Video Formats of Various Platforms (How to Convert to Them)

By . in Desktop. Updated on .

Technology has given users the choice to view media on a number of platforms – web, social media, or mobile devices etc. Advertisers and content creators can post on any or all of these platforms to gain as many views as they want

However, each platform has its own requirement in terms of video size, format, and other parameters. Here is a detail of what size, format and other parameters should your videos meet in order to optimally publish on different most-commonly used platforms.

Also, we are going to talk about how you can easily convert a video in any format to the one that you require using WinX DVD Converter – a video conversion tool. So, let’s begin.

Facebook, and its video formats

Facebook is one of the most popular platforms for posting video content. It is estimated that around 4 billion videos are viewed on Facebook every day. This is the reason so many advertisers and content creators clamor for posting their videos on Facebook.

Nevertheless, the thing to remember is that there are different types of video postings on Facebook and each type has its own format and parameters that you need to follow. Here is a detail on the most common type of videos on Facebook.

Shared posts

This is the most common type of video posting on Facebook that you post on your Timeline and can be shared by anyone. The Facebook shared video can be posted in Landscape or Portrait and must have the following specs:

  • Video dimension: 1280×720 (for both Landscape and Portrait)
  • Maximum file size: 4GB
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9 (Landscape) 9:16 (Portrait)
  • Supported formats: .MP4 and .MOV.

360 videos

Facebook 360 videos are a wonderfully creative way to give a complete and immersive view of any surrounding to the viewers. You can move the view around using your cursor or turning the device (on mobile) to get a virtual tour of any place.

If you want to post a 360 video on Facebook, there are certain parameters that you’re recommended to follow.

  • Video dimension: 5120×2560 (Monoscopic) 5120×5120 (Stereoscopic)
  • Maximum file size: 10GB
  • Aspect ratio: 2:1 (monoscopic) 1:1 (Stereoscopic)
  • Supported format: .MP4 and .MOV.

Video ads

There are billions of advertisers on Facebook each with their own campaigns accompanied by video ads that allow them to show off their products to their potential customers.

There are different types of Facebook video ads and if as an advertiser you want to get optimal results from your ad, you need to use the right format. Here are the specs of most common Facebook video ad:

  • Video dimension: 1080×1080
  • Maximum file size: 4GB
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9 (Landscape) 9:16 (Postrait), Square: 1:1, and Full Portrait: 9:16
  • Supported format: .MP4 and .MOV

Carousel video ad

Facebook carousel ads are ideal for advertisers to showcase multiple videos in the form of a carousel so you can scroll to the next or previous videos in one post.

This is the reason carousel ads are considered to be more effective than other video ads. The below-mentioned parameters are recommended for Facebook carousel video ads:

  • Video dimension: 1080×1080
  • Maximum file size: 4GB
  • Aspect ratio: 1:1
  • Supported format: .MP4 and .MOV

Instagram, and its video formats

Instagram is among the most popular and commonly used social media platforms. The site owes its popularity to the fact that it was the first photo sharing social platform that only a few years ago allowed users to upload and share videos as well.

Video posts

Like other social media sites, Instagram has set parameters for the videos that you post. There are basically three types of orientations for Instagram videos: Landscape, Portrait, and Square and in the following you can learn about their recommended specs:

  • Video dimension: 1080×1080
  • Maximum file size: 4GB
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9 (Landscape), 4:5 (Vertical), and 1:1 (Square)
  • Supported format: .MP4 and .MOV

Note: the specifications for Instagram video ads are the same as the video post.

Stories videos

For your personal account, Instagram stories allow you to share an interesting moment of your life with your friends and family. For business accounts, IG stories offer a way to engage with their audience and show your followers how fun you are.

