In the early days of mobile internet and basic smartphones, streaming or downloading large video files was a nightmare. Data was expensive, speeds were slow, and storage space was severely limited. Enter the era of , a container format designed specifically for mobile devices.

Modifying the container metadata (the file header) so that primitive mobile video players would recognize and play a file that otherwise exceeded native resolution or bitrate limits.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -s 160x120 -r 10 -b:v 20k -b:a 8k output.3gp

It is crucial to understand that prioritizes file size over quality .