Video Compression
Formats & Codecs
for various display and distribution options.
Inherently, video files are huge in sizes. To be able to save even an hour of high quality video on a single sided 4.7 GB recorded DVD disk, you will need to compress the video.
So basically the video is compressed while saving on the DVD and is then decompressed while playing it back. This requires video CODECS (COmpressor – DECompressor) to do the work.
The only issue is that there are different compression standards for playing videos in different media/applications. So sometimes it can get really tricky to deal with the different standards.
But once you have basic understanding of these video compression standards, it becomes easy to deal with them.
Various Compression Standards
Here is a summary of the various compression standards!
Generally speaking, each video compression standard was designed for a specific requirement – be it the bit rate or the display and distribution option that is being used.
MPEG-1
This is the standard for audio and/or pictures. Made for up to 1.5 Mbit per second! Most of the videos on the internet use MPEG-1.
MPEG-2 This is the International standard compression format for domestic DVD video disks. Made for anywhere from 1.5 to 15 Mbit per second! MPEG-2 is also the standard for digital television boxes.
MPEG-4
This is the format used primarily for web compression!
NOTE - MPEG stands for Motion Picture Expert Group, which is responsible for developing the various compression formats used in digital audio-video media.
Conclusion
If you are serious about video production in general, it makes sense to understand more about these video compression formats, and see how you can make them work to your advantage. All these standards were developed so that viewers can view videos over various display and distribution options. As of now, MPEG-7 and MPEG-21 are under development. Hopefully, it should bring even more benefits to viewers.
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