The MPEG Format

MPEG video is a series of video standards defined by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG).

MPEG-1

Approved November 1991
Approximately VHS-quality, commonly used for Video CD (VCD) and CD-ROM.

MPEG-2

Approved November 1994
DVD-quality, commonly used for DVD, digital television, set-top boxes, etc.

MPEG-4

Approved October 1998
Scalable delivery, used in various applications including Internet, cell phones and television.

MPEG-7

Under Development
A standard for description and search of audio and visual content.

MPEG-21

Under Development
A new multimedia framework standard.