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Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field (comment, not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?



 
 
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  #11  
Old July 10th 18, 11:31 PM posted to alt.windows7.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,uk.tech.broadcast
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 54
Default Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field (comment, not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?

In message , R.Wieser
writes:
John,

_is_ there something intrinsic to the format?


The specs to the format seem to indicate there is, and I found something to
manipulate it here :

https://community.wd.com/t/how-do-yo...kv-and-mp4-fil
es/169392

VLC does it for some video files, using something that was/is so obvious
I hadn't spotted it (-:
[]
Personally I would not depend on those ADSes, but wanted to name them
regardless. - both as an option, but also as a warning :-)


I don't want to use something associated by the filesystem; that's not
that different, to me, from storing a text file of the same name in the
folder. I wanted something that actually makes the comment part of the
file, like IrfanView (and maybe others?) does with .jpg comments: so
that they'd even survive being emailed, for example. (Not that I'd often
email video files, I just give that as an example.)

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

P.s.
Had to remove "uk.tech.broadcast". Its not carried by my usenet server.

Interesting; I don't think any of the servers I use (with the possible
exception of the Mozilla one) object to such headers. My news _software_
fails if I try to post something where _none_ of the 'groups specified
are carried by any of the servers, but not where only some of them
aren't. (It doesn't _tell_ me it's failing - just the post sits in the
outbox for ever, doesn't go. [It _does_ object if I use a newsgroup it
knows is carried by _none_ of the servers it deals with, as I just
rediscovered as I'd mistyped UTB.]) Note I've added UTB back in case
anyone there is following.

--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"Scheisse," said Pooh, trying out his German.
  #12  
Old July 11th 18, 12:07 AM posted to alt.windows7.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,uk.tech.broadcast
Paul[_6_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 41
Default Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field (comment,not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , R.Wieser
writes:
John,

_is_ there something intrinsic to the format?


The specs to the format seem to indicate there is, and I found
something to
manipulate it here :

https://community.wd.com/t/how-do-yo...kv-and-mp4-fil
es/169392

VLC does it for some video files, using something that was/is so obvious
I hadn't spotted it (-:
[]
Personally I would not depend on those ADSes, but wanted to name them
regardless. - both as an option, but also as a warning :-)


I don't want to use something associated by the filesystem; that's not
that different, to me, from storing a text file of the same name in the
folder. I wanted something that actually makes the comment part of the
file, like IrfanView (and maybe others?) does with .jpg comments: so
that they'd even survive being emailed, for example. (Not that I'd often
email video files, I just give that as an example.)

Regards,
Rudy Wieser

P.s.
Had to remove "uk.tech.broadcast". Its not carried by my usenet server.

Interesting; I don't think any of the servers I use (with the possible
exception of the Mozilla one) object to such headers. My news _software_
fails if I try to post something where _none_ of the 'groups specified
are carried by any of the servers, but not where only some of them
aren't. (It doesn't _tell_ me it's failing - just the post sits in the
outbox for ever, doesn't go. [It _does_ object if I use a newsgroup it
knows is carried by _none_ of the servers it deals with, as I just
rediscovered as I'd mistyped UTB.]) Note I've added UTB back in case
anyone there is following.


Just a couple quick notes.

1) The file extension might be used to signify the "container".
.mkv, .avi, .mp4 might be containers.

The reference section at the bottom, has a list of containers.
The Apple MOV container, became the prototype of one of the
newer standard container.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.mkv

The "container" can contain multiple kinds of "codecs"
for audio and video. For example, .wtv files from Windows Media Center,
basically just record off the DVB you're getting, and keep
five audio and video streams in the same file. This then
requires a "selector" to select the desired stream, on
"dumb" players. This command selects stream 2,3 from the five available.

ffplay -ast 2 -vst 3 -x 704 -y 480 some.wtv

In some cases, when a container has only audio in it,
the file extension changes (to help "home collectors").
Maybe that would be .m4a or the like.

2) Whether they're images or video, formats which use packets
and the packet header uses a 4CC (four character code), those allow
out of band material to be added.

video_packet video_packet audio_packet video_packet

video_packet video_packet comment audio_packet video_packet

The idea is, the parser playing the movie, reads the packets
with the identifiers it understands (video,audio), and ignores
any other comment. This allows EXIF and XMP to be injected
into the same file, as they could just be packets.

