Which is Best - MP4 or MPEG?

Two decades back, the only way to watch movies was on a screen via a projector or on a television. Now, the trend has been changed! In this advanced computer era, there are many more options available and no doubt people are taking the best of it. From streaming high-end HD video on home theater with sound surrounding on the top of your roof to watching videos on a cellphone or a tablet, videos are everywhere. In addition, there are lots of video file formats you can choose, each with its unique features and benefits.

Today, let’s compare the two most important video file formats – MPEG and MP4 and see which one stand out of the crowd in terms of quality!

Containers and Codecs

The most confusing part about digital video file format is understanding whether it is a container or codec. Well, a container is something that refers to a video file’s extension. Whereas, a codec is a method for encoding or decoding data.

Comparison: MP4 Vs MPEG

MP4 is a container format. The components of this format may include video, audio subtitles, and chapter information. This is also known as MPEG-4 as it has been one of the most popular videos among all the MPEG video formats line up developed by Moving Picture Experts Group. MPEG-4 is very well suited for compression, subtitles, and streaming. Since it has gained an equal popularity over video quality and file size and streaming support, it is most preferred to share on the internet. Further, it is also used in video editors and lets the use of lossless compression codecs that further enable you to manage your entire process in MP4 format.

When you want to share MPEG-4 on the web, it is necessary to compress and optimize it so that it can get uploaded easily. Before you compress, make sure that you have saved the original file and making the changed on a copy of it. What if you haven’t backed up the file, you compressed it and then MPEG-4 file is not playing? Chances are there that the file might have corrupted due to any inconsistencies like interruptions during the compression process, usage of unreliable compression software, etc. But no worries, you can easily repair it using an appropriate video repair software.

Now coming to MPEG format, we can say that it is a format which is both a container as well as a codec. It is a container which has the codec of the same name. It uses MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 compression techniques. It is commonly used to share the videos over internet and DVDs. It lacks some flexibilities what other file formats have like it is a poor format that doesn’t suit well for video editing. But, it is a very good format for streaming over the internet and sharing through DVDs.

So which format is the best in Quality?

Choosing a video file format among MP4 and MPEG purely depends on how you are going to use that video file and under what circumstances. If you are a filmmaker and interested in extensive video editing and creating stuff, then it would be better you choose MP4 format. When you are trying to create video archives of those video files that have been converted from DVDs, then you’ll have to opt for MPEG. Other factors to be considered are software tools, file storage availability and features of videos.

Well…MP4 and MPEG both serve as good formats for sharing your work on a website, which is a different story though!