Audio, video, and subtitles can all be stored in MPEG-4 Part 14 files (MP4). Apple and other companies that make mobile devices with the ability to play audio, still photos, or video frequently employ this file type. This includes, but is not limited to: podcasts, music, movies, videos, and images. The most popular format for broadcasting videos online is MPEG-4. Many MP3 players tout their MP4 compatibility, which essentially means they can play MP4 files as well as some other video files (not usually MP4 files). It is possible to download or stream media files having the MP4 extension (for free online or through payment, such as iTunes).
AAC encoding is used for lossy compression in MP4/MPEG-4 files, which were introduced in 2001 under ISO/IEX 14496-1:2001 specifications. This prevents users from copying the data. More typically than file transfer, streaming uses the digital video and audio data encoded in MP4 files. Since MP4 files can also hold supplementary information like text, file information, and still images, they differ from MPEG audio/video formats in that regard. Only MP4 files are recognised and stored with this extension. Private streams are frequently used when inserting data into an MPEG-4 Part 14 file (using hint tracks to include the streaming information).
list of programs that can open MP4 file
- Real Media Player
- WinAmp
- Windows Media Player
- iTunes
- VideoLAN VLC Media Player