MPEG-4 is an
ISO/IEC standard developed by
MPEG (
Moving Picture Experts Group), the committee that also developed the
Emmy Award winning standards known as
MPEG-1 and
MPEG-2. These standards made interactive video on
CD-ROM and
Digital Television possible. MPEG-4 is the result of another international effort involving hundreds of researchers and engineers from all over the world. MPEG-4, whose formal ISO/IEC designation is ISO/IEC 14496, was finalized in October 1998 and became an International Standard in the first months of 1999. The fully backward compatible extensions under the title of MPEG-4 Version 2 were frozen at the end of 1999, to acquire the formal International Standard Status early 2000. Some work, on extensions in specific domains, is still in progress.
MPEG-4 builds on the proven success of three fields:
• Digital television;
• Interactive graphics applications (synthetic content) ;
• Interactive multimedia (
World Wide Web, distribution of and access to content)
MPEG-4 provides the standardized technological elements enabling the integration of the production, distribution and content access paradigms of the three fields.
More information about MPEG-4 can be found at MPEG’s home page: www.cselt.it/mpeg . This web page contains links to a wealth of information about MPEG, including much about MPEG-4, many publicly available documents, several lists of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ and links to other MPEG-4 web pages.
The standard can be bought from ISO, send mail to sales@iso.ch. Notably, the complete software for MPEG-4 version 1 can be bought on a CD ROM, for 56 Swiss Francs (approximately 40 US Dollars). This software is free of
copyright restrictions when used for implementing MPEG-4 compliant technology. (This does not mean that the software is fee of patents)
Taken from the MPEG home page at:
http://www.cselt.it/mpeg/standards/mpeg-4/mpeg-4.htm
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While MPEG is not my employer I do work for the same company as MPEGs founder and president
Leonardo Chiarligione who is the head of the multimedia division of
Telecom Italia Lab where I used to work.