MPEG Video Format

MPEG is a short for Moving Picture Experts Group, is the name of familly of standards used for coding audio and video data in a digital compressed format including data transmission across digital networks. MPEG Video files have the .mpg or .dat extension and MPEG Audio files generally have the extension .mp1, .mp2, .mp3. MPEG is cross-platform compatible and can be played on all popular computer systems.

Decoding and playing an MPEG file is generally harder on system resources than decoding and playing an AVI file, a factor that makes choosing the correct media type very important.

MPEG-1 Media Type files are generally easier on system resources and smaller in file size than other MPEG Media Types. An issue that must be considered when selecting an MPEG Media Type is the CPU speed of the system that will play your videos. For example, even slightly older Pentium systems (such as those with CPU speeds under 350 - 450 MHz) cannot reliably decode and play the MPEG-2 media type. However, MPEG-1 can be decoded and played on just about any Pentium (or generic Pentium) computer. Playing MPEGs on 486 machines is possible, but special software, and at times special hardware (depending on the system setup) is required.

MPEG-2 is a newer, more flexible, and more powerful MPEG Media Type. The quality of MPEG-2 can be so good that it's the file format used in DVD and digital satellite television. The most significant downside of MPEG-2 in terms of use on the Internet is system resources: MPEG-2 requires at least a Pentium 350 - 450 (or generic Pentium 350 - 450) CPU for reliable decoding and playback.

MPEG-4 is designed to deliver DVD (MPEG-2) quality video at lower data rates and smaller file sizes. While audio and video are at the core of the MPEG-4 specification, MPEG-4 can also support 3D objects, sprites, text and other media types. MPEG-4 allows the use of different encoding methods, for instance a keyframe can be encoded using ICT or Wavelets resulting in different output qualities.

MPG can be either an abbreviation for MPEG or is used as a file extension for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video data.

Use MPEG Presets - DVD, VCD, SVCD PAL/NTSC Compatible - for converting your video to DVD, VCD, SVCD compatible formats.

DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) is DVD-Video recorded on a DVD-R or DVD-RW disc, which contains superior quality video (MPEG-2) and audio. Typically, a DVD can hold more than one hour of video.

DVD Video Parameter Settings

• Frame Size: 720x480 (NTSC) or 720x576 (PAL)
• Frame Rate: 29.97 frames/second (NTSC) or 25 frames/second (PAL)
• Video Data Rate: 4~8 Mbps CBR or VBR (Constant/Variable Bit Rate)
• Audio Settings: Stereo, 48 kHz and 192~384 kbps MPEG audio

DVD Playback Options:

• Stand-alone DVD players
• Computer DVD drives with playback software

VCD (Video Compact Disc)is a CD-ROM disc that contains video and audio. Typically, a VCD can hold about 74 minutes (650MB) of video and stereo-quality audio. The video and audio are stored in MPEG-1 format and follow certain standards (White Book). VCD video quality is roughly the same as VHS video.

VCD Video Parameters Settings

• Frame Size: 352x240 (NTSC) or 352x288 (PAL)
• Frame Rate: 29.97 frames/second (NTSC) or 25 frames/second (PAL)
• Video Data Rate: 1152 kbps
• Audio Settings: Stereo, 44.1kHz and 224kbps audio bit rate

VCD Playback Options:

• Almost all stand-alone VCD or DVD Players with CD-R or CD-RW playback capabilities (See DVD player manufacturer for compatibility)
• Computer DVD/CD-ROM drives with playback software

SVCD (Super Video Compact Disc) is a CD-ROM disc that contains high quality video and audio. Typically, a SVCD can hold about 35~45 minutes (650MB) of video and stereo-quality audio (depends on the data rate used for encoding). The video and audio are stored in MPEG-2 format, much like a DVD. SVCD video has better quality than VHS video.

SVCD Video Parameter Settings

• Frame Size: 480x480 (NTSC) or 480x576 (PAL)
• Frame Rate: 29.97 frames/second (NTSC) or 25 frames/second (PAL)
• Video Data Rate: Variable bit rate up to 2600 kbps
• Audio Settings: 32~384 kbps MPEG-1 Layer 2 audio bit rate

NOTE: The maximum audio and video combined data rate cannot exceed 2750kbps.

SVCD Playback Options:

• Some stand-alone DVD Players with CD-R or CD-RW playback capabilities (See DVD player manufacturer for compatibility)
• Computer DVD/CD-ROM drives with playback software
  

MPEG Format Settings

• Specify a type of MPEG compression to use: MPEG1 or MPEG2.
• Specify the Bitrate. The larger values produce higher quality.
• If needed, enter new values for Width and Height of your video. The dimensions are in pixels. Check Link of width and weight to constrain the proportions. Check Biquadratic approximation resizing for more precize resizing method, resulting in the better picture quality.
• If needed, enter a new value for Frames per Second. Larger values produce "softer" videos but require more system resources.
• Check Include a Sound to record an audio stream into the file. Choose Audio format, frequency and Channels (Mono or Stereo). The larger values provide better quality.