Video Shrinks With MP4

molda writes: "The The BBC is reporting that the New MP4 format is now appearing on websites. The compression routine utilised by MP4 is cable of converting an hours worth of video to a 350mb file. " Until there are cross platform players and encoders I don't see it making each inroads, and there still are some compression issues (but then again, a 128kb/s MP3 wacks out music's treble and bass pretty badly too and that hasn't slowed down its acceptance).

Comments

The usually reliable BBC...

[gwernol]

Boy, that BBC article is riddled with errors. The format is known as MPEG-4, not MP4. If you recall, MP3 is actually MPEG-1 Layer III audio encoding. MPEG-2 is a video and audio encoding format (as used on DVDs). MPEG-3 was never released. MPEG-4 is the successor video and audio compression format to MPEG II, not the successor to MP3.

DivX is not, as reported "the name of a failed technology that tried to create limited-life video cassettes", it was an attempt to create time-limit DVD discs, that's an important distinction.

The MPEG-4 standard is based on the QuickTime file format. It was only formalized in March of 2000, more than six months after the Microsoft "codec" was released. So the Microsoft "MP4" codec is an incomplete implementation of an earlier draft spec of the format and is not compatible with real MPEG-4 bitstreams. See this link for the real scoop on MPEG-4.

Re:MPEG-4, not MP4

[Wrench]

As many of you know MP3 isn't MPEG-3. It's MPEG-2, Audio Layer 3, shortened to MP3.

Actually, it's MPEG-1, Audio Layer 3, but I imagine you knew that..

Re:MP4? Some Definitions

[xWakawaka]

please correct/update this where I am wrong.

Mp3 = file extension and popular name given to audio encoded with MPEG1 layer 3.
MPEG1=Standard for compressing Video and Audio
MPEG2=Standard for compressing Video and Audio
MPEG4 version1=Standard for compressing Video and Audio
MPEG4 version2=Enhanced version of MPEG4, backwards compatible with MPEG4 version1
Microsoft MPEG4=Typical Microsoft (incompatible) implementation of open standard. Hacked together from unfinished draft of MPEG4 (version 1?)
DivX(consumer product)=Defunct comsumer Digital Video format (like DVD, except no one bought it)
Div-X(codec)=Hacked version of Microsoft's hacked version of MPEG4
"MP4" (as used in this article)=Div-X codec (see above)

Hope this is usefull (and accurate)

And here's tons of information you should read..

[toast-]

One of the Mpeg-4 hacks is called Div-X.

It's widely used in the pirate scene, and apparently works very VERY well for compressing 2 hours of video/audio into about 650 MB worth (1 cd). The only issue is in order to play these types of files you need a fast CPU, about P2/300.

Although this use is not legal, it shows that Mpeg-4 is here and should quickly replace the current defacto standard.

http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/support/mpeg4. html

Above is one site , explaining lots about MPEG-4 including the various formats MPEG-4 can be applied to (avi, divx, etc), as well as platform-related information.

Another Div-x related site at:
http://www.mydivx.com/

It seems this page is requesting help to make a Linux div-x port, but there seems to be little and/or no substance.

http://linux.divx.st

Here's a link to an Open-source Div-x contest, albeit for the Mac, but it's here:
http://www.flashingyellow.com/contest.html

MPEG4 ~ ASF?

[TheTomcat]

If I'm not mistaken, Microsoft's ASF format has been using MPEG4 for a while now.

With ASF, you can easily fit a movie onto a CD. This works great with really BRIGHT footage, but for dark titles, like The Matrix and the 6th Sense, it pretty much sucks the nut. The darks all blend together, and become quite.. uh.. MPEGgy. Weird artifactish type things start showing up, and the video gets pretty chunky.

It's like losing low tones on music. The darks become all chunky, vague, and distorted.

Then again, what do you expect, for a movie that fits on a CD?

Re:Quality vs compression level?

[Vanders]

Actaully, MP4 is a work in progress, M$ decided to jump the gun and release their own MP4 codec before the standard is finalised. Then the DivX team hacked the codec to make it faster. All of this seems to be lost on the BBC, whom i had a damn good laugh at when i read the article....

Re:MPEG-4, not MP4

[generic-man]

While MP3 probably shouldn't have been named such, let's not exacerbate the mistake by making another one.

I'm guessing that MP3 probably gained its name not so much because the standard was MPEG-I, layer 3 (or something like that) but because that's just the file extension. Even with FAT32 and NTFS supporting long filenames (knock on wood) Microsoft still pushes for 8.3 filenames, or 3-character extensions to say the least. To top it off, people like having easy-to-pronounce and -remember three-character abbreviations. (Why was the PlayStation abbreviated to PSX, instead of just PS?)

So you can keep calling it MPEG-4, but to most people it'll be MP4. And for some reason it'll show up in the Windows property sheet as "Windows Media File."

DivX is back but this time it's good.

[toppk]

It is the name of the freeware mp4 player (no sources, so not for linux). Get it here:

http://divx.forpresident.nl/
http://divx.ctw.cc/

I didn't make them links, so they wouldn't get /.'d as fast ;)

Have fun. -toppk

Pirates unwittingly assisting MS "embrace, extend"

[Sleepy]

The author is a victim of M$ FUDding the issues. This is not MPEG-4, as has been pointed out already. What hasn't been pointed out is Microsoft "leaked" this codec to the Moviez and Pr0n kiddiez to establish momentum, as Microsoft's incomplete and Windows-biased implementation of MPEG-4 was rejected by the standards committee. Not only were current MS video implementations inferior to Apple QuickTime (even on Win32), but QT is *the* standard in professional video editing (even on Win32).

Why leak an obsolete codec? Because it, and the FREE MS compression tools (what the FTC sometimes calls product dumping by a monopoly) have conditioned the video pirates into using this format for trading.

Heh... wait till they try switching their OS over to Linux, won't they feel stupid. Oh wait, never mind. Where's the |33t sense of danger in using an OS that can never be pirated? ;)

Haiku

[575]

MP4 at hand!
Salvation! ev'ry South Park
On one shiny disc

MPEG-4, not MP4

[KFury]

Please, please, PLEASE let's not start calling this MP4. As many of you know MP3 isn't MPEG-3. It's MPEG-2, Audio Layer 3, shortened to MP3.

While MP3 probably shouldn't have been named such, let's not exacerbate the mistake by making another one. MPx should relate specifically to the audio compression specification, while MPEG-x should continue to relate to the entire audio/video specification.

Hopefully, when MPEG-4's audio specification catches on in audiophile circles, MP4 will be used specifically to mean audio files adhering to the MPEG-4 Audio Layer specs.

Kevin Fox