MP3 and MP4, what are the differences?
Many wonder if MP4 is in all respects an “improved version” of MP3. The answer to this question is definitely “NO”, as these are two different types of file data.
In fact, MP3s refer only to the audio encoding aspect, while MP4s also store images, videos, text and subtitles, so in this case we are talking about a real digital container of different types of information.
To better understand what the differences are between the two formats, let’s take a closer look at both.
MP3, history and functions
Designed by the Moving Picture group of experts and introduced to the world in the early 1990s, MP3, short for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, is an audio format that has revolutionized the concept of music and its portability.
Its operation is based on a specific lossy compression algorithm that allows to significantly reduce the volume of data useful for playing an audio track, called Lossy (translated: Loss).
Despite this compression, the end result remains faithful to the original recording for the vast majority of users.
In practice, any frequency considered imperceptible to the human ear is considered “removable”.
What does all this imply? Simple! The resulting MP3 file will be extremely smaller than the starting track, therefore, at a volume that previously could only hold 20 music files, hundreds of MP3 tracks can be stored.
MP4, history and features
The release of MP4, or MPEG4 Part 14, dates back to the early 2000s, precisely to 2002, and is used for digital video and audio broadcasts, images, and subtitles.
It is defined as a multimedia container in standard format or part of MPEG4 and does not have a standard information encoding method.
MP4 technology is based on the Apple QuickTime MOV format with, in addition, support for different MPEGs and higher quality audio expressed in AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) format.
From all this it can be understood that MP4 can be audio, video or audio + video files at the same time, also considering the possible presence of images or subtitles.
This is, for example, the most widely used format in the ever-evolving world of digital television and mobile video telephony.
Remember that the two extensions MP4 and M4A indicate the same type of file, what changes is only the extension and, in most cases, you can rename a specific file so that it is suitable for reading by the program.
Bottom line: when to use MP3 and MP4?
Finally, when should you choose an MP3 or MP4 format?
In the event that your file is exclusively an audio track, to be listened to while you are running and to be played through a small portable device, it is good to convert your songs to MP3 format.
This will take up less space on your device, preserve good audio quality, and can store many more songs in the player’s memory.
If, on the other hand, the files you are interested in are videos, perhaps accompanied by audio, images and subtitles, and they will be played on a device with a screen, the format I recommend is undoubtedly MP4.
