Is avc1 the same for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC?

[theateist]

H.264/MPEG-4 AVC is the codec and it's name is H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. BUT, in GSpot I see that the codec is AVC1 and it's name is H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. So, I'm confused, what is the difference between the words "codec" and "codec name"? I mean, isn't AVC1 and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC the same thing?

[El Heggunte]

H.264 Video Types

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd757808(v=vs.85).aspx

[theateist]

H.264 Video Types

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd757808(v=vs.85).aspx

So, "codec" field in GSpot is the subtype? And in my case it specifies that the video encoded in H.264 without start codes, right?

[El Heggunte]

As the article said, containers like MP4 and MKV don't need the start codes in the AVC elementary stream. OTOH, containers like MPG, TS and AVI work better when the AVC elementary stream includes the start codes. The Fourcc "H264" normally means the AVI file contains AVC in the so-called Annex B format. Using the Fourcc "AVC1" is not recommended, because it may break the functionality of several splitters and/or decoders.

[theateist]

As the article said, containers like MP4 and MKV don't need the start codes in the AVC elementary stream. OTOH, containers like MPG, TS and AVI work better when the AVC elementary stream includes the start codes. The Fourcc "H264" normally means the AVI file contains AVC in the so-called Annex B format. Using the Fourcc "AVC1" is not recommended, because it may break the functionality of several splitters and/or decoders.

I use libavcodec library and I don't set any fourcc. I just set the codec to H264 and container to MP4 and the library, probably, sets automatically the code to "AVC1".



In general, I just wanted to know if the "codec" in GSpot refers to fourcc code?