Changing Video Metadata: Major Brand, Minor Version 0.5.12, Compatible Brands

Changing Video Metadata: Major Brand, Minor Version 0.5.12, Compatible Brands

In this article, we will discuss how to change video metadata, specifically focusing on the Major Brand, Minor Version, and Compatible Brands. This is a crucial topic for anyone working with video files, as metadata plays a significant role in ensuring that video files are properly formatted and can be played on various devices.

Understanding Metadata

Metadata is information about data. In this case, it refers to information about a video file, such as its format, size, and creation date. The metadata of a video file is contained in a "box" within the file, which is structured according to the ISO Base Media File Format (ISO/IEC 14496-12).

The Major Brand and Minor Version

The Major Brand and Minor Version are two important pieces of metadata in a video file. The Major Brand identifies the format of the file, while the Minor Version specifies the version of the format. For example, an MP4 file with a Major Brand of "isom" and a Minor Version of "0512" indicates that the file is an ISO Base Media File Format file, version 0.5.12.

Changing the Major Brand and Minor Version

To change the Major Brand and Minor Version of a video file, you will need to use a tool that can edit the metadata of the file. One such tool is mp4box, which is part of the gpac package. Here is an example of how to change the Major Brand and Minor Version using mp4box:

In this example, -brand mp42 sets the Major Brand to "mp42", which is the Major Brand for MP4 files. -new specifies the name of the output file, and specifies the name of the input file. This command will change the Major Brand and Minor Version of the input file to "mp42" and the current version of MP4, respectively.

Compatible Brands

Compatible Brands are a list of format-specific identifiers that indicate the formats that the video file is compatible with. This information is used by players to determine whether they can play the file. For example, an MP4 file with a Compatible Brands list of "isom", "iso2", and "avc1" indicates that the file is compatible with the ISO Base Media File Format, ISO Base Media File Format version 2, and the Advanced Video Coding format, respectively.

Changing the Compatible Brands

To change the Compatible Brands of a video file, you can use the -add option of the mp4box tool. Here is an example:

In this example, is the format-specific identifier that you want to add to the Compatible Brands list. is the name of the input file, and is the name of the output file. This command will add the specified Compatible Brand to the input file and create a new output file with the updated Compatible Brands list.

• Metadata is information about data, and in this case, it refers to information about a video file.
• The Major Brand and Minor Version are two important pieces of metadata in a video file. The Major Brand identifies the format of the file, while the Minor Version specifies the version of the format.
• Compatible Brands are a list of format-specific identifiers that indicate the formats that the video file is compatible with.
• To change the Major Brand and Minor Version, you can use the mp4box tool with the -brand option.
• To change the Compatible Brands, you can use the mp4box tool with the -add option.

References

• ISO Base Media File Format
• MP4
• mp4box