A container is the wrapper format that packages encoded video, audio, subtitles, and timing/metadata into files - distinct from the codec, which is how the media inside is compressed. The container defines how a player finds and synchronizes the tracks.
Streaming has largely converged on fragmented MP4 (fMP4), the basis of CMAF, replacing the older MPEG-TS used by legacy HLS. fMP4 lets the same segments serve both HLS and DASH, which halves storage and CDN cache footprint. Choosing one container/segment format across protocols is a key simplification in modern packaging.
The handbook · 7 volumes
Fora Soft Video Engineering Handbook
The container wraps video, audio, captions, and metadata, and fragmented MP4 is now the default for both HLS and DASH. The seven volumes cover the video stack; for container choices start with Volume 2 on CMAF, HLS, and MPEG-DASH packaging, then Volume 3 on players and DRM, with encoder output in Volume 1. Written by Nikolay Sapunov, CEO at Fora Soft.
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