3GP

📚 Key Takeaways:

📌 What is a 3GP video file? Files with the .3gp extension are 3GP files, which is a multimedia container format developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). A 3GP file can store video and audio streams transmitted mainly on 3G mobile phones.

📌 Is 3GP an MP4? No. Although 3GP is based on MPGE-4 Part 12 and is regarded as a simplified version of the MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) format, they are two container formats. 3GP file format has less device support than MP4. It was primarily designed for GSM-based phones and has small file size and low bandwidth requirements.

📌 How to open 3GP videos? 3GP files store video streams as MPEG-4 Part 2 or H.263 codecs and audio streams as AMR or AAC. You can view .3gp files on 3G phones as well as some 2G and 4G phones. Many video players and editing software also support this format, such as Apple Quick Time Player, Windows Media Player, VLC Media Player, RealPlayer, etc. Additionally, you can convert 3GP to a universal format like MP4 using WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory.

Find more information about the 3GP file type from the overview table below!

Overview Table of the 3GP Format

Category	Details
File Format	3GP
Media Type	Video/Audio
Format Type	Container format
File Extension	.3gp
Developed by	Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)
Initial Release	2003
Video Codecs	MPEG-4 Part 2, H.263, or MPEG-4 Part 10 (AVC/H.264)
Audio Codecs	AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AMR-WB+, AAC-LC, HE-AAC v1, or Enhanced aacPlus (HE-AAC v2)
Device Compatibility	▪ Most 3G mobile phones, and some 2G/4G phones; ▪ Audio (encoded using MPEG-4 AAC) imported from CD to PS3; ▪ Nintendo 3DS with 3GP technology
Cons	▪ Low video quality; ▪ Not universally supported like MP4; ▪ Lack of advanced features
3GP VS. 3G2	Both 3GP and 3GP are based on the MPEG-4 Part 12 file format and are good for transferring video/audio on low-end smartphones. But 3G2 files come with the .3g2 extension and were mainly designed for CDMA-based phones. Besides, 3G2 can use the same video compression standards and most of the audio encoding format as that of the 3GP.

Recommended Software for 3GP/3G2 Videos

There are times when you may have difficulty playing .3gp videos on your computer or modern phone. That’s where a reliable video converter comes in handy. Many video converters can do this job and WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory stands out as the best free 3GP video converter. It features an intuitive interface and offers over 600 ready-made output profiles including MP4, MKV, H.264, VP9, MP3, iPhone, Android, PS4/5, YouTube, and more! You can change the 3GP format to any needed format:

❶Import Videos > ❷ Set a Needed Format > ❸ Start Conversion at Once!

More importantly, it has no limit on input file sizes and leaves no watermarks on outputs!

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