Video Formats

The animations and videos can be downloaded in different sizes and qualities:

Format Dimensions SD [pixels] (4:3) Dimensions HD
[pixels] (16:9)
Field/Frame Rate [fps] File type Encoded today Bitrate (kbit/s)
Directory Other info
Small

Small Flash 320 x 240 320 x 180 25 .flv small_flash Flash 8 encoded, low quality small preview file.
Small QT 320 x 240 320 x 180 25 .mov small_qt QuickTime H.264. Fast start.
Medium

Video Podcast 640 x 480 640 x 360 SD:25, HD:50 .m4v * 1500

medium_podcast

QuickTime H.264 encoded. It can be watched with any hardware, Apple iPod included, or in any program that reads files in .m4v format.
Medium MPEG-1 640 x 480 640 x 360 25 .mpeg
3000 medium_mpg1 MPEG-1 encoded, good quality, medium file for download (suitable for PowerPoint).
Medium Flash 640 x 480 640 x 360 25 .flv
1500 medium_flash Flash 8 encoded
Large

Large QT 768 x 576 720 x 405 25 .mov
2000 large_qt QuickTime, H.264. Fast start.
Broadcast SD 768 x 576, 4:3 interlaced 720 x 576, 16:9 Anamorphic (plays full screen on a 16:9 display 25 .mxf, .avi
30 000 broadcast_sd MXF-HD source, DV Type 2 SD-Source
HD HD & Apple TV Preview N/A 1280 x 720 25 .m4v * 5000 hd_and_apple MPEG4 H.264. Suitable for Apple TV. Fast start, .m4v
HD Broadcast 720p/50 N/A 1280 x 720 50 .mxf hd_broadcast_720p50 MXF(XDCAM) encoded, high quality, massive file for broadcasters.
Full HD Preview 1080p N/A 1920 x 1080 25 .mp4 * 18-
25 000 (var.)
hd_1080p25_screen MPEG4 H.264
Full HD Broadcast 1080p N/A 1920 x 1080 25 .avi (before 2023) and .mov (from 2023) * 7 200 000 hd_1080p25_broadcast Grass Valley HQX codec in an AVI wrapper and Apple prores 422 HQ (.mov)
Ultra HD 4K Ultra HD Preview H.264 N/A 3840 x 2160 25 .mp4 * 20 000 ultra_hd MPEG4 H.264
4K Ultra HD Preview H.265 N/A 3840 x 2160 25 .mp4 * 30 000 ultra_hd_h265 MPEG4 H.265, high quality (only offered in special cases, playable in latest DivX player)
4K Ultra HD Broadcast N/A 3840 x 2160 25 .avi (before 2023) and .mov (from 2023) * 7200 000 ultra_hd_broadcast Grass Valley HQX codec in an AVI wrapper and CineForm Master-10bit-max (.mov)
Fulldome Fulldome Preview N/A 1024 x 1024 30 .mp4 * 12 000 dome_preview MPEG4 H.264
Fulldome 1.5k mov N/A 1536 x 1536 30 .mov * 15 000 dome_mov QuickTime, H.264
Fulldome 2k Master N/A 2048 x 2048 (or best available)
30 .jpgs. Zipped with Winzip * ~230 000 dome_2kmaster

For planetarium use only (lightly compressed zipped single frames). The dome masters can be downloaded and sliced into the configuration that suits the individual planetarium. Only supplied for long clips or shows.
Note: 1. Do not use Windows' built-in unzipper or Mac OS' standard Archive Utility (or unzip command) as they produce random frames (due to its default security settings). 2. As no network or browser is 100% stable, we strongly recommend using a download manager (like Free Download Manager1 or the command line tool aria2).

Fulldome 4k Master N/A 4096 x 4096 (or best available) 30 .jpgs. Zipped with Winzip * ~1 000 000 dome_4kmaster For planetarium use only (lightly compressed zipped single frames). The dome masters can be downloaded and sliced into the configuration that suits the individual planetarium.
Note: 1. Do not use Windows' built-in unzipper or Mac OS' standard Archive Utility (or unzip command) as they produce random frames (on Windows due to its default security settings). 2. As no network or browser is 100% stable, we strongly recommend using a download manager (like Free Download Manager1 or the command line tool aria2).
Fulldome 8k Master N/A 8192 x 8192 30 .jpgs. Zipped with Winzip * dome_8kmaster For planetarium use only (lightly compressed zipped single frames). The dome masters can be downloaded and sliced into the configuration that suits the individual planetarium.
Note: 1. Do not use Windows' built-in unzipper or Mac OS' standard Archive Utility (or unzip command) as they produce random frames (due to its default security settings). 2. As no network or browser is 100% stable, we strongly recommend using a download manager (like Free Download Manager1 or the command line tool aria2).
VR 16k Cylindrical VR Master N/A 16384 x 8192 .zip * cylindrical_16kmaster
8k Cylindrical VR Master N/A 8192 x 4096 .zip * cylindrical_8kmaster
4k Cylindrical VR Master N/A 4096 x 2048 .zip * cylindrical_4kmaster
8k VR N/A 8192 x 4096 25 .mp4 * 8k_vr
4k VR N/A 4096 x 2048 25 .mp4 * 4k_vr

1 In Free Download Manager we recommend setting: Options -> Settings -> Downloads -> New Download -> Advanced -> Connection: unclick "Maximum number of attempts" (to have infinite numbers of reconnection attempts). And please double-check that you have enough free disk space where you're saving. With this solution we believe that even up to 400 GB large files can be taken down on a personal DSL16000 line (at 1.8 MB/s) over a weekend.

Comparison chart

Below you can compare the relation between the different provided video formats. The "4K" (i.e. "Ultra HD"), is equivalent to a horizontal resolution on the order of 4000 pixels.

 

Audio

Split audio means individual narration and music + effects. This means that split stereo consists of three separate tracks typically: music, special effects and narration. And split surround typically consists of music front left, music front right, music middle, music back left, music back right, and narration and special effects mono.