29 MPEG-4 Vendors Successfully Test Interoperable Products

MPEG-4 standard passes major test with interoperability achieved between a growing number of vendors.

San Ramon, 4 April 2024 - The MPEG-4 Industry Forum (M4IF) today announced that 29 MPEG-4 vendors have successfully carried out three rounds of interoperability tests of products based on the MPEG-4 standard. The world's largest MPEG-4 interoperability program continues to grow as it enters its fourth round, which indicates a strong foundation for MPEG-4 proliferation and deployment.

Participants in the interoperability program include: Amphion, Apple Computer, Avipix, Cirrus Logic, Comverse, Diamondback Vision, DivX Networks, Emblaze System, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications, Envivio, Fraunhofer IIS-A, Hantro, IBM, iVast, Luxxon, MTREC, NeoMagic, OnTimetek, Philips, PacketVideo, Reakosys, Samsung, Serome Technology, Sorenson Media, Thomson Multimedia, VideoSpheres, WebCast Technologies. All participants are committed to building seamlessly interoperable MPEG-4 products and to creating a sound industry-wide basis for adoption of MPEG-4, the cross-domain, open content representation standard.

The tests, which started early in 2001, follow MPEG-4's most popular profiles. They have included raw video bitstreams, raw audio bitstreams, MP4 files with video and audio, and MPEG-4 Systems bitstreams. The profiles include Simple, Simple Scalable and Advanced Simple Visual Profiles, and High Quality Audio Profile.

"A 'profile' is a subset of the MPEG-4 standard that provides interoperability between products from different vendors, so that they do not have to implement the entire tool set on, e.g., a mobile device", said Jae-Seob Shin of Samsung, Korea, leader of the Interop work in M4IF.

"Profiles allow MPEG-4 implementations to be exactly as complex as they need to be for a certain application. They are the key to an interoperable MPEG-4 ecosystem with products from many different vendors. MPEG-2 has shown the concept to work well."

The next step in interoperability testing is live streaming according to the specification of the Internet Streaming Media Alliance (www.isma.tv). Also, M4IF is working on a self-certification program, which will allow vendors to test compliance of their products. Compliant products will be granted the right to carry the recently finalized M4IF logo, which will signify to users that products are interoperable.

Interoperable MPEG-4 solutions will be demonstrated at NAB 2002, from 6-11 April. M4IF will be in the Sands location, booth S6934. See www.m4if.org/exhibitions/NAB.php for a list of MPEG-4 exhibits at NAB, and www.m4if.org/public/interop/ for information about M4IF's interoperability program.

About MPEG-4

MPEG-4 is the interactive coding standard for all digital multimedia platforms. Developed by ISO/IEC's "Moving Picture Experts Group" that also designed MPEG-2 (the digital television standard) and MPEG-1 including MP3. Being object-based and extending beyond video and audio, MPEG-4 supports rich, interactive, standards-based multimedia from low bandwidths to transparent quality. More information: http://mpeg.telecomitalialab.com

About M4IF

M4IF consists of more than 100 companies from diverse industries evenly distributed across North America, Europe and Asia, addressing all MPEG-4 adoption issues that go beyond the charter of ISO/IEC MPEG.

Activities of the forum include an interoperability program, certification, several working groups, access to ISO/MPEG committee members, and the 3rd annual Workshop and Exhibition on MPEG-4 from 25-27 June in San Jose, US.

More information: http://www.m4if.org

Press Contact:
Martin Jacklin,
[email protected]
+41 79 291 1882

MPEG-4 Interoperability Programme Participants background

AMPHION
APPLE COMPUTER
AVIPIX
CIRRUS LOGIC
COMVERSE
DIAMONDBACK VISION
DIVXNETWORKS
EMBLAZE SEMICONDUCTOR
ECOLE NATIONALE SUPERIEURE DES TELECOMMUNICATIONS
ENVIVIO
FRAUNHOFER IIS-A
HANTRO
LUXXON
NEOMAGIC
MTREC
ONTIMETEK (INC.)
PACKETVIDEO
PHILIPS ELECTRONICS
REAKOSYS
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS
SEROME TECHNOLOGY
SORENSON MEDIA
VIDEOSPHERES
WEBCAST TECHNOLOGIES

