Video stream file formats
Video written straight to a file, exactly as the encoder produced it, or as uncompressed frames. There is no container, so there is no audio, no index and often no timing. These files are used for testing encoders and decoders and as a step on the way to a finished video.
Formats
.H264
H.264 Annex B elementary streamRaw H.264 video: NAL units separated by start codes, with no container.
.HEVC
H.265 Annex B elementary streamRaw H.265 video: NAL units with 2-byte headers, separated by start codes.
.IVF
IVF video streamRaw VP8, VP9 or AV1 frames behind a 32-byte DKIF header.
.M2V
MPEG-2 video elementary streamRaw MPEG-2 video, as used for DVD authoring: headers marked by start codes.
.Y4M
YUV4MPEG2 videoUncompressed YUV frames behind a one-line text header giving size and rate.
.YUV
Raw YUV videoUncompressed video planes with no header: size and format must be known.