About the M4v file format
- Name
- iTunes Video
- Extension
- .m4v
- Format
- Binary
- Category
- Video
- Developer
- Apple
- Description
- The M4V file format is a video container format developed by Apple and is very similar to the MP4 format, with the primary difference being the optional Apple Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection. M4V files are commonly used for TV episodes, movies, and music videos in the iTunes Store. These files can be played on Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads, and iPods, as well as on PCs using iTunes or other compatible media players.
- MIME Type
- video/x-m4v
- Sample
- sample.m4v
- Wikipedia
- .m4v on Wikipedia
iTunes Video (M4V) files are quite similar to mp4 file formats. The two types are based on the MPEG-4 video container format. Developed by Apple, it's used to encode video files. The main goal was to increase the level of security when it comes to anything sourced from the iTunes as they are protected by Apple FairPlay DRM copy protection. M4V features restrict the download of files on devices that are not made by Apple.
The files in this format are compressed at a very high quality and speed. It uses the H.264 video codec allowing chapter information storage and also deals with the AC3 (Dolby Digital) audio files.
Thanks to its high compression rate while retaining quality, the M4v files are used in editing and making files more manageable. Its ability to change the resolution of the videos also makes it easy to edit and share them. The quality of the M4V files remains the same when the right software is used.
You can authorize your PC to play videos purchased on iTunes using your Apple ID. Open iTunes with the PC you want to use, and under the Accounts tab on the menu bar, select Authorize this computer.
Apple iTunes, Apple Quick Time Player, Media Player Classic, RealPlayer, and VLC media player applications can open the M4V files.