Amphion

Amphion is the leading supplier of application-specific cores for System-on-a-Chip (SoC) integrated circuit designs for multimedia, data security, wireless and broadband communications. Amphion delivers high-performance solutions for video and image compression, advanced encryption, and speech and channel coding with a comprehensive range of silicon-optimized products. Using proprietary techniques to directly map digital signal processing functions and algorithms into hardware, Amphion develops and licenses semiconductor intellectual-property (SIP) cores that are close to optimal in terms of power, cycles, and area - computationally up to several orders of magnitude more efficient than equivalent functions implemented on a programmable processor. Amphion cores operate standalone, or by direct interface to industry- standard RISC and DSP processors, and can be easily migrated through successive generations of fabrication technology, thus preserving engineering investments in SoC design. Amphion is a privately held company with corporate headquarters and engineering in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK and worldwide sales and marketing headquarters in San Jose, California, USA. Amphion was formerly known as Integrated Silicon Systems Ltd, or ISS. For more information, visit http://www.amphion.com

Apple Computer

Apple is a co-founder of the Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA), which is dedicated to the development of products and technologies that adhere to industry standards. QuickTime was chosen by the International Organization for Standards (ISO) as the file format for MPEG-4, providing the software with a deep level of compatibility with the standard.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

AVIPIX

AVIPIX provides technology solutions for Audio, Video, Image, and Computer Graphics (PIXels) delivery and streaming based on a core of MPEG-4 compliant technologies. Our focus is working with customers to provide customized solutions for any multimedia application. With our core set of multimedia technology components including MPEG-4 Video and Audio codecs, media specific encryption and DRM enabling technologies, MP4 file format and content publishing tools, interactive player and authoring tools, we can provide everything from complete solutions, components for a solution, or provide individualized help to customize a product solution. With Avipix's active involvement in the MPEG standardization and wide range of expertise in multimedia technologies, we are able to provide the very latest and greatest in multimedia technology. Our clients include a wide range of application spaces from content creators to content storage, delivery, and rights management providers.

AVIPIX has built a team of multimedia and communications technology experts who have built a core of multimedia and streaming technology pieces built for use in multiple applications and on multiple platforms.

AVIPIX is a member of the ISO-MPEG (Moving Pictures Expert Group) standards committee. We have followed and participated in the MPEG-4 standardization body and have contributed to MPEG-4 systems standard and reference software.

Cirrus Logic

Cirrus Logic, Inc. is a premier supplier of high-performance analog and DSP chip solutions for consumer entertainment electronics that allow people to see, hear, connect, and enjoy digital entertainment. Building on its global market share leadership in audio integrated circuits and its rich mixed-signal patent portfolio, the company targets mainstream audio, video and Internet entertainment applications in the consumer entertainment market. Cirrus operates from headquarters in Austin, Texas and major sites located in Fremont and El Dorado Hills, California and Broomfield and Boulder, Colorado, as well as offices in Europe, Japan and Asia. More information about Cirrus Logic is available at www.cirrus.com.

Cirrus Logic® is a trademark of Cirrus Logic, Inc. All other product names noted herein may be trademarks of their respective holders.

Comverse

Comverse, a unit of Comverse Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: CMVT) is the world's leading provider of software and systems enabling network-based multimedia enhanced communications services. More than 380 wireless and wireline telecommunications network operators, in more than 100 countries, have selected Comverse's enhanced services systems and software, which enable the provision of revenue-generating value-added services including call answering with one-touch call return, short messaging services, IP-based unified messaging (voice, fax, and email in a single mailbox), 2.5G/3G multimedia messaging (MMS), wireless instant messaging, wireless data and Internet-based services, voice-controlled dialing, messaging and browsing, prepaid wireless services, and additional personal communication services. Other Comverse Technology business units include: Verint Systems, Inc., a leading provider of analytic solutions for digital video security and surveillance, communication interception and enterprise intelligence; and Ulticom, a leading provider of service enabling network software for wireless, wireline, and Internet communications. Comverse Technology is an S&P; 500 and NASDAQ-100 Index company. For additional information, visit the Comverse web site at http://www.comverse.com.

