Video Format that Works on Mobile Phones

file-formathtml5-videomobilevideo

I looked on this SO question but I am not sure if this is the answer to my question or not.

I want to be able to stream videos on a mobile web page. I want this page to be compatable with as many phones as I can. Smart phones are the most important, and I need it to work for:

  • Android
  • HTC (Many use Android, same compatibility?)
  • iPhones
  • Blackberries (newer brands, 5.0 or higher if need be, but possible as low as 4.0)
  • Windows Phones

The rest can be added to my "it would be nice if it worked on.." list.

What video format should I use for all of these? The referenced SO question suggested mp4 files, but I have also read that some require OOG files (I think blackberry?) Is this correct? Is there one format that will work for at least all of the above brands?

I will be trying to use HTML5 for all supported phones (all but blackberry, and some windows phones cover this)

I have also read that the <object> tag is the best bet for getting videos onto Blackberry and Windows phones, if that is at all helpful.

Best Answer

I haven't come a cross one single mobile that doesn't support the MPEG-4 container format, including blackberry. The sort of defacto video standard for high quality video is H.264. I would say that is a very safe combination if the target is reasonable new phones. If you really need to make sure to support everything there is, then MPEG-4 container format together with MPEG-4 Visual Simple Profile has been supported by "everyone" dating back to at least 2004...

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