3) Formats that are not packetized, may still offer opportunities
for the addition of metadata, but due to a lack of standards for
that, it's not very useful. A text PPM file for example, is text inside,
and any line beginning with "#" is a comment. A comment where
you could hide some necessary info. Don't expect any tool flow
or Windows Search to honor such a feature.

There are a few tools that are useful.

1) GSpot for CODEC identification within the container.
2) HxD hex editor, if you really want to examine the file format.
3) EXIFTool, if studying EXIF data.
4) FFProbe (a part of FFMPEG) can convert the packets
into individually delimited pages in a "dump". You can
see the interleaved video and audio pattern. The IPB frames.
And FFProbe would also identify the CODECs present.
(A good choice, since FFMPEG is kept up-to-date.
GSpot development stopped some time ago.)

Windows Search only has search providers for a limited set
of EXIF types. For example

ext:jpg AND camera:Nikon

might dig up all the JPG files photographed with a Nikon
camera. You can actually dump the windows.esb (esedb) and
find out what kind of fields are in it. (That's if you don't
trust the latest web documentation for how the search works.)
Peter is the person who most often asks questions about
this aspect. He must be an expert by now.

Paul
  #13  
Old July 11th 18, 08:52 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,uk.tech.broadcast
R.Wieser
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 111
Default Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field (comment, not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?

John,

that's not that different, to me, from storing a text file of the same
name in the folder.


The difference is that in the case of ADSes the filesystem maintains the
connection (read: below OS level), and in the above you are the sole manager
of it (the filesystem nor the OS is aware of any such linking).

Interesting; I don't think any of the servers I use (with the possible
exception of the Mozilla one) object to such headers.


Well, AIOE did. It refused to accept the post until I removed that
newsgroup

.... though now I think of it, it *might* have been a simple "too many
groups" problem. Lets see what happens when I remove windows7 instead.

Regards,
Rudy Wieser


  #14  
Old July 11th 18, 10:05 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,uk.tech.broadcast
John Williamson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field(comment, not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?

On 11/07/2018 08:52, R.Wieser wrote:

... though now I think of it, it *might* have been a simple "too many
groups" problem. Lets see what happens when I remove windows7 instead.

Grin (Deliberate misunderstanding) Replacing it with XP is a good start.


--
Tciao for Now!

John.
  #15  
Old July 11th 18, 10:11 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,uk.tech.broadcast
R.Wieser
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 111
Default Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field (comment, not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?

John Williamson,

Grin (Deliberate misunderstanding) Replacing it with XP is a good start.


Well, someone told me that Win7 is at least halfway decent. You don't
*have* to put XP on it. :-)

understanding you, or maybe not ? I'm not quite sure ...

Regards,
Rudy Wieser


  #16  
Old July 11th 18, 11:07 AM posted to alt.windows7.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,uk.tech.broadcast
VanguardLH
External Usenet User
 
Posts: 25
Default Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field (comment, not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?

Cross-posted to 4 newsgroups. Many netizens consider that excessive.
How is a broadcast newsgroup related to metadata in files?


J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

I like the comment field in the .jpg image format; if viewing an image
in IrfanView, I just type I then C, and I can add comment text, that
then actually becomes part of the file, thus surviving any renaming,
zipping, even emailing. (I use it a lot in listing who's who in group
photographs [I come across those a lot in genealogy], but general
information about an image is useful.) [I _presume_ there are other
image-handling softwares that can access/edit this field, though I don't
know what they are; I'd be interested to know.]

I'd like to have a similar facility for videos (I have mostly .mp4
format, but am interested for any format): _is_ there something
intrinsic to the format? I'm not talking about a subtitle "track", or
anything like that - just a comment field. And if there is, what
software can access - and/or edit - it?

