Download 4K Codec Converter to Deal with 4K Video
4K refers to the resolution of a video, and asking which codec 4K video use is too abstract to answer. There are many 4K capable devices, including DLSRs, camcorders, action cameras, drones, and even your iPhone. Different devices and manufacturers might utilize different codecs for many reasons.
Besides 4K codecs for video capturing, there are also 4K codecs for video editing, online streaming, etc.
Before breaking things down and considering them in different situations, a general understanding of codec, container, and related concepts is necessary.
In fact, even the concept of 4k resolution needs some explanations for the sake of disambiguation.
As a professional production and cinema standard, 4K is defined by DCI as a resolution that has 4096 pixels in width and 2160 pixels in height.
This resolution quadrupled 2K (2048x1080) and has more than 4 thousand pixels horizontally, thus the name 4k. However, for marketing reasons or under other considerations, TV manufacturers advertise their products as 4K TVs, trying to attract viewers with a stunt high definition. Those Ultra high-definition TVs support 3840x2160 resources. Gradually, 4K might also refer to 3840x2160 UHD.
So next time when you see 4k-related content, try to check if it is DCS’s 4K or 4K UHD (aka 2160p).
What Codec Does 4K Video Use
Codec specifies how a video or audio is encoded or to be decoded to playback, edit, or stream. When you have all the things ready (video stream, audio stream, even subtitles), you can wrap them into a container, such as MP4, MKV, etc. When we say format, we generally indicate the file extension, such as MP4, MOV, etc.
To further illustrate, if your camera captures videos in H265, it means the footage is encoded in a way that is compliant with H265 standards. Similarly, your camera might encode audio with audio-specific codes, such as AAC. Then it wraps them into an MP4 container. When you throw that MP4 footage to play, a capable player will detect and says, ah, it is H265 compliant, I will decode the video according to the H265 standard.
There is no one-sentence answer to what format a 4K video is. It’s situation-specific and there are many codecs and containers that support 4K.
In video streaming, you might have well heard of the 4K codec war waged between VP9 vs H265; and as H265 is still struggling with compatibilities issues, another royalty-free 4K codec AV1 made its debut for better online streaming.
In video capturing, it is also complex, if not more.
• For GoPro, DJI drones, and action cameras: 4K codec could be MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, HEVC/H.265, and 4K format: MOV, MP4.
• For DLSRs and camcorders, you might see MPEG-TS footage wrapped in MTS/M2TS container, or CoreAVC complaint 4K in AVCHD.
• For iPhone, it’s HEVC or H264 of your choice, and in MOV format.
As you can imagine, there are too many machines and devices to cover.
How Do I Know What Codec a Video Is Using
To check about video codecs, you can use professional video processing tools. Here is a quick guide:
1. Download VideoProc Converter to check the codec details of your video.
2. Launch VideoProc, click the Video icon from the main screen and drag-n-drop your footage here.
3. Click the little information icon ⓘ and you shall see detailed media info such as video codec, format profiles, and so on.
You can click the Export MediaInfo icon to save a .txt file, which would be handy for you to upload to forums or submit a ticket to VLC official support.
How to Convert 4K Video Format into Editor-Friendly Codec
In the previous part, we have already discussed the 4K codec and specs adopted by different manufacturers and their products. By design, some products such as DJI need to use a highly compressed codec to store footage into the tiny SD card.
Others might capture super large video files at a high bitrate, which requires more bandwidth if you plan to upload 4K videos to YouTube or Facebook. With these source videos at hand, you will need all-in-one video processing software — VideoProc Converter — to cope with various needs.
VideoProc Converter — Best 4K Video Processing Tool
• Best video compressor for Mac and Windows to save drive storage or share easily;
• Convert 4K video into an intermediate codec for efficient video editing;
• Downscale 4K to 1080p with high quality to edit on a 1080p timeline;
• Pre-cut 4K videos before importing into NLE such as Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve.
If you need simple editing, such as cutting, rotating, merging clips, adding effects, and splitting your footage, VideoProc Converter powered by GPU acceleration is enough for you to quickly edit 4K videos without lagging or stuttering.
If you plan to edit on a complex timeline with many effects and animation in non-linear editing software such as Premiere or FCP, you can convert 4K videos into Apple ProRes with VideoProc, and then start editing in NLE.
Step 1. Install VideoProc Converter and click the Video icon.
Step 2. In the pop-up working area, drag-n-drop your source videos.
Step 3. Click Target Format at the bottom left, search for ProRes, and select a ready-to-use ProRes preset.
Step 4. Tick boxes before hardware acceleration and auto copy, and click Run.
How to Trim Large 4K Video without Changing Codec
Also, you can cut out a short part of the video as a sample, so that you can upload it to forums or send it to the support team of the player, editing software, or OS you are using, for professional personnel to check why your source video is having trouble to be played back or edited. Here is a quick guide:
1. Launch VideoProc Converter, go to the Video module, and drag your video into the software.
2. In the toolbox, double-click Trim and select a short section of your video, and click Done.
3. Before clicking Run, make sure Auto Copy is checked, so that your source video is exported without altering anything, except video length.
Bonus Info
Below are common codecs used for 4K videos in GoPro, iPhone and media players.
GoPro 4K Codec
Here is a list of 4K codecs and video formats used in GoPro.
You might notice the 4K term used by GoPro is actually UHD videos that go 3840 by 2160, and another capturing choice is “4k 4:3 mode” with 4096x 3072 pixels.
4k Codec for iPhone
iPhone 6 and older models cannot capture in 4k, and for iPhone 6s and newer models, 4K videos shot by an iPhone camera are encoded in H.264 or H.265/HEVC at your choice.
By default, the iPhone camera shoots 1080p with H.264 codec, if you want to use HEVC to encode your 4K videos, change resolution and choose high efficiency in camera settings.
Step 1. Go to Settings > Camera.
Step 2. Tap Record Video, and choose 4K (at 24/30/60 fps).
Step 3. Tap Formats, and tick High Efficiency.
4K Video Codec for VLC
If you are searching for a 4K codec for VLC, you might have encountered certain 4K videos that won’t be able to play in VLC. But with the explanation above, you will know that it’s more precisely to say a specific codec won’t work in VLC, since 4K is a concept of resolution. A 4K video might be encoded in HEVC/H265, H264, MKV, etc. The Same goes to query for 4K codec for Windows 10, for Windows Media Player, and so on.
If you want to troubleshoot 4K video won’t playback or stutter while playing, you need to 1) check the codec of that video, together with other detailed media information. 2) Next, you might want to cut a short part from the source video to send to professionals to analyze (it might be too large if you send the entire video).
Take VLC as an example, if you want to perform troubleshooting yourself, here are several methods to look at and try.
• Update VLC to the latest version;
• Run VLC as administrator;
• Update your computer system, for instance from Windows 7 to Windows 10.
• Try VLC Nightly Build (http://nightlies.videolan.org/)
Note: It is an experimental version, and might not be stable.
• Make sure VLC is added to the whole list of your GPU settings, for example, Nvidia Control Panel > 3D settings.
• Change the Video output modules setting to Automatic. Or try manually setting output:
D3D9 video output with DXVA2 decoding acceleration module
D3D11 video output with D3D11 decoding acceleration module
Problems not solved? Read detailed 9 ways to Play 4K Video on VLC >>
Parting Words
What 4K devices are you using to capture fantastic high-definition footage? Are you encountering 4K video editing lagging or playback errors? Share your idea with me.