.ogv File — Ogg Video

OGV is the video variant of the Ogg container format from the Xiph.Org Foundation, typically containing video encoded with the Theora codec and audio with Vorbis or Opus. Ogg Theora was developed as a completely free and open-source video solution, avoiding the patent licensing fees associated with H.264 and other commercial codecs. OGV was supported as a native HTML5 video format by Firefox, Chrome, and Opera, making it important in the early HTML5 video ecosystem when browser support for patent-encumbered codecs was inconsistent. Wikipedia uses OGV/Ogg Theora as its standard video format due to its open licensing compatibility with Wikipedia's free content policies. While Theora's compression efficiency is lower than H.264 or VP9, it provides acceptable quality for many applications and is completely free to use. The format has been largely superseded by WebM (VP9/AV1) for new open-format video, which offers dramatically better compression. OGV files can contain multiple streams and support Ogg metadata through Vorbis comments, chapter markers, and embedded subtitles.