Re: formats by Cale Mooth on Mar 25, 2008 at 9:53:51 pm
Here's a quick rundown:
MPEG1 is generally used for low-res video targeted for CD-ROM projects and those old-school Video CDs (VCD). It works well in low data rate applications. MPEG1 doesn't offer much versatility and can be considered somewhat archaic in the world of video compression.
MPEG2 is the basis for a good chunk of today's video compression and delivery. The main features of MPEG2 include apt compression to data size ratio, and interlace support. MPEG2 is used to encode video to DVD, broadcast over-the-air HDTV signals, and is the foundation for many current recording formats such as HDV, and certain XDCAM recording modes.
MPEG4 is an even newer MPEG iteration. It's similar to MPEG2, however, with new codecs such as H.264 and DivX, MPEG4 allows an even greater amount of visual information to be represented through even greater compression levels. MPEG4 is used in digital video distribution(iTunes movie downloads for example) and exists as the basis for recent recording and authoring formats like AVCHD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray.
