MP4 vs MPEG: Difference and Comparison

Since the camera’s evolution and the availability of quality smartphone cameras, video recording has become common.

The thing is that video recording was earlier limited to camera and their expensive quality cameras.

But, nowadays, even a simple smartphone has a quality camera with a real video recording feature. 

Any memorable moment can be recorded easily on smartphones and stored. Nowadays, there are multiple formats in which videos can be stored in the free space that any user system has.

These formats allow the user to keep the videos for as long as they want on their smartphone, laptop, etc. 2 of these formats are MP4 and MPEG.

There are many kinds of MPEG formats; similarly, there are many parts of MP4 too.

Key Takeaways

  1. MPEG stands for Moving Picture Experts Group and refers to a family of video and audio compression formats. At the same time, MP4 is a digital multimedia container format that can store video, audio, and subtitles.
  2. MPEG is used for creating high-quality video files, while MP4 is used for streaming video over the internet.
  3. MPEG is an older format compared to MP4, and MP4 has become the standard format for online video.

MP4 vs MPEG

MP4 is a specific video and audio compression format widely used for online streaming and digital video distribution. MPEG is a family of video compression standards.

MP4 vs MPEG 1

Comparison Table

Parameter Of ComparisonMP4MPEG
File extensionThe file in this format ends with “.mp4”. The file with this format will end in “.mpeg” or “.mpg”.
Compression methodThese files are compressed with MPEG-4 compression methods which contain many parts, the most common being MPEG-4 Part 14.These files are compressed using MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 compression methods.
Storage CapacityAlong with the video file created, subtitles, still images, and many other things can be stored in this format.This format stores only video files and support no other data.
UsageThey are used to create high-quality videos streamed on computers, smartphones, etc.Their usage is limited to DVDs, standard digital television broadcasting, or Video Compact Discs (VCDs) for low-quality video.
ProblemMP4 is quite popular today; hence, you can stream videos online easily without much hassle of conversion.MPEG formats are more suitable if the user seeks to implement DVDs and VCDs, and the quality is not that good.
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What Is MP4?

The filename extension for this type of file is “.mp4”.

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This filename extension is the most common one associated with videos and, therefore, is supported by most platforms.

The format is specially designed to store high-quality video and encoded audio using the AAC compression technique.

The video is compressed using the MPEG-4 compression technique.

The MPEG-4 has many parts within it.

These parts determine the quality of the .mp4 file.

The compression can be done using any of these parts, but the best quality can be obtained by MPEG-4 Part 14.

The most valuable part of this format is that it can store multiple data types.

This is why most people like to use the MP4 format.

The MP4 format can store multiple pieces of information about a file.

This means one can store the subtitles, still images, and more data.

This is the best feature of the MP4 format that most people love.

The thing is that there are many types of compression platforms of the format, and hence, it is quite easy to use it.

The Moving Picture Experts Group develops MP4 format.

It is the most popular type of format that is used in the current world.

It stores high-quality videos that can be streamed online or shared over any platform.

While the format is hassle-free, it is quite useful too.

mp4

What Is MPEG?

MPEG is another platform developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group and standardized by the company.

The format is not as popular as the other format in comparison.

The compression formats used in this case are MPEG-1 and MPEG-2.

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The first one, i.e., MPEG-1, is used in cases where the user wants to work with VCDs or Video Compact Discs.

The second one is used when the user wants to store a video on a DVD

The filename extension for the MPEG format is “.mpeg” or “.mpg” and is mostly seen when working with movies.

The movies on DVDs are mostly stored in this format, while the format is also used in standard video broadcasting via television.

But, the thing is that the format does not follow the high quality of the video.

Main Differences Between MP4 and MPEG

  1. MP4 is widely used because it supports high-quality video and audio via AAC compression.
  2. The compression technique used in MP4 is MPEG-4, while the compression used in MPEG is MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. 
  3. The major difference is that mp4 can store subtitles and other data, while MPEG doesn’t have this trait.
  4. While the MPEG has the filename extension of “.mpeg’ or “.mpg”, the MP4 data has the extension of “.mp4”.
  5. MP4 is most commonly found in the streaming of videos online, while MPEG is found only in places where television broadcasting and movie storing are involved.
Difference Between MP4 and MPEG

References :

  1. https://search.ieice.org/bin/summary.php?id=e103-d_1_2
  2. https://books.google.com/bookshl=en&lr=&id=ftRvA08WcM4C&oi=fnd&pg=PR19&dq=what+is+mpeg+format&ots=l_3nAYOnOv&sig=FaqvFoiYr-gSIUWvjumaikm7Za0
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Sandeep Bhandari
Sandeep Bhandari

Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.

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