The Different Video Format Types: SVCD, DivX, DVDr, oh my!
What's the difference?

Many people are daunted when looking through movie files, because there are so many different formats! Here are some of the most common formats explained, so those strange letters won't scare you anymore.

TERM DEFINITION
VCD Format The VCD format is based on mpeg1, with a constant bitrate of 1150bit, at a resolution of 352x240. The main use of VCDs is to make the file smaller, and to fit as much on one disk as possible.
SVCD Format The SVCD format is based on mpeg2, which is the same as DVDs, and allows varied bit-rates of up to 2500kbits at a resolution of 480x480, which is an improvement over the VCD format.
VCD/SVCD Format This format is VCD/SVCD, but they're capable of much higher resolutions and bit-rates – it all depends on the player to whether the disc can be played.
DivX / XviD Format

The DivX format is designed for multimedia platforms. DivX uses two different codecs – one high motion, and one low motion.

The majority of DVDs players won't play DivX, so check your manual.
DivX Re-Enc

A DivX re-enc is basically a film that was taken from the original VCD source and then re-coded as a more compact DivX file.

These files usually aren't worth downloading, as their quality isn't good at all.
DVD-R The recordable DVD, it is one of the most popular, and holds 4.7 gigabytes of date per side.
MiniDVD The format MiniDVD is the same basic format as DVD, but fits onto a standard CDR. However, the format isn't compatible with many players.