MPEG-4, or Why Efficiency is Much More Than Just a Compression Ratio

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Publisher: SMPTE — White Plains, NY, USA
Doc Type: Journal Article
Content Type: Original Research
Abbreviated Title: SMPTE Mot. Imag. J
Volume: 112, No. 1, pp. 24–28
Abstract: MPEG-4 gives a set of tools for the efficient representation of multimedia content, in several respects. The MPEG-4 standard is much more than just a set of audio and video codecs, but rather an entire system that supports this efficient representation. The tools include efficient, binary, realtime language for scene description: Binary Format for Scenes (BIFS). BIFS is designed to allow mixing of media, be they video, graphics, text, or computer-generated content. This means that not all media types need to be treated as moving video pixels, which allows a more efficient representation, with higher quality as a bonus. Similar concepts apply to audio. This paper also explains how scalability options can allow more efficient data representation in many environments. There are good business reasons that make MPEG-4 an efficient choice. Using proprietary formats may seem cost-effective at first glance, but comes with hidden expenses. Open standards, responsibly upgraded, allow significant cost savings, while fostering efficiency-improving innovations. MPEG-2 gives a clear example.
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
DOI: 10.5594/J14124
ISSN: Print: 1545-0279 | Electronic: 2160-2492
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/J14124
Author(s): R. H. Koenen
bio
Rob Koenen joined InterTrust in 2000 and serves as the company's vice-president of Technology Initiatives. He is responsible for maintaining relationships with standardization bodies as well as strategic technological partnerships. Koenen chaired MPEG's Requirements Group from 1996 to 2002 and has played a key role in the development of the MPEG-4 standard since its inception in 1993, in defining the MPEG-7 standard since the start in 1995, and leading the work on MPEG-21. He is co-editor of the MPEG-4 Systems Standard. Koenen is the initiator of the MPEG-4 Industry Forum ( www.m4if.org ), a growing organization that represents more than 100 companies with an interest in seeing MPEG-4 universally adopted. He has served as the president of M4IF since it was established. Koenen received his MSEE (ingenieur) degree in 1989 from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, where he studied electrical engineering, specializing in information theory. He holds two patents on automated video quality assessment.
Copyright: © 2003 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Inc.

Bibliographic Reference(s)

1. ISO/IEC 14496–1:2001, Coding of Audio-Visual Objects-Part 1: Systems , 2nd Ed. , 2001 . EXTERNAL
10. WebCast Technologies, www.webcasttech.com . EXTERNAL
11. ISO/IEC MPEG, Report on MPEG-4 Visual Fine Granularity Scalability Tools Verification Test , 2002 , http://mpeg.telecomitalialab.com/working_documents/mpeg-04/visual/video_fgs_verification_tests.zip . EXTERNAL
12. 3GPP2-3rd Generation Partnership Project 2. www.3gpp2.org . EXTERNAL
2. ISO/IEC 14496–2:2001, Coding of Audio-Visual Objects— Part 2: Visual , 2nd Ed. , 2001 . EXTERNAL
3. ISO/IEC 14496–3:2001, Coding of Audio-Visual Objects— Part 3: Audio , 2nd Ed. , 2001 . EXTERNAL
4. Koenen R. H. , “MPEG-4: Multimedia for our Time.” IEEE Spectrum , Vol. 36 , No. 2 , 1999 . EXTERNAL
5. Koenen R. H. Pereira T. Chiariglione L. , “MPEG-4: Context and Objectives,” Image Comm. J. , Vol. 9 , No. 4 . 1997 . EXTERNAL
6. ISO/IEC MPEG ( Koenen R. ed.), MPEG-4 Overview , 2002 , http://mpeg.tilab.com/standards/mpeg-4/mpeg-4.htm . EXTERNAL
7. Pereira F. Ebrahimi T. (eds.), The MPEG-4 Book , IMSC Press Multimedia Series , 2002 . EXTERNAL
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9. Web3D Consortium, www.web3d.org . EXTERNAL

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R. H. Koenen; MPEG-4, or Why Efficiency is Much More Than Just a Compression Ratio, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 112, Issue: 1, January 2003); SMPTE, 2003. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J14124

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R. H. Koenen; MPEG-4, or Why Efficiency is Much More Than Just a Compression Ratio, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 112, Issue: 1, January 2003); SMPTE, 2003. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/J14124

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<span class="citation">R. H. Koenen; <cite>MPEG-4, or Why Efficiency is Much More Than Just a Compression Ratio</cite>, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 112, Issue: 1, January 2003); SMPTE, 2003. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/J14124" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/J14124</a></span>

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R. H. Koenen; MPEG-4, or Why Efficiency is Much More Than Just a Compression Ratio, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 112, Issue: 1, January 2003); SMPTE, 2003
doi: 10.5594/J14124
url: https://doi.org/10.5594/J14124

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R. H. Koenen; <cite id="bib-10-5594-j14124">MPEG-4, or Why Efficiency is Much More Than Just a Compression Ratio</cite>, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 112, Issue: 1, January 2003); SMPTE, 2003
<span class="doi">10.5594/J14124</span>
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