What is a 3GP file?
3GP(3GPP File Format) is a multimedia container format that can be used on 3G mobile phones. It can also be played on some 2G and 4G phones. 3GP is defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) multimedia services. 3GP files are stored with the .3gp extension. 3GP file format was designed for GSM-based (Global System for Mobile Communications) phones and is the standard format for media files sent via MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service).
Technical Details
The 3GP format is based on the ISO base media file format defined in ISO/IEC 14496-12 – MPEG-4 Part 12. 3GP file format was developed for mobile phones to reduce storage, bandwidth, and data usage. 3GP file format supports the following codecs:
- Video
- MPEG-4 Part 2
- H.263
- MPEG-4 Part 10 (AVC/H.264)
- Audio
- AMR-WB
- AMR-WB+
- AMR-NB
- AAC-LC
- HE-AAC v1
- HE-AAC v2 (Enhanced aacPlus)
The 3GP file Format allowed the usage of H.263 and AMR codecs and defined new boxes to which the codecs refer. These code-points were registered in ISO base media file format for the storage of MPEG-4 media-specific information.
How to play 3GP files
3GP files can be played on most 3G mobile phones without the need for any additional software. On computers, you may use the following media players to play 3GP files.
- VLC Media Player
- Windows Media Player
- Apple QuickTime Player
- MPlayer
- RealPlayer
- Media Player Classic
- Totem