[MPlayer-users] Creating mp4-files for Apples' ipod with MPlayer

[Jeff Clagg]

On Thu, Dec 15, 2005 at 12:31:47PM -0500, The Wanderer wrote:

> MP4 is not MPEG-4; it is a variant on the MOV container. Unless I'm
> mistaken, MPEG-4 is not itself a container, but only a codec (or rather,
> a family of codecs).

This doesn't help provide any useful info on the original subject, but I
think you are a person who doesn't mind pedantry.

MPEG-4 is a *suite* of standards. Like the other MPEG standard suites,
it includes container format stuff, video codec stuff, audio codec(s),
etc. The MPEG-4 suite now contains two quite different video codecs,
so our old habit of using the word "MPEG-4," as if it's the name of a
video standard, is quite confusing.

As for .mp4, I personally think the name of that container format was
chosen in order to confuse the public even further. It certainly seems
to be working.