DiamondBack Vision

DiamondBack Vision, a leading developer of MPEG-4 video processing solutions, is committed to ensuring that every Internet user can experience quality streaming video, regardless of bandwidth. DiamondBack Vision's ObjectVideo encoding technology combines video compression and computer vision techniques to achieve breakthrough technical performance. ObjectVideo is particularly well suited for low bandwidth streaming, offering quality video for Internet viewers connected by dial-up modems. Through its offices in Reston, VA (headquarters) and Denver, CO, DiamondBack Vision develops some of the most advanced video processing tools available on the market today. DiamondBack Vision, a sponsor of Streaming Media West 2000, will demonstrate ObjectVideo at that event. To learn more, visit www.dbvision.net or call (703) 654-9300.

DivXNetworks

DivXNetworks is a leading technology company that enables the rapid proliferation of video content over Internet Protocol (IP) networks by combining the lightweight, ubiquitous access of the Internet with DVD-quality video performance. The company's approach is built upon the success of the DivX™ codec, a leading standard for MPEG-4 video distribution with over 50 million users worldwide, and the DivX Open Video System™, a next-generation content delivery system that provides unsurpassed aggregation, promotion, and distribution of video content for mass markets. DivXNetworks is headquartered in San Diego, California, with a satellite office in Los Angeles. For more information about DivXNetworks, visit http://www.divxnetworks.com.

Emblaze Semiconductor

Emblaze Semiconductor (formerly Emblaze Research Ltd.), a wholly owned subsidiary of Emblaze Systems (LSE:BLZ.L), is a semiconductor company specializing in highly integrated solutions for multimedia applications in mobile and wireless devices. The company designs and markets digital multimedia ICs and embedded software, in compliance with international standards such as MPEG-1, MPEG-4 and H.324. Emblaze Semiconductor is headquartered in Netanya, Israel. Emblaze Semiconductor can be contacted at +972-9-892-3200, and on the World Wide Web at: http://www.EmblazeResearch.com., or email at [email protected]. By the end of April, 2002, the company's new web site will be http://www.EmblazeSemi.com.

Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications

ENST is one of France's leading graduate engineering schools and is considered the school in the field of Information Technologies. Its disciplines include all the sciences and techniques that fall within the term " Information and Communications " : Computer Science Networks, Communications, Electronics, Signal and Image Processing, as well as the study of economic and social aspects associated with modern technology.

Envivio

Envivio is the leading developer of end-to-end MPEG-4 solutions utilizing a rich set of integrated streaming media elements: high performance audio and video, two dimensional graphics and animation, providing a rich interactive user experience. The company maintains a worldwide perspective on creating MPEG-4-based solutions to enable broadcasters, distribution network operators and content developers to build new revenues and utilize the efficiencies of targeting content at the full range of MPEG-4 capable devices. The Envivio Solution includes various components to create, encode, protect and distribute MPEG-4 content: the Envivio Encoding Station for offline encoding and protection of MPEG-4 audio and video, the Envivio Broadcast Studio for authoring complete MPEG-4 applications, the Envivio plug- in to the RealSystem Server, to distribute MPEG-4 content over the Web and broadcast networks, and the EnvivioTV™ plug- in to the RealOne Player and RealPlayer to retrieve and playback MPEG-4 content. For further information, visit us at www.envivio.com

Fraunhofer IIS-A

Fraunhofer IIS-A is the leading international research lab in the field of high quality low bit rate audio coding. Fraunhofer IIS-A has been the main developer of the most advanced audio coding schemes, like MPEG Layer-3 (mp3) and MPEG-2 AAC (Advanced Audio Coding). Fraunhofer IIS-A played a major role in the MPEG-4 Audio standardization process and contributes to many other standards bodies as well, like ITU-R WP6A, ITU-R WP6Q, 3GPP, ISMA, DVB and AES. For more information about Fraunhofer IIS-A please visit www.iis.fhg.de/amm or send email to [email protected].

