What is an OGV file?
OGV is an older free video format from the early days of web video. It still turns up in open source projects and archives, but almost everything plays MP4 or WebM more reliably, so converting is the usual move. You can convert OGV files here, both into the format and out of it.
Specification
| Full name | Ogg Video |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .ogv, .ogg |
| Media type | video/ogg |
| Compression | Lossy |
| Transparency | — |
| Animation | — |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | — |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 2004 |
| Developed by | Xiph.Org Foundation |
| Standard | Open |
| Browser support | Some browsers only |
What OGV is used for
- Wikimedia Commons and other free-culture media archives
- Open source projects avoiding patented formats
- Legacy HTML5 video fallbacks
Strengths and limitations
What OGV does well
- Completely patent free and open
- Supported natively by Firefox and Chrome
Where OGV falls short
- Quality for the file size is well behind MP4 or WebM
- Safari will not play it, and most devices struggle with it
Convert OGV to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Convert to OGV
Everything that can be turned into a OGV file.
Questions about OGV
What is a .ogv file?
OGV is an older free video format from the early days of web video. The extension .ogv or .ogg identifies it, and its media type is video/ogg.
How do I open an OGV file?
Browsers do not display OGV natively, so you either need software that understands it or you convert it to something more common first. Converting is usually the faster route when you only need to look at the contents once.
Is OGV lossy or lossless?
Lossy. That means detail is discarded during encoding and each re-save compounds the loss, so keep an untouched master where quality matters.
What is OGV good for?
Completely patent free and open. Supported natively by Firefox and Chrome. In practice that makes it a good fit for wikimedia Commons and other free-culture media archives, and Open source projects avoiding patented formats.
What are the drawbacks of OGV?
Quality for the file size is well behind MP4 or WebM. Safari will not play it, and most devices struggle with it.