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Mov or MP4?

JerryNY

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New EVO pilot here. So far I’ve been really impressed with the drone and especially the camera. I was planning on using H.265 but honestly the H.264 looks so good right off the SD card I’m not sure it’s really worth it even though I have a Mac Pro. My question is does using Mov over MP4 really do anything even on a Mac? I know it’s just a wrapper but does it allow for longer than 4GB files or anything? Still exploring all the settings on this thing. It’s really impressive all the stuff they cram into these things. There’s not much out there that can even do 4K60fps...
 
I use a Mac as well and I always use MOV. Because this is the native QuickTime video file and the quality is better. Of course QuickTime plays MP4 as well but MOV in my experience has the highest quality in the video.
 
A copy and paste from doing a google search:


So Which Video Format to Go For?
Both MOV and MP4 do not have any real effect on the encoded video qualities. They just act like containers. The choice between MOV and MP4 is simple, provided you know the area of application. Based on the place where you need to play the resulting videos, you can choose between MOV and MP4 Or convert one into another absolutely free.

Ideally, if you are using Mac, MOV is quite safe and efficient
They are considered very high-quality file format for storing and sharing digital information.
Many free media players like QuickTime player, Windows media player, and Real Player support MOV files.
They combine multiple audio and video files independently.
Can be used in professional applications by isolating the elements while editing or during playback.
The size of the MOV files differs depending upon the length and compression technique used.
Usually, MOV files are of high quality and their size exceeds than many other multimedia formats.
If you are unable to run your MOV video files it might be possible that your video has been corrupt, in that case MOV video repair is an easy process. You can repair your corrupt .mov videos using any professional MOV video repair tool.
However, in case of any non-Apple devices, MP4 proves to be a much better option
It supports multiple bits of data.
They are compatible with a low bandwidth, by making them transmit on a narrow bandwidth.
Supported across various devices and programs including Apple QuickTime 6 and any later edition.
The MP4 format was intended to store MPEG-4 format and hence required less overhead as compared to other formats.
MP4 enhances the high-resolution content by making use of the latest codec H264.
It provides great flexibility in how data is stored in files.
It uses advanced video coding (AVC) technology and Apple’s advanced audio coding (AAC) to improve old audio container format.
MP4 video output is of very high quality as compared to DVD.
MP4 video files also prone to corruption & you can also fix your corrupt or inaccessible videos using a good video repair software.

Conclusion:
Both MOV and MP4 are the best video file formats used by millions of people around the globe & choosing best among them is a very hard decision. As described above one can choose either file format according to the operating system they are using or the video player they are using to play those videos. If you are still not happy with the video formats you are using you can easily convert it to any of your choice video formats free of cost.
 
Thanks for the info. I was more interested in finding out if Autel treated the Mov file differently. I was using MP4 at first and hate the 4GB limitation, especially when a nice sequence gets cut right in half but found it edits seamlessly between the clips so it’s no biggie but would be better if it just kept it in one file for me. As far as I can tell Mov files are treated the same way unless I’m missing something. I realize the file system limitations but shake my head that in 2019 we are still bound by so many limitations created decades ago. It would be cool if using the Mov setting it just made a container with all the sub clips organized as one.
 
These are not file size limitations created by the format type. These are made this way by Autel to avoid corrupt files. If it were by the format type you would not be able to put a file on the card that is larger than the 4GB or whatever it is. Copy a movie or very large file to the card and it will play fine and not give you an error or divide it.
 
New EVO pilot here. So far I’ve been really impressed with the drone and especially the camera. I was planning on using H.265 but honestly the H.264 looks so good right off the SD card I’m not sure it’s really worth it even though I have a Mac Pro. My question is does using Mov over MP4 really do anything even on a Mac? I know it’s just a wrapper but does it allow for longer than 4GB files or anything? Still exploring all the settings on this thing. It’s really impressive all the stuff they cram into these things. There’s not much out there that can even do 4K60fps...
MP4 files can also be played back on your big screen tv. MOV files cannot!
 
New EVO pilot here. So far I’ve been really impressed with the drone and especially the camera. I was planning on using H.265 but honestly the H.264 looks so good right off the SD card I’m not sure it’s really worth it even though I have a Mac Pro. My question is does using Mov over MP4 really do anything even on a Mac? I know it’s just a wrapper but does it allow for longer than 4GB files or anything? Still exploring all the settings on this thing. It’s really impressive all the stuff they cram into these things. There’s not much out there that can even do 4K60fps...

As you already surmised, MOV vs MP4 is just a container. I personally have all of my cameras set to record in the MOV format because it is kind of universally accepted amongst camera vendors that if they offer a more easily editable bitrate/codec/format vs. some other option then they will use the MOV container vs. the MP4 container. I do have some cameras that I own that only offer for example 10bit footage if it is stored in an MOV container; this has nothing to do with the file format itself, it's just the way that the industry has evolved.

In regards to H.264 vs H.265....I have yet to see a comprehensive codec chart from Autel for the EVO II and it's different cameras; not saying one doesn't exist, but I have yet to find it. But kind of like MOV vs MP4, most current camera vendors only offer their best bitrates, bit depth (i.e. 10bit vs 8bit), and sometimes camera resolution (i.e. 6K vs 4K) only when you use the H.265 codec.

You did not mention what camera you have (the 8K or 6K) and I don't have the time to do comprehensive testing and format analysis but I'd be willing to guess that with the 6K 1" sensor you can only shoot 6K with H.265 and possibly only achieve a 10bit bit depth with H.265 but I could be wrong. A lot of vendors are only offering 8bit for H.264 due to the file sizes and processing power needed.

Thanks for the info. I was more interested in finding out if Autel treated the Mov file differently. I was using MP4 at first and hate the 4GB limitation, especially when a nice sequence gets cut right in half but found it edits seamlessly between the clips so it’s no biggie but would be better if it just kept it in one file for me. As far as I can tell Mov files are treated the same way unless I’m missing something. I realize the file system limitations but shake my head that in 2019 we are still bound by so many limitations created decades ago. It would be cool if using the Mov setting it just made a container with all the sub clips organized as one.

As others have mentioned, the container has nothing to do with the file size, all of the drone vendors cut off the file at a certain size and start a new one to protect the footage that you have recorded so far. Drones are probably the most likely platform out of all of them to corrupt a video file due to the micro vibrations from the motors while in the air. All it would take is for the microSD card to lose contact with the drone for a micro second to corrupt a video file that it was writing, so this is a footage safety feature.

If you are using proper recording technique you will almost never if not never encounter the split file problem. My drone clips on average are around 30s or less. If you first think about the shot, compose the shot, set your exposure and white balance, decide on your camera movement, then press record and leave yourself buffer space of 3-5s on each side of the movement your file sizes will never average more than 200-300MB and you will have much higher quality useable footage vs just quantity. In the final video each scene on average should not last longer the 5-8s without a change or you will lose the viewer's interest.

The only time I record longer clips is for scenes like car following scenes, boat chase scenes, or action events like car races where you are not sure exactly where the best part of the action will happen. Even then, when editing in post I look for only the best 8s out of the clip and use that in the final project. All other times my clips are rarely longer than 30s.
 
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