Moving Picture Experts Group facts for kids

The Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) is a group of experts who create important rules, called standards, for how digital media works. These standards help make sure that videos, sounds, and pictures can be stored, sent, and played on many different devices. MPEG was started by two big organizations, ISO and IEC.

MPEG standards are used in many everyday things. For example, older video formats often used MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4 AVC. Newer systems use special file formats and streaming methods like MPEG-DASH, which helps videos play smoothly online.

MPEG logo

Some well known older (up to 2005) digital media formats and the MPEG standards they use

How MPEG Started

MPEG was created in 1988. It was started by Dr. Hiroshi Yasuda and Dr. Leonardo Chiariglione. Dr. Chiariglione was the leader of the group from the very beginning until June 2020. The first meeting of MPEG happened in May 1988 in Ottawa, Canada.

Over the years, MPEG grew a lot. By the late 1990s, when they were working on the MPEG-4 project, there were usually 300 to 500 members at each meeting. These members came from different industries, universities, and research places.

In June 2020, Dr. Chiariglione stepped down as the leader. He explained his reasons on his personal blog. After he left, the MPEG group was reorganized. Some of its smaller groups became separate working groups and advisory groups in July 2020. Prof. Jörn Ostermann then became the leader of the group that helps coordinate all of MPEG's technical work.

The new MPEG structure includes different groups that focus on specific areas:

• SC 29/AG 2: MPEG Technical Coordination (led by Prof. Joern Ostermann)
• SC 29/AG 3: MPEG Liaison and Communication (led by Prof. Kyuheon Kim)
• SC 29/AG 5: MPEG Visual Quality Assessment (led by Dr. Mathias Wien)
• SC 29/WG 2: MPEG Technical Requirements (led by Dr. Igor Curcio)
• SC 29/WG 3: MPEG Systems (led by Dr. Youngkwon Lim)
• SC 29/WG 4: MPEG Video Coding (led by Prof. Lu Yu)
• SC 29/WG 5: MPEG Joint Video Coding Team with ITU-T SG16 (led by Prof. Jens-Rainer Ohm)
• SC 29/WG 6: MPEG Audio coding (led by Dr. Schuyler Quackenbush)
• SC 29/WG 7: MPEG 3D Graphics coding (led by Prof. Marius Preda)
• SC 29/WG 8: MPEG Genomic coding (led by Dr. Marco Mattavelli)

The first meeting with this new structure took place in August 2024.

Working with Other Groups

MPEG often works with other expert groups to create the best possible standards.

MPEG-2 Video and Audio

When developing MPEG-2, MPEG worked closely with another group called ITU-T Study Group 15. This teamwork led to important standards for broadcast television. For example, the MPEG-2 Systems standard (which includes how video and audio are put together for TV) and the MPEG-2 Video standard (for video compression) were created together.

Joint Video Team

The Joint Video Team (JVT) was a special project that started in 2001. It brought together experts from MPEG and ITU-T SG16 (another video coding group). Their main achievement was creating H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (also known as MPEG-4 Part 10). This standard was a big step forward because it could make video files about 50% smaller than the older MPEG-2 standard, without losing much quality.

Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding

The Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) was formed in 2010. This group, also made of experts from ITU-T Study Group 16 and MPEG, worked on High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). HEVC, also known as MPEG-H Part 2 or ITU-T H.265, made video files even smaller. It could reduce the data needed for video by another 50% compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.

Joint Video Experts Team

The Joint Video Experts Team (JVET) was created in 2017. This group, again with experts from ITU-T Study Group 16 and MPEG, developed Versatile Video Coding (VVC). VVC, also known as MPEG-I Part 3 or ITU-T H.266, was finished in July 2020. It further reduced video file sizes by about 50% compared to HEVC. The JCT-VC group was combined into JVET in July 2020.

What are MPEG Standards?

MPEG standards are like rulebooks for digital media. They are divided into different "Parts," and each part covers a specific area. These standards also have "profiles" and "levels."

• Profiles define a set of tools that can be used.
• Levels set the limits for how those tools can be used.

