IPhones are versatile machines and a lot of people would agree that the hardware stuffed into this little machine is almost incomparable to other smart phones. Of course, a lot of people would argue that there are a ton of other smart phones out there that are more well equipped in terms of hardware. This is a matter of specialization and not just raw power because the iPhone works well and smoothly with its components. It has exactly what it needs, which is why it runs like a charm. There is one thing that Apple seems to gloss over though, and that’s the software, which this phone supports. Eventually, this led to a lot of people asking just what is the iPhone video format?
The iPhone’s Limitations
Branded specialized technology can often be the kiss of death for a lot of companies. Exclusive rights to certain products and hardware come with the need for software that does the same. When you combine those two, you get a ton of conflicts with other software and dropped support for a lot of other stuff. One of the most notorious examples that still get mocked today is the fact that certain phone types they own won’t support flash. If you’re not too internet savvy, then you might want to know that a lot of videos are formatted in flash video types. During the early days of this phone’s release, that little factoid irked a lot of other users and YouTube was almost unwatchable. So far, the iPhone supports MPEG 4 and most videos, which were converted into the H.264 or through similar means of Advanced Video Coding. Unfortunately for Apple, this effectively meant they were restricted to mp4s, and other file formats such as MKV and AVI were forgotten over time.
This problem even extended to iTunes because a lot of sound file formats weren’t supported either. WMV was an understandable oversight, but when .flac wasn’t included in support there were a lot of people who were less than satisfied with that decision. This in turn decreased the number of Apple fans on the more hardcore spectrum of technology. On top of that, features like tethering remain very limited, while other smart phones openly embrace these little bonuses. That’s for another time however, as the solution to that quandary can take you to many different places.
The Solutions
If there’s one thing the Internet is good at, it’s the tenacious attitude they have towards finding solutions. They also like trolling on YouTube and Facebook but that’s for another time as well. Here are some of the best that you can use to solve most of your problems when it comes to videos on your i-Product. The simplest means to get that video you love unto your iPhone involves yet another simple program. Software made for conversions are available anywhere, and they often range in price too. Some of them are free, while others ring up a huge bill. The key here is understanding which ones fit your need as opposed to blindly choosing products.
iSquint

This one’s a freebie for all the Mac users out there, and unfortunately it’s one of the few. Featuring the ability to convert any file format into ones supported by the iPhone, this is a versatile little tool. I was able to test this out recently when I converted our Wreck It Ralph Movie and made it compatible so my children can watch while we’re on the road. At the same time, the free version still syncs up with your iTunes so all of your finished conversions queued into your library immediately. Paying an additional $23 opens up even more options for those that fancy themselves a little more tech savvy than others.
HandBrake
Handbrake beats out iSquint for one major reason; the program is a lot more efficient at converting batch files. Conversion speed leaves a lot to be desired but this golden oldie among software has been doing its job for years. Limitations however are abound, as it only outputs MKV and MP4s. For Apple users, that’s one format over your need, which should be enough if you’re not looking to get into serious conversions. On top of that, you can edit your videos with cropping, subtitles, and frame rate, along with a whole box of other goodies.
Hey!Watch
If you find yourself a little repelled by the idea of editing (as it does consume a lot of resources on your machine) then maybe web apps might be the solution. This site provides a lot of awesome features, and gives you the options of ripping and converting videos from YouTube, Google Video, and even DailyMotion. From there, you can start conversion on any file you might find entertaining. The inevitable downfall of this is that the site only caters to 10mb worth of conversions each month, and going beyond that requires you to pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to the program.
You can also choose to “upgrade” your phone with various software online. This is a proposition for more experienced computer users, as a lot of those solutions require some adjusting and tweaking to make it work.