Hantro

Hantro provides its customers with video solutions for handheld devices. For video coding Hantro has both hardware and software-based MPEG-4 and H.263 compatible video codecs,that are proven and already delivered to the first customers. Hantro's product portfolio also includes video applications for video capturing, playback, messaging, streaming, and telephony. Company's products are in a key role for the device and semiconductor manufacturers developing battery-operated video-capable end products like cellular phones, still cameras, PDAs, camcorders, PC cameras, and web pads. The company was founded in 1992 and today employs more than 50 ICT professionals in its offices in Oulu, Espoo, and Saratoga, CA, USA. For more information, please visit www.hantro.com or send an email to [email protected].

iVAST

iVAST is the world leader in end-to-end MPEG-4 solutions. The iVAST MPEG-4 Platform builds on the success of MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 open standards by revolutionizing the distribution of interactive audio/video content across broadband and broadcast networks. For the entertainment, enterprise and education markets, iVAST generates new business opportunities through the secure delivery of digital media, worldwide. iVAST is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and offers creative services through its Studio in Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.ivast.com.

More information about the other participants in the e-BOX joint venture is available in the e-BOX release also issued today.

Luxxon

Luxxon Corporation is a leading provider of adaptive streaming media technology. The company recently announced the availability of its mobile multimedia processor that facilitates the efficient streaming of any type of digital video or audio to and from diverse devices including PCs, web appliances, PDAs and mobile phones. This Lux2 processor is the first of its kind to provide to mobile device manufacturers a combination of low power, high performance, high flexibility and high integration for the encoding and decoding of audio and video, as well as gaming functionality. For more information, visit www.luxxon.com.

NeoMagic

NeoMagic Corporation, based in Santa Clara, California, provides System-on-Chip solutions to enable new generations of handheld Internet appliances, offering the lowest power, smallest form-factor, and best multimedia features and performance. The company has pioneered the integration of complex logic, memory, and analog circuits into single-chip solutions. NeoMagic is mobilizing multimedia for the Internet age. Information on the company may be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.neomagic.com.

MTREC

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Multimedia Technology Research Center

Supported through funding from Hong Kong Industry Department, Research Grants Council, and industrial partners from Hong Kong, China and the U.S., the center is equipped with state-of the -art facilities. The research group comprises more than 10 faculty members from Computer Science and EEE Departments, 3 post-doctoral fellows, 7 full-time engineers, one project manager as well as 20 graduate students.

The Mission of the Multimedia Technology Research Center is to engage in leading-edge research and development activities for achieving academic excellence and for producing multimedia-based technologies that can support existing as well as emerging multimedia information applications, and to transfer technology to local industries in Hong Kong and the world.

OnTimetek (Inc.)

OnTimetek (Inc.) starts up as a wireless multimedia system development solution company. OnTimetek developed high qualified multimedia service via mobile phone based on the core technology to make dreamed communication come true.

PacketVideo

PacketVideo is the world's leading provider of carrier class infrastructure software that enables mobilemedia today. PacketVideo's standards-based software products enable the distribution of one- and two-way video, high-quality audio, animation and rich graphics over wireless networks to mobile devices such as cellular telephones and personal digital assistants. PacketVideo's mobilemedia products enhance communication, productivity, security, information and entertainment, enabling the delivery of an enriching and productive mobile experience.

PacketVideo's investors include AOL Time Warner (NYSE: AOL), Comverse Technology (Nasdaq: CMVT), Credit Suisse First Boston, GE Equity (NYSE: GE), Infineon Technologies (NYSE: IFX), Intel Capital (Nasdaq: INTC), Kyocera (NYSE: KYO), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Philips (NYSE: PHG), QUALCOMM (Nasdaq: QCOM), Siemens' Mustang Ventures, Sony Corporation of America (NYSE: SNE), Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW), Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), and others. To learn more, visit www.pv.com.

Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of EUR 32.3 billion in 2001. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 189,000 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, components, semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.news.philips.com

Reakosys

Headquartered in Seoul Korea, Reakosys Inc., a leading multimedia solution provider has dedicated to revolutionize world of mobile / internet multimedia technology and services since its foundation. With continuous technical development by highly exceptional and creative people, we have developed our own core encoding technology to deliver innovative mobile multimedia solution and service towards various platforms such as mobile phone / PDA.

Reakosys' goal is to introduce and provide enabling technology for high-standard-quality multimedia and audio to let our individual client to have total access over new information and entertainment in 21st century.

Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, and digital convergence technology. Samsung Electronics employs approximately 64,000 people in 89 offices in 47 countries. The company is the world's largest producer of memory chips, TFT-LCDs, CDMA mobile phones, monitors and VCRs. Samsung Electronics consists of four main business units: Digital Media Network, Device Solution Network, Telecommunication Network and Digital Appliance Network Businesses.

For more information, please visit http://www.samsungelectronics.com

Serome Technology

Serome Technology, Inc. is a leading provider of solutions enabling rich media, from encoding and streaming to conversational multimedia services over wireless as well as wired networks for telecommunication companies, device manufacturers, and content providers. Serome's products include Serome™Author, Serome™Streamer, and Serome™Player-i for PC, PDA and set-top box. Serome is committed to developing highest quality solutions interoperable with international open standards made by such groups as MPEG, IETF, 3GPP, 3GPP2, and ISMA. For more information, visit www.serome.com and www.seromemobile.com.

Sorenson Media

Sorenson Media (www.sorenson.com) was founded in April of 2000 to provide streaming media solutions that enable people anywhere to easily stream quality web video. Sorenson Media is the recognized leader in video compression and streaming services that empower people to more expressly entertain, educate and communicate over the web. With these innovative tools and services, Sorenson Media is in a unique position to drive mass-market adoption of web streaming.

Videospheres

VideoSpheres Inc. is a high technology software company, based in Ottawa, Canada, developing tools for the services management layer of rich media (IP-video and multimedia applications) in both the Enterprise and Service Provider environments. Our products are architected to reduce the high staff and equipment costs associated with today's awkward ways of setting up, managing, and distributing rich media.

The VideoSpheres VSPPlus is a video over-IP subscription management platform, that allows these Enterprises and Service Providers to rapidly set up and manage a productivity-improving or revenue-generating service focused on rich media content subscription and distribution, while providing full usage and system reporting.

The VideoSpheres MPEG-4 Tool Kit (VSMTK) is a set of low level libraries that encode and decode MPEG-4 (ISO/IEC 14496) video for use in products. They are designed to be integrated into both PC and embedded wireless applications in order to add high quality video to new and existing applications. The libraries are built in a way that lends itself to be used by many different types of microprocessors.

WebCast Technologies

WebCast Technologies Inc. is a technology development company based in Sunnyvale, California. The company has developed scalable, reliable, network-based streaming video technologies based on MPEG-4 international standard. The company's software allows, for the first time, cable and network operators to deliver digital video via narrow-band and broadband networks on scale, at an affordable price, by eliminating several long lasting fundamental impediments in streaming video and digital TV deployment. The company's technologies and software are being incorporated onto many networks, servers, PCs, browsers, set-top boxes, and semiconductor chips.

Why Join MPEGIF??

MPEGIF Logo Qualification Program

Download the NEW Whitepaper on MPEG-4

Quick Links

Search this site

Join MPEGIF's public mailing lists

Archive of Weekly News Digests

White Papers

Glossary for Video & Peceptual Quality of Stereoscopic Video

White paper: High Efficiency AAC - World's Best Audio Codec

Intro to MPEG-7

Intro to MPEG-21

Brochures

What is AVC??

What is AAC?

What is (Advanced) Simple Profile?

On interactivity in MPEG-4

About MPEGIF's logo

Guidelines for Members and Non-members

MPEGIF Sponsored Events