H262

H262, also known as H.262 and MPEG-2 Part 2, is a video compression standard developed by the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group and ISO/IEC MPEG. It forms the video component of the MPEG-2 suite and provides algorithms for compressing digital video streams for broadcast, storage, and streaming. The standard was published in the mid-1990s and is widely recognized for enabling DVD-Video and digital television formats.

Technically, H262 uses block-based, motion-compensated hybrid coding. It encodes pictures as I-frames, P-frames, and B-frames, employing motion estimation, forward/backward prediction, an 8x8 discrete cosine transform, quantization, and entropy coding. It supports interlaced video, multiple chroma formats (notably 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 in certain profiles), and a range of profiles and levels that specify bitrates, resolution, and processing requirements. The Simple Profile, Main Profile, and SNR Scalable Profile define subsets of features for compatibility with different devices and applications.

Applications and legacy: H262 became the dominant standard for standard-definition digital video for many years, powering DVD-Video discs, DVB and ATSC broadcast streams, and various digital video recorders. It remains in use for legacy content and equipment, though many new deployments have shifted to more advanced codecs such as H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC. Its design influenced subsequent MPEG codecs and continues to be supported by broad hardware and software decoders.