| File Format | File Type | Associated With | Compatible with iPod? |
| MP3 | Audio | Open* | Yes |
| AAC | Audio | Apple | Yes |
| WMA | Audio | Microsoft | No |
| AIFF** | Audio | Open | Yes |
| WAV** | Audio | Open | Yes |
| M4A | Audio | Apple | Yes |
| M4P | Audio | Apple | Yes |
| Ogg** | Audio | Open | No |
| FLAC | Audio | Open | No |
| RA/RAM | Audio | Real Networks | No |
| H.264 | Video | Open | Yes |
| MP4 | Video | Open | Yes |
| WMV | Video | Microsoft | No |
| MOV | Video | Apple | No |
| JPEG | Image | Open | Yes |
| GIF | Image | Open | Yes |
* Though not 100% open (in the legal or technical sense) in all cases, these file formats are widely used and, in many cases, not controlled by just one company.
** Can be converted using third-party software to mp3, aac, etc.
