadata) or SMIL file. This is a small text file containing a link to the audio stream. When a user clicks on such a link, the user's web browser downloads the .ram or .smil file and launches the user's media player. The media player reads the pnm or rtsp URL from the file and then plays the stream.

You can use mpcstar to open files with this suffix. http://www.mpcstar.com/