MP3 and MP4 are two different file formats that are used to store and share audio and video files on computers and other devices. Here are the key differences between MP3 and MP4:
MP3
- Stands for MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3
- Developed to store audio information in digital form with a smaller file size than the format used by CDs at the time
- Can only handle audio using lossy compression
- Only for audio files
- Audio files take up less space
- Compatible devices can only play audio files
MP4
- Stands for MPEG-4 Part 14
- A digital multimedia container that can store different content types, including audio, video, text, and images
- Can utilize newer audio codec standards
- Supports all types of multimedia files
- Audio, video, text, and images can be embedded in MP4 files
- Multimedia files take up more space
- Compatible devices can play both audio and video files
In summary, MP3 is an audio encoding format, while MP4 is a digital multimedia container that can store a range of data, including video, audio, and text. MP3 files are smaller and can only handle audio, while MP4 files are larger and more versatile, supporting all types of multimedia files.