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What is 3gp?

3GP is a multimedia container format defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for use on 3G mobile phones.

3GP is a simplified version of the MPEG-4 Part 14 (MP4) container format, designed to decrease storage and bandwidth requirements in order to accommodate mobile phones. It stores video streams as MPEG-4 Part 2 or H.263 or MPEG-4 Part 10 (AVC/H.264), and audio streams as AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AMR-WB+, AAC-LC or HE-AAC. A 3GP file is always big-endian, storing and transferring the most significant bytes first. It also contains descriptions of image sizes and bitrate. There are two different standards for this format:

• 3GPP (for GSM-based Phones, may have filename extension .3gp)
• 3GPP2 (for CDMA-based Phones, may have filename extension .3g2)

Both are based on MPEG-4 and H.263 video, and AAC or AMR audio.

When transferred to a computer, 3GP movies can be viewed on Linux, Mac, and Windows platforms with programs such as VLC media player, RealPlayer, QuickTime, GOM Player and Media Player Classic.

Hardware support

• Most 3G capable mobile phones support the playback and recording of video in 3GP format (memory, maximum filesize for playback and recording, and resolution limits exist and vary).
• Some newer/higher-end phones without 3G capabilities may also playback and record in this format (again, with said limitations).
• In iMovie ‘08, a movie exported using the “Tiny” setting is saved as a .3gp file and can be played on a Mac, an iPhone (as well as any other handset able to load and play the file), an iPod touch or using Apple’s .Mac Web Gallery service.
• Audio imported from CD onto a PlayStation 3 will copy onto USB devices in the 3GP format.