M4V vs MP4: What are the Differences between M4V and MP4?

“What are the differences between a .M4V file and an.MP4 file?”

Both M4V and MP4 are commonly used video formats that are confused to be the same by a lot of people. With several similarities, both these formats are entirely different and used in different situations. So if it is asked is M4V the same as MP4, the answer would be no. Selecting MP4 or M4V depends on your requirements and playback device. Know about these formats and what is the difference between MP4 and MV4 in the following parts of the topic.

What is M4V format?

Developed by Apple, M4V is a video container format that is designed for playback on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and other Apple-based devices. The format is used for encoding music videos, movies, and other video files in the iTunes store. Several M4V files that are rented and purchased from the iTunes store comes with Apple’s FairPlay DRM copy protection that prevents unauthorized access and playing of the files on non-Apple devices.

What is MP4 format?

MP4 is also a multimedia container format that can store digital, audio, subtitles, as well as other data. The MP4 format is recognized by the majority of the media players and devices which makes it popular among the users and also known as a Universal format. With its high-quality compression, the size of the MP4 files is reduced while maintaining the quality and this makes it used widely for broadcasting and streaming the online content.

Both M4V and MP4 are container formats, there are several differences between the two as enlisted below:

Application and Developed:

M4V format is developed by Apple Inc, while MP4 is developed by Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG). M4V can be played on Apple devices like iTunes, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and others. MP4 on the other is termed as a universal format as it is compatible with the majority of the devices and players.

Supported Audio and Video Codecs

M4V supports as video and AAC and AC3 as the supported audio codecs. MP4 supports MPEG-4( (AAC)/() as the supported formats.

M4V format exclusively uses the video codec while the MP4 format can contain MPEG-4, , or video codec. The MP4 files that are encoded using the codec come at half the bit rate as well as the size in comparison to the files that are encoded using , while the quality is maintained.

Major purpose:

The M4V format comes with Apple’s FairPlay DRM protection that prevents unauthorized access to the files on non-Apple devices. Thus, the major purpose of the format was to purchase the video content from the iTunes store.

The MP4 format is majorly created for playback on all popular devices and players.

The need for conversion between M4V and MP4 arises in case of device incompatibility. If you have files in M4V format and you want to play them on portable devices and players, conversion to MP4 is required as MP4 is supported by an array of devices. Moreover, converting files to MP4 also makes them easy to stream over online sites owing to its compressed nature and small size.

On the other hand, to play files seamlessly on Apple devices, MP4 videos can be converted to M4V format. MP4 is an Apple supported format, but if the codec is not supported, it will fail to play. Thus, to avoid any codec or other issues, converting MP4 to M4V is the best solution for playback of videos on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, and other Apple devices.

There is no dearth of video conversion tools, but to get high-quality files in hassle-free processing, good professional software is needed and UniConverter works as the best option. With support to over 1000 formats, the software works as an excellent conversion tool. MP4 to M4V and vice versa conversion can be quickly done using UniConverter. The program supports batch processing and the built-in editor allows customizing files using the trimming, cropping, cutting, and other functions. The files to be converted can be added from the local system or directly from the device. With Windows and Mac support, the additional software features include video download, recording, transfer, DVD burning, and others.

Steps to convert M4V to MP4 using UniConverter

Launch the UniConverter software on your system and to add the local files, click on then +Add Files button on the Convert section. Files can also be dragged and dropped and can be added from the connected device by expanding the drop-down options at +Add Files.

The list of supported files and devices can be checked by opening the drop-down menu at Convert all files to tab at the top-right corner of the interface. From the Video list, you can select MP4 or M4V format as the target format. The file resolution can be kept as the source file or can be selected from the available options.

The Output tab on the interface will let you select the desktop location to save the converted files. Finally, hit on the Convert All button to start batch processing of all the added files. On the interface, the files can be checked and managed from the Converted tab.

So if you are asked, is MP4 the same as M4V, you know the answer very well now. The MP4 M4V difference is listed in the above parts. Moreover, the format is not suitable, you can convert it using professional software like UniConverter.