Topics / Data Storage and Compression / File Formats
File Formats
Sound (music), pictures, video, text and numbers are all stored in different file formats.
At the end of a computer filename is the filename extension. The filename extension identifies the file’s format and its characteristics.
E.g. the .doc in notes.doc indicates this is a text document.
| File Type | File Format |
|---|---|
| Sound | .mp3 .wav .mid .flac .aif |
| Text | .doc .docx .rtf .txt .pdf |
| Pictures | .jpeg .gif .png .bmp |
| Video | .mp4 .flv .wmv |
Proprietary file formats
Proprietary file formats are file types that belong to specific software programs or companies. The encoding methods of these file types are often kept private, or restricted through licences.
The encoding methods of open format file types are published and free to be used by everybody.
