We’re talking about the decoding and processing software often found in free MP4 player downloads that makes the hardware capable of playing back the video and audio. Although for marketing purposes, many hardware devices are indeed called MP4 players. With the term “MP3 player” typically meaning a handheld device to play music, it’s a natural leap to assume that’s what we’re also discussing. When you first start talking about MP4 players you should realize that you’re not referring to a piece of hardware.
The good news is that there are a large number of free MP4 players for Windows, Mac, and mobile devices available to play content from within a MP4 wrapper.
With its roots based on one of the several parts of the overall MPEG-4 standard and direct links to Apple’s QuickTime technology, MP4 is ideal for streaming video on the Internet and other distribution platforms and all you need to do it is a MP4 player. MP4 players open the door to a more contemporary and expansive world of video and audio capabilities for computers, the Internet, and mobile devices.
