MPEG-4 Video

In the late 1990s, the ISO and IEC organizations commissioned the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) to develop an international standard for audio and video coding formats. This initiative resulted in the formation of the MP4 format, which MPEG released in 2001 and subsequently updated in 2003 with version 2 of the format.

Since its release, MP4 has become one of the most common formats for storing and sharing video. The format's popularity is partially due to its ability to save videos at smaller file sizes than most other formats without much loss in quality. This advantage made MP4 an excellent option for exporting videos and sharing them online.

MP4 Format

The MP4 format is an extension of the QuickTime File Format (QTFF), used in .MOV and .QT video files. It is a container format that supports different data streams, including video, audio, subtitles, and metadata, with each stream encoded by different codecs , as detailed below:

Furthermore, the MP4 container supports both lossless and lossy codecs. For example, MP4 supports the lossless MPEG-4 SLS and lossy AAC audio codecs.

However, MP4 only supports lossy video codecs, which compress video data at varying levels. For example, the popular H.264 video codec featured in many MP4 files uses lossy compression to significantly reduce video data stream sizes, which is helpful when sharing MP4 files online (e.g., uploading videos to YouTube and Vimeo).

NOTE: MP4 files that store only audio data typically use the .m4a extension ( .M4A files).

You can open and play an MP4 file with most media players. For example, you can open an MP4 file in Windows with the bundled Microsoft Movies & TV and Media Player apps.

On a Mac, you can open an MP4 file with the bundled Apple QuickTime Player . You can also play MP4 files with the cross-platform VLC media player or in a web browser, such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge .

Additionally, you can double-tap MP4 files on iOS and Android devices to play them with their platforms' default media players. However, if you are looking for more advanced playback options, you can open MP4 files with VLC for iOS or VLC for Android .

How to edit an MP4 file

Many video editors allow you to import and edit MP4 videos. Some options include:

Many media players and video editors, including VLC media player, Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve, and Handbrake, allow you to convert MP4 files to other formats.

For example, VLC media player can convert MP4 files to the following formats:

You can also convert MP4 files to .GIF animations with Adobe Express Convert to GIF, a free online program.

Programs that open MP4 files

Updated: January 4, 2024