Encoding video using Handbrake - AVI or MP4?

[mrochester]

Hi all
I admit to knowing practically nothing about video file formats. I am encoding some video using handbrake and I want to know whether AVI or MP4 (H.264) would be a better option? I'd really appreciate some advise, and guidance on the pros and cons of each. I seem to have come across conflicting information when I've Googled, and I find a lot of it is not clear anyway.

Many thanks

Michael.

 

[KPeh]

Edit: ignore. Confused formats . Just avoid mkv!

 

[Sirrel Squirrel]

AVI, MP4, M4V, MKV etc are just wrappers for the codec you are encoding to, so if you use the H264 codec then the encode will be exactly the same no matter what wrapper you use. There are some differences however in the types of information each wrapper can hold and what can play them back though (M4V for iPod, MP4 for Xbox...) but I can't really help you on that one I'm afraid!

I always use MKV for my encodes in Handbrake but I don't have a reason why lol