At present, I'm reduced to either putting information into the filename,
or keeping a text (or other, such as .doc - I only use that for the one
or two places I want to e. g. include some Russian) file of the same
name in the folder next to it. Both of which are unsatisfactory compared
to an embedded text field.


https://www.mp3tag.de/en/#formats

Says it edits metadata in files, and lists .mp4 as a supported format.
It's free, so you could try it without cost.

https://videoconverter.wondershare.c...a-for-mp4.html

That has a pic at step 2 showing what metadata fields can be edited for
an MP4 video.

Even if a graphics file format does not support metadata or comments,
you could use steganography to encode your comments into the graphics
file. Probably a lot more work than you care to perform, especially
since you did not indicate the comments are secret.

https://null-byte.wonderhowto.com/ho...conds-0180936/
  #17  
Old July 11th 18, 11:17 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,uk.tech.broadcast
John Williamson
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field(comment, not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?

On 11/07/2018 10:11, R.Wieser wrote:
John Williamson,

Grin (Deliberate misunderstanding) Replacing it with XP is a good start.


Well, someone told me that Win7 is at least halfway decent. You don't
*have* to put XP on it. :-)

understanding you, or maybe not ? I'm not quite sure ...


You understood me perfectly. Windows 7 comes as a good runner up to XP
as the best operating system. (In my opinion, which is not shared by
Linux devotees.)


--
Tciao for Now!

John.
  #18  
Old July 12th 18, 01:11 AM posted to alt.windows7.general,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,uk.tech.broadcast
J. P. Gilliver (John)[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 54
Default Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field (comment, not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?

In message , VanguardLH
writes:
Cross-posted to 4 newsgroups. Many netizens consider that excessive.
How is a broadcast newsgroup related to metadata in files?

You are right, it was a bit excessive (though the '98 group is very
quiet these days). The UTB 'group contains many who are knowledgeable
about many things, including video formats. But yes, you are right.

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:

[]
https://www.mp3tag.de/en/#formats

Says it edits metadata in files, and lists .mp4 as a supported format.
It's free, so you could try it without cost.


Thanks, I may do so.

https://videoconverter.wondershare.c...a-for-mp4.html

That has a pic at step 2 showing what metadata fields can be edited for
an MP4 video.


Someone (I think Mayayana) has already produced chapter and verse on all
the metadata fields. Someone else - I think it was Frank Slootweg -
pointed out that VLC had a Comment field that could be edited, in a way
so obvious that I hadn't spotted it; he also pointed out that .mp4 isn't
anywhere near the whole story, and such a file may contain a variety of
different things. Which I subsequently verified - some .mp4 files
_could_ have something edited into the Comment field using VLC, and some
couldn't (though in all cases no error or other indication was evident -
just closing VLC and then reopening it on the files sometimes showed the
comment had stuck and sometimes didn't).

Even if a graphics file format does not support metadata or comments,
you could use steganography to encode your comments into the graphics
file. Probably a lot more work than you care to perform, especially
since you did not indicate the comments are secret.

https://null-byte.wonderhowto.com/ho...y-hide-secret-
data-inside-image-audio-file-seconds-0180936/


(-:! No, nothing secret: just simple notes like "This was the first time
they performed this programme, 1981 Richmond" (figure skating), or
perhaps notes on who the composer and lyricist are/were (and maybe the
lyrics) for a music video.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

You cannot simply assume someone is honest just because they are not an MP.
  #19  
Old July 16th 18, 10:17 AM posted to microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion,uk.tech.broadcast
Phi
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Does .mp4 - or any other video format - have a text field (comment, not subtitle)? If so, what can edit it?


"R.Wieser" wrote in message
news
John,

that's not that different, to me, from storing a text file of the same
name in the folder.


The difference is that in the case of ADSes the filesystem maintains the
connection (read: below OS level), and in the above you are the sole
manager of it (the filesystem nor the OS is aware of any such linking).

Interesting; I don't think any of the servers I use (with the possible
exception of the Mozilla one) object to such headers.


Well, AIOE did. It refused to accept the post until I removed that
newsgroup

... though now I think of it, it *might* have been a simple "too many
groups" problem. Lets see what happens when I remove windows7 instead.

Regards,
Rudy Wieser



XVID .mp4 can be text edited in about 20 different fields, including
copyright, subject and author with VirtualDub.

 




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