MP4 is one of the most popular video container formats. It is natively supported by most video editors and physical devices without additional setup. As convenient as the MP4 format may be, it has inherent issues when used for live streaming. Formats such as .mkv and .flv are better suited for applications such as OBS Studio that encode and record in real-time. However, some platforms or software such as video editors may not support these formats and need MP4 files. OBS Studio allows “remuxing” for converting video and audio from one type of file to another (.mkv to .MP4 in this case) without affecting the encoding. This article demonstrates how to remux OBS recordings.<\/p>\n
MP4 requires a finalization process in which information about what the file contains, such as codec and other metadata such as timestamps, date of recording, bitrate, framerate, and resolution, have to be packaged into the container before determining the final state. This information is used by video players as an index for the contents of the entire file, without which the software cannot process the files. In many cases, videos recorded in the MP4 format are unrecoverable if a certain section is not recorded properly, or the program stops abruptly.<\/p>\n
It is possible to force OBS to write this metadata, called the movie atom at the beginning of the file to make it more streamable with a flag. However, it is better to remux .mkv and .flv files to .mp4 files as it will ensure that the .mp4 file will retain the quality and minimize the chances of corruption.<\/p>\n
Many streamers prefer to maintain a local copy of the video they would be streaming so that it can be uploaded to certain websites or simply be archived. This often implies that the videos have to be saved as MP4 files in broadcast settings. However, as streaming is a complicated and resource-intensive process, there is a risk of crashing. If OBS crashes before the .mp4 file is saved, it can get corrupted. Here is how users can record in .flv or .mkv format and remux them to .mp4 files later.<\/p>\n
Although videos recorded in the .mkv or .flv format are more resistant to corruption than MP4 files, remuxing cannot fix broken files. Also, some users have experienced issues with audio tracks in the MP4 files. It is therefore important to reduce the possibility of OBS crashes by complying with OBS system requirements.<\/p>\n
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