Both the Quicktime and MPEG-4 formats have features, which make them the perfect choice for both developers and users of Apple machines. This article is designed to inform and advise users of Apple Mac machines about two of the video streaming formats that are available to them.
Streaming video Files with Quicktime
As with many of Apple’s products, Quicktime seems to have a marmite effect on people, in other words, you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. Many developers and Mac aficionados alike swear by Quicktime. Others, however, just don’t seem to be able to work with it.
Whatever your opinion, one thing is for sure, as a format which has been in around since the very beginning of digital media production, it is one of the most widely used and respected platforms in media streaming.
Despite the fact that Quicktime is more complicated than Windows Media or Real Media, video producers and web designers are usually more au-fait with Quicktime's .mov (movie) format than others. This is due to the fact that it incorporates advanced features such as interactive video, panoramas, virtual reality settings and much more.
Getting good quality video can be challenging and many users find that a certain degree of experimentation is needed for its effective implementation. One great thing about Quicktime is that it is compatible with many video editing programs such as Adobe Premier.
Quicktime videos can be added to a web page by using a hyperlink, which goes directly to the file:
<a href="video01.mov">Click here to view video</a>
When the hyperlink is clicked, it starts the downloading of the file. In some instances, the video will begin when a section of the file has been downloaded, but in other cases the whole file will download before it begins. For this reason hyperlinking a Quicktime video is not recommended. It is far better to embed a video into a webpage.
Streaming Video Files with MPEG-4
MPEG-4 emerged as a platform in the late 1990s. It’s development was initially supported by both Apple and Microsoft. Microsoft, however later abandoned the project, and many developers do not favour it, as it tends to be relatively complicated and confusing.
There are many variations of the format, with some ISO compliant and some not.
Quicktime, for example, deals with both ISO-compliant .mp4 files and non-compliant .mov files. Some MPEG-4 files play in any player, whereas others will only work in certain players.
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