“I had a .m4v video file in my system, but the media player in my computer was unable to play it, and even if it starts playing, there was no audio or video output. Why my .m4v file is not playable with any media player?”
Many inquires like the above were submitted on Apple Inc. and other media players forums, but no ideal solution is provided to repair and access M4V files. In this article, we will talk about how to repair M4V video files, but before that, let’s know a bit about this file format.
What is the M4V file format?
Apple Inc. developed M4V video file formats for encoding video files on the iTunes store. It is similar to the MP4 format, but M4V videos are encoded with DRM protection (Digital Rights Management), which makes their usage limited to iTunes and QuickTime supporting video files.
Well, despite the protection even it can get corrupted and will not be playable on any of the platforms.
Reasons for the M4V File Corruption
There could be multiple reasons behind an M4V file corruption. However, the most common reasons include:
Virus or malware attack
Almost every file format can get corrupt due to viruses, malware, spyware, or trojan attacks on storage media or the system itself, and this can cause some serious damages to your M4V files.
File conversion
In an attempt to convert the M4V file to any other platform which is not supported by Apple, a proper technique and suitable software must be used. If not, the result can be a corrupted video.
Header corruption
Sometimes while converting an M4V file to any other format, the header of the file gets corrupt, making it unplayable.
Immediate termination
Situations like an immediate shutdown of the system, power outages, or closing the media player accidentally often lead to forceful termination of video, which can cause M4V file corruption.
Corrupted storage media
There can be times where the carrier of the video file can be corrupted and can spread the same to the M4V videos.
Repairing highly corrupt M4V files is not possible, but you can use the methods mentioned below to fix M4V files with a minor level of corruption-
Change the codecs
Every video file is encoded with codes that help in faster transmission and is activated only when the file requests it. But, if the codec is not available with the file or doesn’t function properly, then the file becomes unplayable. Therefore, check for missing codecs or try to change them to access the corrupt M4V video file.
Download video from a reliable source
Most of the users often download video files from unreliable and non-trustworthy platforms, which results in corruption in the file. Easily accessible sources do not promise security. Hence, prefer downloading the M4V video file from a secure source to avoid any corruption in it.
Update video drivers
When the video drivers on your system are not updated, it might stop the M4V video from functioning. So, check whether media drivers on your laptop are up-to-date or not and if not, then download the latest drivers.
Convert video format
If M4V files are corrupt, consider changing the format of the M4V video file to any other similar format like MP4, AVI, MOV, or any other format which is more accessible and compatible. For an easy conversion you can use the Kernel Video Converter software and you’ll be able to play your M4V video file.
These are just some common solutions that can be helpful in repairing corrupt M4V video files. However, if none of these solutions work for you, then you should opt for video repair software.
Kernel Video Repair
It is professional software designed specifically to repair corrupt or damaged video files of all formats. It offers quick recovery of video files which makes the software a preferred choice of users. Also, it is ideal for repairing all types of video file formats, including M4V. So, let’s take a look at the working process of this software.
Start the software from the Application menu and click the + Icon.
Select the corrupt video(s) from their saving location. Click Open.
After selecting the video files, click the Repair Files button.
Browse the destination folder for the video file. Click “OK”.
The status of the repair process gets changed to Success after a successful recovery.
The M4V video file has been repaired successfully; you can now access it via your video player.
Conclusion
Individuals who use Apple devices often face M4V video file corruption errors, which become challenging to repair with manual methods. There are a few workaround methods available. But it’s necessary to use a solution that offers complete recovery of corrupt M4V files. Here, we talked about the software that is specifically designed to restore video file formats as well as allow you to fix blurred video files.