iTunes Importing Video Files

[mkadam68]

Just looking for a little education.

According to Apple's KB, iTunes handles mp4 files. So, using Freemake Video Converter, I converted some avi files into mp4's. It was very fast--just what I had been looking for. But iTunes won't import them either individually or the whole folder.

I then found Video Converter has an "Apple" setting which apparently converts into .h264 format. This seems to take longer than the direct to mp4 process, but iTunes imports them fine.

Shouldn't iTunes import the mp4's? Why won't it? What am I missing in my understanding of file formats?

 

[Darician]

It depends on the bitrate you picked for the file as the MP4 is constrained to 2.5 Mbps as far as I understand it. Try fiddling with the settings by clicking on the gear before you convert it to ensure that it's set to less than 2.5 Mbps total. H.264 supports up to 3.0 Mbps hence why it may have worked under H.264 as opposed to the MPEG-4 setting, which also if you go within that gear, it should allow you to change the H.264 setting to MPEG-4. Let us know how it goes.

 

[mkadam68]

Thanks for the idea. I tried it. I constrained the bitrate to 2500kbps. But there was also a setting for the video codec. I put it on .mp4 and iTunes didn't import it. When I put it on .H264, iTunes imported no problem. This with the lower bitrate. I then put it back on "Auto" bitrate w/.H264 encoding, and it imported again. So it looks like that is what the issue is.