Sustainability of Digital Formats: Planning for Library of Congress Collections |
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Introduction | Sustainability Factors | Content Categories | Format Descriptions | Contact |
Full name | Information technology -- Generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information (formal name), MPEG-2 (common name), Main Profile |
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Description | Permits the use of Intra-coded (I) frames, predicted (P) frames, and bidirectionally predicted (B) frames. Conformance points for this bitstream exist at the following levels: Low, Main, High-1440, and High. At the Main Level, the broadcast-stream picture size is 720x576 pixels (non-square pixels), with color sampling of 4:2:0 and a maximum data rate of 15 Mb/s. |
Production phase | Generally a final-state (end-user delivery) format; may be used as a middle-state (broadcast production) format. |
Relationship to other formats | |
Subtype of | MPEG-2, MPEG-2 Video Encoding (H.262) |
Used by | MPEG-2_MP_layer_2, MPEG-2, Main Profile, with Layer II Audio Encoding |
LC experience or existing holdings | See MPEG-2_family |
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LC preference | See MPEG-2_family |
Disclosure | Open standard. See MPEG-2 |
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Documentation | See MPEG-2 |
Adoption | MPEG-2_MP (Main Profile) is used by broadcasters and cablecasters, who may also use MPEG-2_422 (4:2:2 Profile). The Vanderbilt University TV News Archive uses MPEG-2_MP when reformatting its analog videotapes and when making new off-air recordings. |
Licensing and patents | See MPEG-2. |
Transparency | See MPEG-2. |
Self-documentation | See MPEG-2. |
External dependencies | See MPEG-2. |
Technical protection considerations | See MPEG-2. |
Moving Image | |
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Normal rendering | Good support. |
Clarity (high image resolution) | See MPEG-2. At a given picture size, data rate, and encoding algorithm, MPEG-2_MP (Main Profile) will produce greater clarity than MPEG-2_SP (Simple Profile) but less than MPEG-2_422 (4:2:2 Profile). |
Functionality beyond normal rendering | See MPEG-2. |
Tag | Value | Note |
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Filename extension | mpg mpeg |
There is no explicit MPEG-2 file format; MPEG-2 content "ready to be delivered" is exchanged in files with these extensions. |
Internet Media Type | See related format. |
See MPEG-2 |
Magic numbers | See related format. |
See MPEG-2 |
General | |
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History |
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