File Extension Library


.263 File Extension

  • Developer by: VideoLAN Project Team
  • Category: Digital video and movie Files

What are .263 files and how to open them?

Can't open .263 file? Are you wondering what it contains? On our site we will explain to you what this file is, what it is used for and what software opens the .263 file.

What is a .263 file extension?

.263 file extension is created by VideoLAN Project Team. .263 has been classified as Digital video and movie Files.

.263 is H.263 encoded video

The 263 file extension is associated with H.263 is a provisional ITU-T standard, it is due to be published sometime in 1995/1996. It was designed for low bitrate communication, early drafts specified datarates less than 64 Kbits/s, however this limitation has now been removed. It is expected that the standard will be used for a wide range of bitrates, not just low bitrate applications. It is expected that H.263 will replace H.261 in many applications.

The coding algorithm of H.263 is similar to that used by H.261, however with some improvements and changes to improve performance and error recovery. The differences between the H.261 and H.263 coding algorithms are listed below. Half pixel precision is used for motion compensation whereas H.261 used full pixel precision and a loop filter. Some parts of the hierarchical structure of the datastream are now optional, so the codec can be configured for a lower datarate or better error recovery. There are now four optional negotiable options included to improve performance: Unrestricted Motion Vectors, Syntax-based arithmetic coding, Advance prediction, and forward and backward frame prediction similar to MPEG called P-B frames.

H.263 supports five resolutions. In addition to QCIF and CIF that were supported by H.261 there is SQCIF, 4CIF, and 16CIF. SQCIF is approximately half the resolution of QCIF. 4CIF and 16CIF are 4 and 16 times the resolution of CIF respectively. The support of 4CIF and 16CIF means the codec could then compete with other higher bitrate video coding standards such as the MPEG standards.

.263 file format is deprecated and this file format is no longer supported.

Currently, .263 file type is not actively used and is obsolete. This usually happens with system files in older operating systems, files from long-discontinued software, or with previous versions of some file types (documents, projects, images, etc.) that were replaced in later versions of the original programs.


How to open:

Use compatible tools to playback *.263 files.

How to convert:

Probably can be exported to other video formats.

How to fix problems with .263 files

  1. You need to update the application that you normally use to open .263 files. Only the latest version of the software supports the current .263 file format
  2. You need to check the .263 file for viruses. To do this, you need to scan it with a popular antivirus (Norton, Nod32, Kaspersky, Dr.Web, etc.)