MPEG-4: Context and objectives

摘要

The MPEG-4 audiovisual representation standard currently under development addresses the needs and requirements, arising from the increasing availability of audiovisual content in digital form. It goes beyond digitizing linear audio and video, specifying a description of digital material in the form of ‘objects’, that can be flexibly and interactively used and re-used. This paper describes the developments that make MPEG-4 necessary (‘Why’), what MPEG-4 does to address the new needs (‘What’), and gives an overview of how the standard is developed (‘How’).