Choosing platforms, media and file formats

Choosing a platform or a medium is a decision about how a product reaches its audience. It depends on the audience, where and how the product will be used, portability, screen size, internet availability, cost, capacity and the quality needed. A product for people on the move needs a portable platform; high-definition video needs a medium with room to hold it.

Choosing the medium

Capacity and quality drive the choice: a CD holds about 700 MB, enough for an album, while high-definition video needs the space of a Blu-ray. DVDs and Blu-rays are the same physical size; the difference is how much they hold and the video quality they can carry.

How the platform shapes the file format

The device and its operating system must be able to open and play the file, so the platform's characteristics decide the format. Storage matters: a phone with little space free cannot hold a long, high-quality video. Screen size and resolution matter: a large television can show fine detail that a small phone screen cannot, so it needs the sharper version. The internet connection matters too: a slow or capped connection needs a smaller file that will not stall or swallow a data allowance.

A bike-repair charity films short how-to videos. Most of its viewers use older phones on limited data, so it exports smaller, lower-resolution files that play smoothly; for volunteers with no internet it puts the full-quality files on a memory stick.

Checking compatibility

Compatibility is checked before distribution by trying the finished file on the target platform to be sure it opens and plays. A file in a format the platform cannot open will never reach the audience, however good it is, so platform, medium and format must fit together.