How to compress an M4V video file to get a smaller file size? This article from the free video converter - MiniTool Video Converter will offer you some useful video compressors and tell you how to use them for video compression.
Your M4V video file may have a large file size or can’t play on Windows or other operating systems. How can I reduce its file size and make it play on other operating systems? It is a good idea to compress it and change the exporting format when compressing it. The below content will give you more information about M4V and tell you how to compress M4V with useful tools.
What Is M4V
M4V is a video container format developed by Apple. You can find that the movies or TV programs you buy or rent on iTunes are in M4V format. M4V is similar to MP4 but their primary difference is that M4V may protected by DRM copy protection. You can only play protected M4V files on authorized computers. If the M4V file is not protected by such restrictions, you can play it on a Windows PC with VLC, Windows Media Player, or other players.
How to Compress M4V on Windows
This part recommends MiniTool Video Converter and Free Video Compressor to compress M4V to reduce its file size and convert it to MP4 for better compatibility.
MiniTool Video Converter
MiniTool Video Converter is a good video converter that supports various video and audio formats. How to compress a video with MiniTool Video Converter? You can convert it to other video formats that have smaller file sizes, change its resolution, or change other parameters.
Moreover, it is a batch video converter that enables you to convert or compress several videos at the same time. You can refer to the below guidance on how to compress an M4V video with MiniTool Video Converter.
Step 1. Click the below download button to download and install MiniTool Video Converter on your desktop. Then launch it.
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Step 2. Click the Add or Drag files here to start conversion area to choose the M4V video file you want to compress and click Open to import it.
Step 3. Click the diagonal arrow circled in the below screenshot to open the output format window, click the Video tab, and choose the MP4 option to convert M4V to MP4. You can choose a lower resolution like HD 1080P.
Or if you need a higher compression, you can click on + Create Custom to open the Settings window, expand the Encoder dropdown, and choose HEVC which has a higher compression ratio than H.264. Moreover, you can change the resolution, frame rate, and bitrate of the video, as well as other parameters of the audio, to reduce its file size. Then click Create.
Step 4. Click the Convert button to start the conversion process. Once the compression is finished, you can switch to the Converted window and click the Show in folder button to locate the compressed M4V file.
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Free Video Compressor
Free Video Compressor is a free and lightweight video compression software that can help you reduce video file size. What’s more, it allows you to cut a video. It can work with many popular formats like MP4, M4V, AVI, FLV, MOV, and more. Here is a guide on how to use Free Video Compressor to reduce the file size of an M4V video.
Step 1. Download Free Video Compressor and install it on your computer.
Step 2. Run Free Video Compressor and click Open to upload the M4V video you need to compress.
Step 3. In the Options section, you can click the inverted arrow next to Desired Video Size to choose the file size you need.
Step 4. Click the Compress button. There will appear a popup and you need to choose a folder to store the compressed M4V file and click the Save button. Later, a confirm popup will appear and you just need to click Yes to start compression.
How to Compress M4V on Mac
How to compress your M4V video on Mac? You can use iMovie and QuickTime Player to change its resolution when exporting. Alternatively, it is a good idea to use HandBrake which is an open-source video transcoder that can rip DVDs and convert video files. You can use it to convert your M4V file to MP4, MKV, and WebM formats. Below are detailed steps to compress M4V video with HandBrake.
Step 1. Download and install HandBrake on your Mac and open it.
Step 2. Click the Open Source option on the top menu bar to choose the M4V video you want to compress and click Open to import it.
Step 3. Click the Preset option, expand the General list, and choose Fast 1080p30 or other presets you need. Alternatively, you can change the format to MP4 under the Summary tab. Also, you can change its video encoder and frame rate under the Video tab.
Step 4. Click the Browse button at the lower-right corner to choose the location for saving the compressed M4V video.
Step 5. Click the Start button.
Conclusion
It is a good idea to compress an M4V video to reduce the file size. Also, you can choose to compress it to other video formats like MP4 which have a smaller file size and better compatibility. The above has shown you three good tools to compress M4V. You can choose MiniTool Video Converter or two other tools and have a try!
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About The Author
Position: Columnist
Olivia is always full of enthusiasm for life and loves to record. She often records beautiful and memorable moments of life with her camera and then uses some editing tools to put the photos, videos and audio together. She also has a passion for writing and offers suggestions to readers on images, audio, videos and news. To provide more professional articles and solve problems for readers, she is continuing to learn multimedia as well.