What is the highest quality video format compatible with mac?

The highest level you can go is HD 1920x1080 @ 60fps Interlaced (1080i). If you insist on Progressive, stick with 1280x720 @ 30fps (720p).

If you are using iMovie, the best bet is Apple Intermediate Codec, which fits in an MOV container. (MOV is a container, not a codec, so it can hold many different types of codecs.)

Other high quality codecs that would work with iMovie include Apple Animation codec, and Motion JPEG. These have higher data rates than Apple Intermediate Codec, but you are unlikely to notice the difference.

Since you asked for Mac and not specifically for iMovie, there are better codecs if you get Final Cut Pro X.

You can work with ProRes 422 and uncompressed.

Uncompressed may actually work in iMovie, but most Mac users who run iMovie do not have a powerful enough system. You would need a very fast RAID disk array, and a fast Mac.

I know you asked about the file type, but that is like asking "which will make my letter to my girlfriend better? A white envelope or a manilla envelope?"

I should add, my answer above is for "intermediate" or editing codecs. These are high quality codecs that preserve as much quality as possible in the editing process. Once you have finished editing, you would convert (or compress) to a delivery codec. THe intermediate codecs are too large to stream over the internet, or to play on your iphone, so you would convert.

The best codec for this purpose is h.264, which provides a really good quality at a relatively low data rate, This means good quality with a relatively small file.

h,264 is a subset of the MPEG4 standard.

A h.264 movie can live in a MOV container, an MP4 container, a M4V container, and perhaps others, like AVI.

By default, iMovie creates h.264 files in the m4v container for LARGE and smaller. For 720P and 1080P. it creates h.264 in a MV container.

You can tweek the defaults by SHARE/EXPORT USING QUICKTIME

Appleman, very useful reply, I am struggling with similar issues some of options when exporting using quick time. So if I am shooting 1980*1020 at framerate 50i ( for Europe), using AVCHD camcorder, and I want to export in the best possible format for a widescreen TV at 1080*1080, what would be the best export settings in QuickTime - but avoiding massive file sizes ?

Previously I used a tape camcorder, and regularly used to get .mov filesmof about 40GB for one hour of edited movie. I don't mind files of 10Gb or thereabouts, but don't want files as large as 40gb.

Thanks, Paul

As it turns out 40Gbytes/hour for HD frame sizes and frame rates, is de rigeur for HD video. There's no free lunch so to speak when it comes to High Definition Video on a computer. More Data (meaning higher frame rates and more pixels per frame) = More Data. No amount of compression magic is going to do the trick unfortunately.

I would start with SHARE/EXPORT MOVIES/1920x1080. This will produce an h.264 file with a data rate around 18 to 21. If you want to tweak further use SHARE/EXPORT USING QUICKTIME. You are not likely to get better quality than the preset, but you may get near the same quality at a smaller file size by reducing the data rate to 16 or 12 for example. You would have to experiment to see if you can tell the difference in quality at a lower data rate.

HD MOV format, I use professional Mac video converterto convert it to HD mov format, up to 720P.