The term MP4 refers to a multimedia format that brings quality video closer to portable players, in the same way that MP3 did with music.
MP4 is a container format, this means that it is a type of file format that stores video, audio, subtitles, chapters, meta-data and synchronization information following a format pre-established in its specification, other multimedia container formats are : AVI, MPG, Quick Time, WMV, Ogg, OGM and Matroska.
The abbreviation MP4 is an abbreviation of an ISO specification, MPEG-4 Part 14 that serves to store audiovisuals, specified by ISO / IEC and the group MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group).
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MP4 is based on an application called “Quick Time” from the Apple company, in principle the extension was “.m4a” and it became popular thanks to the “Itunes” player from the same company.
This multimedia format can be used to record various types of data, including digital audio, digital video, images, etc. We can also say that it is known as MP4 due to its characteristic extension in * .mp4 files.
Due to this popularity, the MP4 extension is being used only for files that contain audio and video, while the M4a extension is used to name audio files. Although both are of the same format, the extension does not matter because the player must automatically detect the format even if the file does not have an extension.
In summary MPEG-4 is a series of international video, audio and data codecs and standards created especially for the web. It is made up of a series of compression algorithms that encode data, audio, and video, optimizing their quality of storage, coding and distribution in networks.
It is also common for many of the players used today to carry the name of MP4 in reference to the type of files they play, although in reality these devices can play other types of formats. Today we can obtain an electronic device that within its functions is the reproduction of this multimedia format, but there is also a wide range of brands of mini devices that reproduce the MP4 format.
