MP4 (the acronym for MPEG-4 Part 14) is a multimedia container format used to store digital video/audio streams.
One of the advantages of this format (which made it quite popular on websites dedicated to streaming multimedia content) is its ability to store other data such graphic files or subtitles which can be preserved after conversion provided a compatible format is chosen.
Additionally, the main reason why MP4 files have become so common is their compatibility with popular Apple products like iPhone, iPod and iPad, so those who own one of these devices will frequently need to convert MP4 to other formats that are supported by more Windows apps.
When converting MP4 files, users will also be able to adjust the bit rate, sample rate and aspect ratio of the output file, assuming they are experts in this domain (otherwise, it is best to leave these settings to the default values).