MOV and FLAC explained
MOV is Apple's QuickTime container. Structurally it is very close to MP4 — the two share an ancestor — but MOV files often use codecs like ProRes that general-purpose players cannot decode.
FLAC compresses audio losslessly, typically to about half the size of WAV. Decompressed, it is bit-for-bit identical to the original — the compression is mathematical, not perceptual.
- Where MOV files come from
- iPhone and Mac screen recordings, and professional video editing.
- Where FLAC is used
- Hi-fi music libraries and archival rips of physical media.