MPEGs

MPEG stands for Moving Picture Experts Group. This is a working group of experts that sets standards for digital audio and video compression and transmission. MPEG is responsible for developing a family of standards, commonly referred to as MPEG standards, that are widely used for encoding, decoding, and transmitting multimedia content. These standards have played a crucial role in the development and widespread adoption of digital media.

The most well-known MPEG standards include MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. MPEG-1 is famous for its use in the Video CD format and for defining the MP3 audio compression standard. MPEG-2 is utilized in digital television broadcasting, DVD-Video, and Blu-ray Discs. Over time, the group has developed subsequent standards like MPEG-4, which introduced more advanced compression techniques and support for a wider range of multimedia applications, and MPEG-7 and MPEG-21, which focus on multimedia content description and framework for multimedia.

The MPEG standards are developed through a consensus-driven process involving representatives from various companies and academic institutions. The primary goal is to create efficient compression algorithms that reduce the amount of data required to store and transmit audio and video without significant loss of quality. This efficiency has enabled the streaming of video over the internet, the creation of digital video recorders, and the widespread availability of digital entertainment.