What Is The MP4, AKA MPEG-4?

MP4 is an extension that is used for the MPEG-4 format. Though it may not be as popular as its predecessor, MP3 it is highly valuable and useful when it comes to multimedia formats. MPEG stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, and MPEG4 is used for storing and displaying digital video and audio streams. Some times, MPEG-4 formats can be used for still images and it is commonly the format associated with streaming videos. You can purchase an MP4 player to play MPEG-4 files. An interesting aspect of the MP4 format is that it was designed on Apple's QuickTime format and is essentially the same format as QuickTime's .MOV.

MPEG-4 is known as a container format. A container format is one that can contain many different types of data in one file. The file is compressed through various codecs. These codecs may be both audio as well as video. The MPEG4 container format stores both audio and video streams, data, and files. The MPEG-4 format has led to many accomplishments in the area of improving interactive and streaming media on the Internet, interactive graphics, and has improved digital television. Other popular container formats include Windows AVI, MPEG, OGM, Quicktime Real Media, and Matroska.

The MP4 extension offers users many benefits. First, it offers benefits for those who are authoring content and allows them to create wonderful digital and audio streams as well as helps protect the rights of the author, through coding. In addition, MP4 format allows users to capture both audio and video, stream live through streaming servers, utilize local playback, and exchange and download files.

It is important to realize and understand the nature of MP4 formats since this is the format used for videos on iTunes. There are a number of different software players that are used for playing and viewing MP4 files. These include Nero Show Time, Amorok, I Tunes, Quick Time Player, Real Player, Zune, Winamp, the Xbox Media Center, Songbird, and Media Player Classic. Since Mpeg-4 is compatible with Apple, it is also played on the Apple iPod. Additionally, Playstation Portable, Play Station 3, and the Xbox 360 are all capable of playing MP4 files.

The future of MPEG-4 and the .mp4 format is very exciting. Mp4 is the format and that will bring the various aspects of the Internet and multimedia components together. With the number of various desktop applications that rely on digital audio and video components, MP4 will be the format that is used as the basis for these applications.