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Even Though there is a huge amount of video codecs, none of them have reached the popularity of the H26x family.
The first in this family is the H261, also know as MPEG1 it is mainly used for small file size videos, low resolution (quarter PAL or NTSC screen size) and low bitrate videos. There is several implementations in Mac Os 9 of this codec, a wide spread one is the Toast MPEG1 video codec and the Astarte MPEG encoder. This codec is only partially  supported by QuickTime.The Apple MPEG 1 playback extension allow QuickTime compatible apps to play MPEG1 videos.

Very similar to this is the H262 , also know as MPEG2 it is mainly used for large file size videos, standar resolution (standar PAL or NTSC screen size) and high bitrate videos. There is several implementations in Mac Os 9 of this codec, the faster one is the Apple MPEG2 video codec In dual CPU machines, and the Astarte MPEG2 encoder. This codec is only partially  supported by QuickTime. The Apple MPEG 2 playback extension allow QuickTime compatible apps to play MPEG2 videos.

With the H263 codec a big mesh began. This codec was intended at first as a MPEG1 successor, better suitable for video conferencing where the low bitrate was the main specification. The first (non standar) Microsoft implementations were hacked to allow higher resolutions and .avi containers. And from here DivX/Xvid were born, later standarized as H263 version 2, also know as MPEG4. The important thing to remember is that MP4 video can be (or not) compatible with DivX/Xvid codecs, but DivX or Xvid isn't compatible with MP4 codecs. In Mac Os 9 we have a Divx codec and MP4 codec (in apple Quicktime 6) and the 3ivx codec that can output video compatible with MP4, Divx or both.

With the prominence of the H264 codec,the "video game" is over in Mac Os 9. 
http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=2403.0