best file extension for the future!

[dandt]

I found vlc player by chance when wmp vista was playing up. It is great that one player can handle so many file types. Does anyone out there have any opinions on the best file extension to use to make my file playable when my grandkids are born. I have quite a few videos made in wmv, my camera now takes quicktime movies...If I go down the road of converting all my files what to? avi?
thanks

[nikola23]

Well, I guess that depends on your definition of "best" mpeg4 .avi files are played by most media players though and theres even dvd players that can play them. But there are other file types that offer better quality.

[dandt]

thanks for the reply I would like to emphasise Im only 39 so when I mention grandkids Im refering to in about 20yrs time ('computing' has changed a lot in the last 20yrs, so what about the next 20? which file extensions will survive? this is not a question about quality necessarily)

[nikola23]

Well what I meant was it's pretty much the lowest common denominator, just about everything worth its salt supports it and the standard is open so i dont see open source software dropping support for it