Video File Types

[Donald_ET3]

Why does Taijitu only allow videos with the ".mpg" extension? This forum should support a freedom-friendly (libre) container format such as OGG (.ogg), WebM (.webm), or Matroska (.mkv).

These containers can, in turn, hold libre video codecs such as Theora or VP8, and libre audio codecs such as Vorbis or FLAC.

[Delfos]

I didn't know our forum supported any movies, cant u just convert to mpg?

[St Oz]

It's a little complicated, trying to convert to specific video and audio codecs. Think of the movie file extensions as a shell, then there's little guts inside that need to be specific, so it's like doing a kidney transplant, needs the right variables etc.

[Delfos]

I've converted videos before and the converters or video editing tools were all free, some loss of quality in some but they were all fine.

[Donald_ET3]

I didn't know our forum supported any movies, cant u just convert to mpg?

Delfos, MPEG does not respect anyone's freedom. I can easily convert a video to any format I want to. In the interest of freedom, I insist that a video format, which is not encumbered by patents, be supported by Taijitu.

If you look at "Attachments" when you write posts on this forum, you see:
"Allowed file types: doc, gif, jpg, mpg, pdf, png, txt, zip, gz, tex, yaml"

I have not tried to post a video on this site yet, but theoretically you can post up to 900 megabytes of video per post. That would be expensive for whoever maintains this site to host a 900MB video, but I imagine it is possible.

Unless someone can provide a solid reason not to, I want one of the following extensions to be added to the list of "allowed file types": ogg, webm, or mkv.

I am not sure whether I will ever post a video, but if I do, I want to use and distribute in a libre format.

[Donald_ET3]

Who do I need to talk to to make this happen?

[Wast]

 I'll admit it is a bit odd that one can attach .mpgs but not any other file type. Eluvatar would be the right person to ask about this - but he's unlikely to respond anytime soon, and this isn't exactly a pressing concern. I recommend waiting until Eluvatar or some other technically minded admin returns (but not bothering them with any requests) and we can deal with it then.

[Funkadelia]

I know that .webm's and .mkv's were invented after 2007, which is when this board was created.

[Delfos]

 

[Donald_ET3]

I know that .webm's and .mkv's were invented after 2007, which is when this board was created.

WebM was indeed created after 2007. WebM was invented in 2010 and has quickly gained some popularity due to Google's involvement.

Matroska has been around since December 6, 2002, though I admit that it has not gained popularity until recently.

Ogg was invented in 1993 (though it only supported audio at that time) and has been popular for encoding both audio and video since 2006. So, if you want an old, mature standard, Ogg is a good way to go.

Ogg has been the focus of a Free Software Foundation campaign as well. http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/playogg
"BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA—Wednesday, May 16, 2007—The Free Software Foundation (FSF) today launched PlayOgg.org, a campaign to encourage use of the patent- and license-free standard Ogg Vorbis as an ethically, legally and technically superior audio alternative to the proprietary MP3 format. " -- http://www.fsf.org/news/playogg.html

[Eluvatar]

The forum now allows ogg, ogv, and mkv extensions. That said there's still a file size limit that you could run into if you tried to say attach an HD movie.

[Allama]

Woohoo, .mkv!