1.3 SUPPORTED FORMATS
1.3.1 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF VIDEO FORMATS
All standard video formats are compressed. The amount of compression and the data rates of these
standards vary enormously. Often files made available for download, will be highly compressed (in order to
save bandwidth), resulting in a lower picture quality.
MPEG-1
MPEG-1 is the designation for a group of audio and video coding standards agreed upon by MPEG
(Moving Picture Experts Group). 1.5Mbit/second data rates and 352x240 resolution are common with later
improvements allowing for up to 4Mbit/second for better quality.
MPEG-1 is very common, mainly due to its ability to store an entire film on a single CD. This Video CD
format is a mass-market competitor to VHS in countries where high humidity can quickly degrade magnetic
tapes.
MPEG-2
MPEG-2 is the designation for a group of audio and video coding standards agreed upon by MPEG
(Moving Picture Experts Group). MPEG-2 video is not optimized for low bit-rates (less than 1 Mbit/s), but
outperforms MPEG-1 at 3 Mbit/s and above.
MPEG-2 is typically used for standard definition DVDs (maximum average of 9.8 Mbit/s) and television
broadcasts (commonly a lower bit rate than DVD).
Some High-Definition files are also coded using MPEG-2, and higher bit rates do exist.
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is the designation for a group of audio and video coding standards agreed upon by MPEG
(Moving Picture Experts Group).
In general, MPEG-4 video will look more natural than MPEG-2 at the same bit rate (all else being equal).
This has made it an incredibly popular format for bandwidth-sensitive applications such as online
steaming, web downloads and television broadcasting.
Common file extensions
Limitations of support
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.ts .trp .tp .vob .m2t .m2p .m2v
None
YES
Common file extensions
Limitations of support
Streaming over the 100BASE-T
and USB2.0 supported
.mpg .mpeg .dat .m1v
Some variations of MPEG-1 encoding are not currently
supported
YES
