Convert MP4 to USM

A game built with CRI Middleware may require a .usm cutscene instead of a standard .mp4 file. Converting it requires CRI-compatible encoding and USM packaging; changing the filename extension or using a normal web converter does not create a usable game video.

What the MP4 format is

MP4 is an ISO Base Media File Format container used for phone and camera recordings, screen captures, downloads, streaming exports, and video-editing projects. It can contain H.264 or H.265 video, AAC audio, subtitles, chapters, and metadata.

Applications and devices including Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, HandBrake, OBS Studio, smartphones, and cameras commonly create MP4 files. The .mp4 extension identifies the container, not a fixed codec, resolution, frame rate, or audio layout, so the source must be decoded and converted to the specifications required by the target game.

What the USM format is

USM is CRI Middleware's proprietary game-video container, associated with CRI Movie and Sofdec. It packages video and audio streams with the headers, timing information, stream structure, and title-specific data expected by CRI playback middleware.

USM assets commonly use MPEG-family video and CRI audio formats such as ADX or HCA, but the required combination depends on the CRIWARE version, platform, game engine integration, and build settings. Its advantage is compatibility with a game's native cutscene playback, synchronization, looping, seeking, and related metadata—not better general-purpose playback or web delivery.

How to convert MP4 to USM

Use CRIWARE authoring tools

1. Obtain the CRIWARE SDK or CRI Movie/Sofdec authoring tools licensed for the target project. Availability and packaging depend on the developer agreement; these tools are not equivalent to a normal consumer video converter.
2. Inspect the target game's existing USM files and documentation. Record the required video codec, dimensions, frame rate, audio codec, sample rate, channel count, stream order, subtitles, encryption, and platform settings.
3. Import the MP4 if the installed authoring tool supports that input. If it does not, create the required intermediate video and audio streams with a separate media tool.
4. Encode the streams using the target's CRI settings, then use the CRI tool to package or mux them into output.usm. The final file must receive USM container headers and metadata from a USM-capable tool.
5. Test the file in the target game or the matching CRI playback environment. Structural validity does not guarantee compatibility with a particular game's codec profile, encryption, platform flags, or scripting assumptions.

Do not rename input.mp4 to output.usm. The extension change leaves the MP4 container and its AAC or other source streams unchanged.

Prepare intermediates with FFmpeg

FFmpeg can decode the MP4, but standard FFmpeg builds do not normally create a game-compatible USM container. If the target CRI workflow specifies MPEG-1 video and WAV audio as intermediate inputs, commands such as these can prepare them:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -an -c:v mpeg1video -q:v 2 -r 30 -s 1280x720 video.m1v

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -ar 48000 -ac 2 -c:a pcm_s16le audio.wav

Replace 30, 1280x720, 48000, and 2 with the target specification. These commands are only an example because another game may require different dimensions, frame rate, video codec, or audio layout. The CRI authoring tool must perform any required ADX or HCA encoding and the final USM muxing.

Use community tools only for a matching game

For game modification, use a community utility only when it explicitly supports USM creation for the target game's CRI version and format. VGMToolbox and similar USM utilities are often useful for inspecting or extracting streams, but extraction support does not prove that a tool can build a replacement USM. Preserve the original file's dimensions, frame rate, audio layout, stream order, encryption, and custom metadata.

Mainstream online converters generally output MP4, WebM, MOV, or MKV and do not generate CRI-specific headers, ADX or HCA audio, game metadata, or encryption. An online service is therefore not a practical recommendation for this conversion; use an authorized CRI tool or a verified game-specific utility instead.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Re-encoding is normally lossy. Keep the original MP4 and avoid unnecessary intermediate conversions.
• Changing dimensions or frame rate can cause subtitle drift, incorrect scripted timing, or rejection by an engine that expects fixed video parameters.
• AAC audio from the MP4 usually cannot be copied directly into the target USM. The game may require ADX, HCA, a fixed sample rate, or a specific channel layout.
• Some games encrypt USM files or require a separate key, custom header, or engine-specific metadata. A correctly packaged unencrypted USM can still fail in that game.
• Use an original USM from the same game as the technical reference rather than relying on generic defaults.