I was inspired to start this thread by a little exchange on current video formats/codecs - AVI, MP4, MKV et al - in TK421138's thread. At the moment I'm working on both an SD project and an HD one, and when they're finished I'd like to know what the best way to get them out there is. If we're finally moving past the era of physical DVDs and BDs, what should we be using? I found this quote from retardedted in his 1982 VHS preservation thread particularly interesting:

And I would just upload the video as an MP4 because I honestly can't tell the difference between that and a DVD and the year is 2012. Time to get with it.

Single-file distribution makes sense for easy exchange and for playback in media players (which folks are increasingly leaning towards), but I'm concerned that convenience doesn't mean compromise. The audio and video quality is of course the prime concern, particularly where preservation projects are concerned - I know I wouldn't want to sacrifice an authentic look and sound for the sake of convenience, either as a maker or as a viewer.

And what about menus - are they considered redundant these days, as long as the viewer has the means to switch audio/subs?

In addition to file preferences I'd really like to hear some suggestions for tools to use (including recommended settings) - there's so much experience and knowledge here it would be great to get some tips together for ease of reference.

I realise there probably aren't definitive answers to this (at least, not at this point in time) but I thought a discussion on where we are right now might be useful. What do you think?