MP3 is a widely used compression format used for audio files on computers and portable devices. The MP3 file format is excellent for storing good quality audio into small files. On the other hand, MP4 is a new container format, allowing users to combine different multimedia streams into a single file. MP4 is a streamable file format and it supports all kinds of multimedia content. With the new popularity of the iPod and Playstation Portable, users with MP3 files were faced with the dilemma of what to do with them since the new devices played audio and video in the newer MP4 format instead of the MP3 file format. However, converting MP3 files to MP4 files are simple if the right steps are taken.
What you will need
- Audio/video conversion software
Instructions
- Install your audio/video conversion program. However, do ensure that it converts MP3 to MP4 and not MP4 to MP3.
- Determine which MP4 format your device requires for the file you’re converting. For example an iPod will see an MP4a file and determine it is an audio file. On the other hand it will see MP4 files as audio and video. MP4b files are seen as audio books, MP4v files as video and MP4p as protected files.
- Download and install the MP4 codec. The audio conversion application should include this; however, some of the free ones require this as a second step. Note though that conversion cannot be done without the proper codec.
- Choose the file that will be converted. While some software will only require you to right click the name of the file and then choosing the format you want to convert it to, others will require extra steps.
- Using more sophisticated audio/ video conversion programs may require you to choose the files by clicking on the MP3 files you want to convert, select the output, MP4, and then select additional options to your liking.
Do’s
- Obtain resources from DBpoweramp. This is the source for the MP4 codec and dBpower/AMP Music Converter
