What type of compression is most commonly used in video?

The most commonly used type of compression in video is lossy compression, which significantly reduces file sizes by removing some data that is considered less important. This technique allows for efficient storage and transmission of video files, which is essential given the large amount of data video content often contains.

Lossy compression methods, like those used in formats such as MP4, AVI, and MOV, exploit the limitations of human perception to discard data that the viewer is unlikely to notice, enabling streaming and playback to occur in real-time without buffering. This makes lossy compression the standard approach for most video applications, especially in online streaming services and digital broadcasts.

Other options, such as lossless compression, while important in certain contexts (like archival formats), do not have the same widespread usage in everyday video content due to their larger file sizes compared to lossy formats. Uncompressed formats are typically very large and impractical for general use, making them unsuitable for most video applications.