Here are some of the main MPEG standards:

• MPEG-1 (1993): This was the first MPEG standard for compressing audio and video. It was designed to fit videos and sounds onto things like compact discs. It's known for creating the popular MP3 audio format.
• MPEG-2 (1996): This standard was much bigger and more widely used. It supports higher quality video, including high definition. MPEG-2 became very important because it was chosen for digital television (like ATSC, DVB, and ISDB), digital satellite TV, digital cable television, and DVD-Videos. It's also used on Blu-ray Discs.
• MPEG-4 (1998): This standard offers more advanced ways to compress media, which means even smaller files. It also includes features for managing and protecting digital content. Two important video coding standards are part of MPEG-4:
  • MPEG-4 Part 2
  • MPEG-4 AVC (MPEG-4 Part 10 or ITU-T H.264, 2003). This is used on HD DVD and Blu-ray Discs.

You might wonder about MPEG-3. There is no MPEG-3 standard! It was planned for HDTV compression but was found to be unnecessary. Its ideas were included in MPEG-2 instead. Don't confuse the cancelled MPEG-3 project with MP3, which is part of MPEG-1.

MPEG has also created other important standards that aren't numbered in sequence like MPEG-1 through MPEG-4:

• MPEG-7 (2002): This standard helps describe multimedia content. Think of it like a way to tag and organize digital media so it's easier to search for.
• MPEG-21 (2001): This is a "multimedia framework." It helps manage and protect intellectual property for digital content.
• MPEG-A (2007): This covers "multimedia application formats," like how music players or photo players work.
• MPEG-B (2006): This deals with "MPEG systems technologies," which are the basic building blocks for many MPEG standards.
• MPEG-C (2006): This focuses on "MPEG video technologies," including technical details for video processing.
• MPEG-D (2007): This covers "MPEG audio technologies," such as MPEG Surround for surround sound.
• MPEG-E (2007): This is about "Multimedia Middleware," which helps different multimedia programs work together.
• MPEG-G (2019): This is a newer standard for "Genomic Information Representation," dealing with how genetic data is stored and shared.
• MPEG-V (2011): This standard is about "Media context and control," helping virtual worlds and real-world sensors share information.
• MPEG-M (2010): This is "MPEG eXtensible Middleware (MXM)," another standard for how multimedia programs interact.
• MPEG-U (2010): This focuses on "Rich media user interfaces," like widgets.
• MPEG-H (2013): This includes important technologies like MPEG media transport, High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), and 3D Audio.
• MPEG-DASH (2012): This standard is for "Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP," which allows videos to adjust their quality based on your internet speed for smooth playback.
• MPEG-I (2020): This covers "Coded Representation of Immersive Media," including Omnidirectional Media Format (OMAF) and Versatile Video Coding (VVC).
• MPEG-CICP (2018): This deals with "Coding-Independent Code Points," which are codes used across different video and audio standards.
• MPEG-IoMT (2019): This is about the "Internet of Media Things."
• MPEG-5 (2020): This includes new video coding standards like Essential Video Coding (EVC) and Low-Complexity Enhancement Video Coding (LCEVC).

How Standards Are Made

Creating an international standard is a long process with many steps. It starts with an idea for new work and goes through several drafts and approvals.

Here are the main stages:

• New Project (NP) or New Work Item Proposal (NWIP): This is when a new idea for a standard is first suggested.
• Working Draft (WD): The first version of the document is created.
• Committee Draft (CD): When the working draft is stable enough, it's sent to national groups for their comments.
• Draft International Standard (DIS): After comments are addressed, the draft moves to this stage for another round of review.
• Final Draft International Standard (FDIS): This is the final version, sent for a last approval vote. No technical changes are allowed at this point.
• International Standard (IS): If approved, the document officially becomes an international standard.

Sometimes, if a document is very well-developed, some of the earlier draft stages might be skipped to speed up the process.

See also

In Spanish: Moving Picture Experts Group para niños

• Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG)
• Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
• Audio codec
• Video codec
• Video compression
• MP3