MPEG4 (better known as MP4) is a multimedia container format created for storing digital video/audio streams.
One of MPEG4's advantages (a video format highly popular on websites created for streaming multimedia content) is its ability to store other data such as subtitles.
The main reason why MPEG4 encoded videos are so common nowadays is their compatibility with popular Apple products like the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. Thus, users who own such a device will frequently have to convert their MPEG4 videos to video formats supported on other platforms and/or devices, or for sharing them with their friends that do not use Macs.
When having to convert their MPEG4 videos, users will be able to adjust the sample rate, bit rate, and aspect ratio of the output file, assuming that they have the necessary expertise.