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Ultra-efficient, the H.264 codec compresses video tightly
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Chosen as the industry-standard codec for 3GPP (mobile multimedia), MPEG-4 HD-DVD and Blu-ray, H.264 represents the next generation of video for everything from mobile multimedia to high-definition playback. It's called H.264, and it's an important new industry standard that's quickly garnered widespread support. That's because QuickTime 7 Player takes advantage of the latest video compression technology. This update is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users. QuickTime 7 delivers numerous bug fixes and addresses critical security issues. When combined with QuickTime Player and QuickTime Pro, these applications work together to provide the industry's first end-to-end, standards-based digital media delivery system. MP4 files can normally be opened on your computer using Windows Media Player or QuickTime, and can be opened on mobile devices without the need to download any applications.QuickTime is a family of digital media software for creation, delivery and playback software lets you deliver live or pre-recorded video and audio to an audience of any size. MP4 files are also typically seen when a video is downloaded from the internet. The explosion in popularity of the MP4 format is largely down to Apple and the iTunes Store, as it is the standard format for almost all of the media downloaded from the store. The video part is compressed with MPEG-4, a standard that was developed by Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG), while the audio is typically compressed using AAC compression. Video and audio compression are usually handled by different codecs (audiovisual encoders).
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MP4 files are typically smaller in size than other audio or video file types because MP4 files use a mix of compression technologies. An MP4, sometimes known as an MPEG4, is a multimedia file that is used to store video or audio data.
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