M4V to HEVC Converter

M4V is a video container format developed by Apple Inc. and introduced alongside the iTunes Video Store in October 2005. Technically, M4V is nearly identical to the standard MP4 format (MPEG-4 Part 14), with the primary distinction being optional FairPlay DRM protection applied to purchased content from the iTunes Store. Unprotected M4V files are fully compatible with any player that handles MP4, as the underlying container structure and codec support are the same. The format typically contains H.264 video and AAC audio, supporting resolutions up to 4K and features like chapter markers, subtitle tracks, and metadata tags for title, artwork, and ratings. Apple chose the M4V extension to distinguish iTunes content from generic MP4 files, primarily so that DRM-protected purchases would be recognized by the Apple ecosystem of devices and software. M4V files play natively on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Apple TV, and unprotected versions work seamlessly in most major media players across all platforms. The format gained significant traction as the iTunes Store became a dominant platform for purchasing and renting digital movies and TV shows. Compatibility with the broader MP4 ecosystem means that video and audio streams within DRM-free M4V files can be processed by virtually any modern editing or transcoding tool without conversion.

HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), also designated as H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2, is a video compression standard developed jointly by the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group and the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group. Approved in January 2013, HEVC was designed as the successor to H.264/AVC with the primary goal of doubling the compression efficiency — achieving equivalent visual quality at roughly half the bit rate. The standard accomplishes this through larger coding tree units of up to 64x64 pixels, more sophisticated motion prediction with 35 directional intra modes, advanced sample adaptive offset filtering, and parallel processing tools including tiles and wavefront parallel processing. HEVC supports resolutions from 320x240 up to 8192x4320 (8K UHD), making it future-proof for emerging display technologies. The codec is widely adopted in broadcasting, where it enables efficient delivery of 4K and HDR content over bandwidth-constrained channels, as well as in video conferencing and surveillance applications. Apple adopted HEVC as the default recording format for iOS devices beginning with iOS 11, dramatically expanding its consumer reach. Despite technical superiority over H.264, a complex and fragmented patent licensing landscape has driven interest in royalty-free alternatives like AV1, though HEVC remains deeply embedded in broadcast infrastructure and consumer electronics worldwide.