I was watching Law & Order : Special Victims Unit on my iPhone the other night, when it dawned on me how lucky I was to be able to do what I was doing. I was watching a TV programme in crisp high-definition video, as good as watching it on television (perhaps better), except I was watching it on a small mobile phone screen, small enough to fit in my pocket.

Video has come a long way.  With the lightning speed progress of the Internet and the vast numbers of users switching to broadband or higher, and the introduction of devices such as the iPhone, video has improved by leaps and bounds. This infographic by Real.com gives us a brief rundown of video's progress over the past 56 years, going all the way back to 1956, with something called the Ampex Quadruplex. Doesn't really roll off the tongue as easily as AVI and MP4 does it? Speaking of which, AVI could also be slowly making its way to the exit too with it being mostly replaced on file sharing networks by its newer sibling MP4.

Let us know in the comments what you think of the infographic.  What is your favourite digital video format and why?  How do you feel about AVI being nudged out of the way in favour of MP4?

Click on the infographic below for a larger version

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Infographic Source: Real