What do the rules mean by "container?"

If you have questions about Anime Boston's AMV contest or want to seek advice, this is the place to ask.
Post Reply
User avatar
Dragonrider1227
Expert Poster
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2010 11:10 pm

What do the rules mean by "container?"

Post by Dragonrider1227 »

Resolution: 1280x720 or 1920x1080 for widescreen; 960x720 or 1440x1080 for fullscreen.
Frame Rate: 23.976 frames per second
Video Codec: H264, 2 mbps or higher
Audio Codec: AAC, 160 kbps or higher
Audio Sampling Rate: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz *Lower sampling rates will be disqualified*
Container: MP4 or MKV

I know they accept most formats so what do they mean by "container?"
Drama Finalist 2015 A Boy In Funny Red Boots
Fun/Comedy Finalist 2019 The Hero We Need
User avatar
basharoftheages
Under a bridge
Posts: 2367
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 9:01 pm
Location: here
Contact:

Re: What do the rules mean by "container?"

Post by basharoftheages »

wikipedia (paraphrased) wrote:A video file normally consists of a container format (e.g. mkv or mp4) containing video data in a video coding format (e.g. H264) alongside audio data in an audio coding format (e.g. AAC). The container format can also contain synchronization information, subtitles, and metadata such as title etc.. A standardized (or in some cases de facto standard) video file type such as .mp4 is a profile specified by a restriction on which container format and which video and audio compression formats are allowed.
The (incorrect) layman interpretation of the above quote is "container = file format." Which is workable if your understanding of video encoding is limited. I paraphrased the quote to include the information relevant to your question.
None of this really matters, as the bottom line of the technical rules section clearly gives you a link to an appropriate encoder tool that will do all that for you, provided you feed it an uncompressed or losslessly compressed export.
Justin Corriveau - Fan Creations Co-Coordinator (2023-2024)
Fan Creations Coordinator (2019-2022)
Fan Creations Staff (2016-2018)
Another Anime Convention AMV Contest Coordinator (2008-2016)
User avatar
Dragonrider1227
Expert Poster
Posts: 94
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2010 11:10 pm

Re: What do the rules mean by "container?"

Post by Dragonrider1227 »

Oh, I think I get it. Thanks :) I hate to look like an idiot on this. I've made videos before but never for competition. Just youtube. So I've been trying to learn everything. I'd hate to make a good video but get disqualified over a technical issue I never even knew existed.
Drama Finalist 2015 A Boy In Funny Red Boots
Fun/Comedy Finalist 2019 The Hero We Need
User avatar
LantisEscudo
AB Staff
Posts: 401
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:29 pm
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
Contact:

Re: What do the rules mean by "container?"

Post by LantisEscudo »

Bashar's answer covers the technical answer pretty well. The specs listed in rules are what we've found give the best results on screen, which is why those are what we recommend. We can and do accept files in other formats, so we almost certainly wouldn't disqualify any video strictly on its format. The full list of file types that the upload form will accept are in the FAQ, Question #4.
Mike Montanye
AB Staff 2016-2024 - AMV Contest Coordinator
AB Staff 2014-2015 - Assistant AMV Contest Coordinator
AB Staff 2013 - Tech Ops Special Projects
Post Reply