WebM
WebM (.webm) is a video file format developed by Google. WebM was originally designed to be used on webpages to save bandwidth, but it also has some benefits when it comes to video games and many other applications.
The biggest benefit of WebM over Bink (or AVI) for games is that of file size; a WebM video will be significantly smaller than that of a similar-quality Bink file. For example, the installation size of Hunt Down the Freeman decreased by 5.7 GB when switching its FMV cutscenes from Bink to WebM[1]. Furthermore, WebM is much more common and easier to make than the Bink file format, as Bink requires a tool that only takes AVI (Converting from MP4 requires the deprecated QuickTime for Windows application), then only to find out there's audio or video sync issues that may sometimes happen.
WebM is supported in the following games, engines, and engine branches:
Video codecs | Audio codecs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Implementation | VP8 | VP9 | AV1 | Vorbis | Opus |
![]() |
? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
![]() (since 25th anniversary update; intro video only) |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes* | No |
![]() (since 2018 Panorama update) |
? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
![]() |
? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Webm Video Services for ![]() (used by ![]() |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes** | Yes** |
- *Audio is read, but muted.
<moddir>/sound/ui/valve_sound.wav
is used instead. - **Windows only. Webm Video Services currently does not support audio playback on Linux.
References
- Hunt Down The Freeman - July blog: where we're at + looking for team members! - Steam News
Bink video is replaced with webm (like CSGO and Source 2) and has successfully freed up 5.7GB of space