Summary

There are a wide variety of video formats in existence, and the sheer number of options and details can be confusing and challenging.

There are two aspects of a video file that can cause compatibility issues:

• The video codec (e.g. H.264, H.265, etc)

• The video container format (i.e. the file extension such as .mp4, .mov, etc)

The first part of this document will provide guidance without getting too technical. If you want the nitty-gritty details, scroll down to the very bottom.

How can I record a supported video?

Technically, you need to make sure your device uses the H.264 format instead of H.265.

H.265 is not supported by Chrome, Firefox, or Edge and cannot be streamed to users using those browsers.

Both Android and iPhone support H.264, but you may need to change a setting to activate it.

iPhone settings

Go to Settings → Camera → Formats and then choose “Most Compatible” instead of “High Efficiency”.

Open

Making iOS record in H.264

Android settings

The specific location of the setting may vary between device manufacturer and Android version.

The best way to find it is to open the Settings and then search for “store videos efficiently”. This option should be unchecked to record in H.264

Open

Making Android record in H.264

How do I know if a video I’ve already recorded is supported?

If you’ve already recorded a video, then the simplest thing to do is just try and upload it! If the video isn’t supported, you’ll be notified early in the process.

You can also download 3rd party utilities that can tell you what codecs your files are using, but note that we cannot provide any support (nor accept any liability) around your usage of that software.

The specific codecs and containers that we support are listed at the bottom of this page.

Can I convert an unsupported video to a supported format?

Yes, although we cannot offer technical support for that process.

Here’s a web search to get you started.

Why don’t you support H.265, if it’s the default on iOS and Android?

We don’t support H.265 because most modern browsers do not support H.265.

Neither Chrome, Firefox, nor Edge currently support H.265 and would be unable to play back videos recorded in that format.

Those browsers are slow to support H.265 because it is a patented technology with a complex licensing structure. There are comparable formats that are less costly to implement and that require fewer hardware resources, so that’s where the browsers have focused.

If Chrome, Firefox, and Edge start supporting H.265, then we will too!

Nitty gritty technical details

Every video file consists of video content and audio content.

The video codec is the technique used to store the video content, and the audio codec is the technique used to store the audio content. Different codecs have different trade-offs between performance and quality, and not all of them are as widely supported as others.

The container format, such as .mp4, defines which combinations of codecs are supported for a given file. It only tells us which codecs could be in use, but it doesn’t tell us exactly which codex are in use.

We don’t actually know which codes are actually in use until we start to process the file.

Video codecs

Audio codecs