Supported Formats
uMediaPlay does not transcode files on a server. It passes the file directly to your browser's media engine. Therefore, support depends entirely on what your browser can decode natively.
Containers vs. Codecs
The Container (e.g., .mp4, .mkv, .webm)
A container is just a box. It holds the video track, audio track, and subtitles. If a browser doesn't understand the box (like MKV in Chrome), it can't read the contents, even if it understands the codec inside.
The Codec (e.g., H.264, VP9, AAC)
The codec is the mathematical formula used to compress and decompress the actual video or audio data inside the container.
Video Support Matrix
| Format / Codec | Chrome / Edge | Firefox | Safari (macOS) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 (H.264) | Native | Native | Native | The universal standard. Hardware acceleration widely available. |
| WebM (VP9) | Native | Native | Native (14+) | Google's open standard. Excellent web support. |
| MP4 (HEVC / H.265) | Partial (Edge/Chrome 104+) | No | Native | Requires specific hardware decoders on Chromium. Apple ecosystem fully supports it. |
| MKV (Matroska) | No | No | No | Browsers fundamentally do not support the MKV container parser. |
| AV1 | Native | Native | Native (17+) | The next generation open codec. Software decoding is CPU intensive. |
Audio Support Matrix
| Format / Codec | Support Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | Universal | Supported everywhere. |
| AAC (.m4a) | Universal | Standard audio track for MP4 video. |
| WAV (PCM) | Universal | Uncompressed raw audio. |
| FLAC | Universal (Modern) | Open source lossless. Supported in Chrome, Firefox, and recent Safari. |
| Ogg Vorbis | High | Safari support added in iOS 15 / macOS 11.3. |