How do you make your video format work on all devices?

There is only one right answer for this. Run and test your video on as many different devices as you can. In our organization, we do tests on about 10 screens and all main web browsers before publishing the content.

🎩 Want your video to shine on every screen? Think beyond the basics. Pick the right format and codec, but also test your video on a wild mix of devices—yes, even that ancient smartphone your grandma still uses. Sometimes, the most unexpected glitches come from the most overlooked places. Optimize for the present, but keep an eye on the future.

Video codecs are an essential part of our lives whether we recognize it or not. They are responsible for compressing video data so that it can be stored, processed, and streamed over the internet. Understanding codecs and knowing how to choose the right one for your needs is critical for anyone who works with video.

To ensure your video format works on all devices, follow these steps: Export in multiple resolutions (e.g., 1080p, 720p, 480p) to accommodate different screen sizes. Use adaptive bitrate streaming to adjust quality based on connection speed. Opt for widely supported formats like MP4 (H.264 codec) for compatibility across platforms. Test your video on various devices and browsers to check playback quality and adjust as needed. Ensure responsive design in video players, so the video scales properly on mobile and desktop. Provide subtitles or captions to enhance accessibility and user experience.

The resolution of the video, represented by the number of pixels in width and height, directly affects the bitrate. When going to higher resolutions, such as making the jump from 1080p to 4K, for example, you’ll have more pixels to display, and therefore require a higher bitrate to represent motion, colour, etc. for those increased number of pixels properly, or suffer a lower image quality. Google recommends a bitrate of around ~8,000 Kbps or 8 Mb/s to represent 1080p Full HD video at standard framerates encoded with the H.264 codec, but recommends 35,000–45,000 Kbps or ~35-45Mb/s to represent the same video, at the exact same settings, but at 4K, more than quadrupling bitrate requirements.

🎩 Want your video to dazzle on every device? Don’t stop at just choosing the right format and codec—dial in the resolution and bitrate too. Overlook this and you might end up with a pixelated mess or a buffering nightmare. Test across various devices, even the ones you thought were obsolete. Sometimes, the most surprising glitches come from the most unexpected corners.

Do you have to know and understand all the codec formats and bitrates? The simple answer is - No. The truth is that most editing software would have some predefined export setting that would work for your video. Always go for the highest/best quality. Once you upload it to social media, it will go through another compression. Set up some additional social media accounts to test your exports and see what works best.

🎩 Want your video to shine on every screen? Don’t just pick the right format, codec, resolution, and bitrate—test and optimize it like a mad scientist. Run it through every device you can think of, from sleek tablets to ancient phones. Sometimes, the quirkiest glitches pop up where you least expect them. Keep refining until your video is flawless.

Yeah... at this point, keep the subtitles close to the center because different formats can do weird crops (depending on the type of phone, platform, etc) LinkedIn's vertical video feed isn't even a true 9:16. So yeah, test things out and be on the lookout if anything changes. At this point, I just want it to be clear that the whole point of videos is to have fun and help the right people. Settings and formats are nice, but lately, I've been drifting away from caring too much about that. The quality of what you say is what matters at the end of the day

It doesn't matter how great your knowledge of codecs and video format is. Always test in advance. Set up additional social media accounts for yourself and test your videos there. If you like what you see, upload it to your proper accounts.

Consider implementing adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) to ensure your video performs well across various devices and network conditions. ABR automatically adjusts the video quality based on the viewer's internet speed and device capabilities. This technology allows you to create a single video that can adapt to different viewing scenarios, from high-speed broadband connections on large screens to mobile devices with limited bandwidth. By using ABR, you can provide the best possible viewing experience for each user without creating multiple versions of your video. Additionally, this approach can help reduce buffering, which is crucial for maintaining viewer engagement across all platforms.

Most of the social media (or all of them) would have info about the specifications for the video uploads. Just google it and see what their suggested export should be. Then, apply it, test it, and you will be good to go.