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Solved Trying to Figure Out Right MP4 File Information

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Wendy

PCHF Member
Jul 12, 2017
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As usual, I'm never sure if I have the right forum so I apologize if I've picked the wrong one again. I have a program that converts my own DVDs (legally mine, not borrowed or black market) to MP4 files. It used to use an "MP4 codec" but because of program upgrade and problems from that the vendor told me to use an "MPEG4 codec". I don't know much if anything about codecs so I'm just following the vendor's direction. The vendor said it is producing stereo audio but when I look at the file's Properties and look at "details" in the MP4 file it does not show the audio as stereo (it's just blank). I was told to use a program called Media Info to examine the MP4 file. That program does show "2 channels" (but without the word "stereo").

Is Properties unreliable, or less reliable than the Media Info program's information? I looked at the Properties of an old MP4 file that had been converted with the "MP4 codec" and that one does say "channels:2 (stereo)".

Sorry if I'm making an issue when there really isn't one.
 
2 channels would indicate it is some sort of stereo emulation, although depending on the original audio source would not make a quality outcome, meaning you cant make proper stereo from a mono or substandard source.

Perhaps your "nameless" converter can display metadata also. Properties is OK, just more limited than some apps written to display metadata

Here's an online metadata viewer if you wish to check it out. Awful slow to upload but it shows a lot of data about your file.

https://www.get-metadata.com/

Dont know what your using to convert your stuff but am a great fan of Pazera stuff, and they make a great video to mp4 converter that's free and portable, and it will certainly display the hidden data of a converted file, and allow you to change some of it.

http://www.pazera-software.com/products/mp4-converter/
 
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The converter I'm using is win-x dvd ripper platinum. It's been good and it is usually fast, though oddly if I have something happening on an open website it slows down. I'l get the "get-metadata" and see what it says. I would have liked to also ask what the difference is between an "MPEG4 codec" and an "MP4 codec" - I only can tell that the "MPEG4 codec" runs much faster than the "MP4 codec", after the converter upgrade, but produces a slightly smaller converted file - but I know this is not the right forum to ask that so I'll try to find the right place for that.
 
Thank you Gus. I looked at that website and I'm even more confused. It goes on and on about how MP4 and MPEG4 are different things, not the same type of things. Then at the end it talks about converting MPEG4 to MP4 with "VideoSolo". I don't understand what and why it would be converted if they're different things to begin with.

The Win-X MP4 profile says it is "codec h264 + aac" while the Win-X MPEG4 profile says it is "codec mpeg4 + mp3". Which sound like they ARE the same TYPE of things but just do the conversions differently (not sure what if any practical difference there is between "aac" and "mp3) When the Win-X programs converts the DVD using MPEG4, the converted file is already xxx.MP4 just like when the MP4 is used for the conversion. So I don't understand why, according to that web page, these files would ever need to be further converted,.

I'm clearly out of my depth here. I don't want to waste anyone's time trying to explain the basic concepts to me that I don't get so it's probably best to close this thread as "resolved".
 
I should have said in my previous post that the link I gave was aimed at explaining the differences between MP4 and MPEG4, and NOT ABOUT DOWNLOADING anything on that site. Would recommend Pazera. Suggest you don't try and make this too complex, suffice to say MP4 is more compatible across different devices.
 
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