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M4V to OGV converter

Convert M4V to OGV in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

I want OGV
Quality

Applies only when the video has to be re-encoded. A straight copy keeps the original quality.

Advanced 2
Always re-encode Rebuilds the picture as H.264 (VP9 for WebM) even when it could be copied. Fixes files that won’t play on older TVs and PCs.

Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Other ways to convert M4V

Convert other formats to OGV

Read more about the M4V format and the OGV format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.

Should you convert M4V to OGV?

Yes, when a device or app needs OGV. OGV can’t carry the H.264 or HEVC (H.265) video found in M4V files, so the picture is re-encoded as Theora, which takes about as long as the clip on a recent laptop.

Check that OGV is really needed: it plays in Firefox, Chrome, VLC and Wikipedia; not Safari, iPhones or editors, while M4V is mainly an Apple format.

M4V is an MP4 video with Apple’s extension; OGV is open-source Theora video in an Ogg container. Use OGV when a platform accepts only free formats, such as Wikimedia Commons.

M4V and OGV compared
Property M4V OGV
Usually contains H.264 video with AAC audio Theora video with Vorbis audio
Support Mainly an Apple format Has patchy support
Plays on Apple apps and VLC; some Windows apps and upload forms reject the extension Firefox, Chrome, VLC and Wikipedia; not Safari, iPhones or editors
Best for Apple TV and iTunes libraries Open-source projects and Wikimedia Commons uploads
Introduced 2003 2008

How to convert M4V to OGV

  1. 01

    Add your M4V

    Drop your M4V video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to OGV. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the OGV

    Press convert and save the OGV. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when M4V becomes OGV

Re-encoded, at a quality you choose

Because the video has to be compressed again, a little detail is lost. The default quality keeps the difference invisible; choose High for footage you’ll edit further.

Expect a larger file

OGV generally takes more room than M4V. If the file has to fit an upload limit, check the size once it’s converted. M4V: The same as the equivalent MP4. OGV: Larger than MP4 for similar quality.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of M4V and OGV, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Video files are big, and uploading one just to change its container can take longer than the conversion itself. Your browser can read and write these formats, so the file never has to leave your device.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the M4V. Films bought from the iTunes Store are copy-protected and can’t be converted by any tool; your own M4V exports convert in seconds.
  • About the OGV. Theora needs a much higher bitrate than H.264 for the same picture, so an OGV of the same size looks noticeably worse.
  • MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM are handled by your browser’s own video engine, often with hardware help. AVI, WMV, FLV, MPG and the other older formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download, and are slower.

Questions

Does converting M4V to OGV lose quality?

The video is re-encoded, so a little detail is lost, but the default quality is set high enough that it doesn’t show.

Will a OGV play on my phone?

OGV has patchy support: Firefox, Chrome, VLC and Wikipedia; not Safari, iPhones or editors. Firefox, Chrome and VLC play OGV files.

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