Either you post personal stories or for your business, it is recommended that you be casual and in-the-moment. Other recommendations for video specs are as follows:

  • Video dimension: 1080×1080
  • Maximum file size: 4GB
  • Aspect ratio: 9:16
  • Supported format: .MP4 and .MOV

Instagram TV

Instagram TV (IGTV) lets you watch videos but these are longer (up to 1 hour) unlike the short ones that you normally see on the site. However only the accounts that are verified or have a large following can create IGTV videos.

If you want to share your personal or your brand’s video on IGTV, here are the video parameters that are recommended:

  • Video dimension: 1080×1920 (min. 720)
  • Maximum file size: 3.6GB (for videos upto 60 minutes)
  • Aspect ratio: 9:16 or 4:5 (for in-feed previews)
  • Supported format: MP4

YouTube, and its video formats

YouTube is the largest video search engine with thousands of videos uploaded and millions of videos watched every day. It is a heaven for marketers and content creators that allows them to showcase their work or brand to a global viewership.

Although you can upload your videos in any format and aspect ratio on YouTube, however, there are some recommended specifications for organic videos that you should follow:

  • Video dimension: 426×240 (240p), 640×360 (360p), 854×480 (480p), 1280×720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 2560 x 1440 (1440p) and 3840 x 2160 (2160p)
  • Maximum file size: 128GB
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9
  • Supported format: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM.

Note: the specifications for YouTube ads (non-skippable, mid-roll, or bumper ads) are the same as above.

And then there’s also video formats for mobile platforms

This is the era of cross-platform content consumption. With ever advancing mobile technology, more and more people prefer to watch video content on their mobile devices.

So to make your videos optimal for mobile platforms, here is a look at the recommended specs for two most-commonly used ones – iOS and Android.

iOS video formats

iOS devices namely iPhone and iPad offer the amazing Retina display that makes the graphics come alive. That’s why, iOS devices are one the best to play and record videos.

As a video creator, you need to know which are the most suitable parameters for video recording and playback on iOS devices so you can make the best use of their sharp display. Here are the formats supported by iOS playback:

  • Format: .M4V, .MP4, .MOV
  • Codec: H.265 / H.264
  • Frame rate: up to 4K / 60 fps

    • or

  • Format: AVI
  • Codec: Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps
  • Frame rate: 30 fps

Android video formats

Android OS has gained much popularity in the last decade offering more customization options and superb displays in most of its latest mobile devices. There are currently millions of users using Android mobile devices and the number keeps growing.

For marketers and video creators, it is imperative to know the optimal format for video playback on Android devices so as to produce the ones that give viewers the best results.

  • Format: 3GP, MPEG-4, MPEG-TS
  • Codec: H.265 / H.264
  • Frame rate: 30 fps

How to convert videos to any video format?

There are different formats for different platforms and you can convert your videos in any of those formats using a video editor, however, going back to the editing software and manually changing the specs for each file is neither productive nor really effective.

For quickly converting any video to any kind of format, you can use WinX Video Converter. It is an efficient tool that allows you to convert or compress your video in a few seconds and without reducing their quality.

Additionally, it uses level-3 hardware (GPU) acceleration to convert videos at an impressively fast speed.

To convert your videos using WinX HD Converter, these are the steps you need to follow:

  1. Install and then launch WinX HD Converter and click on the Video+ to upload your video.
    2. winx video converter
  2. In the next window, choose the format that you want to convert to. You can select from among General Formats, or choose for your specific device and click Done and then click Run on the main window.
    3. winx video converter
    winx video converter
  3. The video converting process as you’ll be able to see it through the progress bar. This is going to take just a few minutes and your video will be saved in the set location.
    4. winx video converter

That’s it, it is that easy to convert any kind of video into any format or supported by any device without getting into the technicalities.

To sum up

With advancements in multimedia technology, there are different video formats emerging. The aforementioned content tells you about the most suitable video specifications recommended for different online and offline platforms.

But instead of taking the more complicated and less productive route of converting videos through editing software, you can simply do it through WinX HD Converter in almost no time.

For professional video creators this is a must-have tool for quickly compressing and converting videos with perfect results and without CPU overuse.

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