Course 626: MPEG-4 Fundamentals

Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) a working group of ISO/IEC in charge of the development of standards for coded representation of digital audio and video. Established in 1988, the group has produced MPEG-1, the standard on which such products as Video CD and MP3 are based, MPEG-2, the standard on which such products as Digital Television set top boxes and DVD are based, MPEG-4, the standard for multimedia for the fixed and mobile web, MPEG-7, the standard for description and search of audio and visual content and MPEG-21, the Multimedia Framework.

MPEG-4 was defined by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), the working group within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that specified the widely adopted, Emmy Award-winning standards known as MPEG-1 and MPEG-2.

It is a graphics and video compression algorithm standard that is based on MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and Apple QuickTime technology. The primary uses for the MPEG-4 standard are web (streaming media) and CD distribution, conversational (videophone), and broadcast television.

MPEG-4 builds on the proven success of three fields:

• Digital television;
• Interactive graphics applications (synthetic content);
• Interactive multimedia (World Wide Web, distribution of and access to content)

MPEG-4 provides the standardized technological elements enabling the integration of the production, distribution and content access paradigms of the three fields. This course covers MPEG-4 protocol, architecture, functional characteristics, technical components, design, operations and testing.

Introduction and Overview

• MPEG-1 and MPEG-2
• MPEG-4 and DVD-quality video (MPEG-2) at lower data rates
• Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) codec
• Advanced Video Coding (AVC) codec
• VRML support for 3D rendering
• Object-oriented composite files (including audio, video and VRML objects
• Digital Rights Management
• Overview of "profiles" and "levels"
• Profiles in MPEG-4
• Visual Profiles
• Audio Profiles
• Graphics Profiles
• Scene Graph Profiles
• MPEG-J Profiles
• Object Descriptor Profile
• MPEG4 Visual (MPEG4 Part 2)
• MPEG4 Speech and Audio (MPEG4 Part 3)
• MPEG4 Systems (MPEG4 Part 1)
• ITU-T line of H.26x video standards
• H.264
• Joint Video Team (JVT)
  
• Multimedia compression formats
• Video compression formats
• Audio compression formats
• Media container formats
• Coded representation of media objects
• Composition of media objects
• Description and synchronization of streaming data for media objects
• Delivery of streaming data
• Interaction with media objects
• Management and Identification of Intellectual Property
• Major Functionalities in MPEG-4: Transport, DMIF, Systems, Audio and Visual
  
  

Detailed technical description of MPEG-4 DMIF and Systems

• Transport of MPEG-4
• DMIF
• Demultiplexing, synchronization and description of streaming data
• Advanced Synchronization (FlexTime) Model
• Syntax Description
• Binary Format for Scene description: BIFS
• User interaction
• Content-related IPR identification and protection
• MPEG-4 File Format
• MPEG-J
• Object Content Information
• Detailed technical description of MPEG-4 Visual
• Detailed technical description of MPEG-4 Audio
  

Technical Overview of MPEG-4 Parts

• Part 1 (ISO/IEC 14496-1): Systems: Describes synchronization and multiplexing of video and audio. For example Transport stream.
• Part 2 (ISO/IEC 14496-2): Visual: A compression codec for visual data (video, still textures, synthetic images, etc.). One of the many "profiles" in Part 2 is the Advanced Simple Profile (ASP).
• Part 3 (ISO/IEC 14496-3): Audio: A set of compression codecs for perceptual coding of audio signals, including some variations of Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) as well as other audio/speech coding tools.
• Part 4 (ISO/IEC 14496-4): Conformance: Describes procedures for testing conformance to other parts of the standard.
• Part 5 (ISO/IEC 14496-5): Reference Software: Provides software for demonstrating and clarifying the other parts of the standard.
• Part 6 (ISO/IEC 14496-6): Delivery Multimedia Integration Framework (DMIF).
• Part 7 (ISO/IEC 14496-7): Optimized Reference Software: Provides examples of how to make improved implementations (e.g., in relation to Part 5).
• Part 8 (ISO/IEC 14496-8): Carriage on IP networks: Specifies a method to carry MPEG-4 content on IP networks.
• Part 9 (ISO/IEC 14496-9): Reference Hardware: Provides hardware designs for demonstrating how to implement the other parts of the standard.
• Part 10 (ISO/IEC 14496-10): Advanced Video Coding (AVC): A codec for video signals which is technically identical to the ITU-T H.264 standard.
• Part 11 (ISO/IEC 14496-11): Scene description and Application engine, also called BIFS; can be used for rich, interactive content with multiple profiles, including 2D and 3D versions.
• Part 12 (ISO/IEC 14496-12): ISO Base Media File Format: A file format for storing media content.
• Part 13 (ISO/IEC 14496-13): Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP) Extensions.
• Part 14 (ISO/IEC 14496-14): MPEG-4 File Format: The designated container file format for MPEG-4 content, which is based on Part 12.
• Part 15 (ISO/IEC 14496-15): AVC File Format: For storage of Part 10 video based on Part 12.
• Part 16 (ISO/IEC 14496-16): Animation Framework eXtension (AFX).
• Part 17 (ISO/IEC 14496-17): Timed Text subtitle format.
• Part 18 (ISO/IEC 14496-18): Font Compression and Streaming (for OpenType fonts).
• Part 19 (ISO/IEC 14496-19): Synthesized Texture Stream.
• Part 20 (ISO/IEC 14496-20): Lightweight Scene Representation (LASeR).
• Part 21 (ISO/IEC 14496-21): MPEG-J Graphical Framework eXtension (GFX) (not yet finished - at "FCD" stage in July 2005, FDIS January 2006).
• Part 22 (ISO/IEC 14496-22): Open Font Format Specification (OFFS) based on OpenType (not yet finished - reached "CD" stage in July 2005