MPEG Industry Forum

Forum extends long established Interop program to cover best of breed ISO/ITU codec standard, announces a logo-certification programme and invites industry to participate.

AMSTERDAM - September 15, 2023 - The MPEG Industry Forum (MPEGIF) today announced two MPEG-4 Interoperability initiatives as a continuation of past work. First, it announced the start of the fifth round of interoperability tests, which now include Advanced Video Coding (AVC) and High Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding (HE AAC). Second, and linked to the interoperability effort, MPEGIF is finalizing an MPEG-4 Logo Certification Program for launch in Q4 2003.

As in similar programs, the Forum will award the right to use its MP4 logo to vendors that have tested the interoperability of their products in a controlled environment and certified that they passed all tests. The logo program will cover all popular profiles as they are tested in the Interoperability work, including AVC and (High Efficiency) AAC products.

Members of the Forum who successfully pass interoperability tests receive the right to use the logo on products and in product marketing. The programme covers encoders and decoders, and products that contain those. Certification is also being defined for other applications such as testing equipment. Participation in both programs is open to members of the Forum.

A total of 35 companies have participated in the first 4 rounds of testing. MPEGIF includes at least 15 AVC technology providers, and this number is growing weekly.

Rob Koenen, President of MPEGIF noted, "Interoperability testing is one of MPEGIF's core activities. Multivendor interworking is vital to the success of an open standard. Since July, MPEGIF gained 20 new members; many of those joined to participate in the Interop program and use the logo. I invite all implementers of the new AVC codec to join the AVC interoperability program."

Ralph Neff of PacketVideo, chair of the MPEGIF Logo Certification Committee, commented: "Certification of Interoperability is the cornerstone of an open standard. Active participants in the Interoperability work of MPEGIF help each other to drive this work to a speedy and solid conclusion. From this critical work, whole markets and opportunities for industry will emerge. This is something that cannot be done without MPEGIF."

About AVC

At any bitrate, AVC delivers the best quality of any video codec. Its adoption is anticipated in many industries, including broadcast, packaged media, internet streaming, mobile and video communication.

The Advanced Video Coding codec was standardized in a joint effort between the ITU's Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and ISO's Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). Two identically-worded standards are designated as H.264 by ITU and MPEG-4 AVC (ISO/IEC 14496 part 10) by ISO respectively. H.264 has been ratified as an international standard by the ITU and MPEG-4 AVC is going through a last formal stage within ISO/IEC.

See AVC at IBC!

AVC and other MPEG emerging technologies will be showcased at IBC 2003, 12-16th September, RAI Congrescentrum, Amsterdam. Eight members of MPEGIF share booth 7.820 which presents several demonstrations of AVC, MPEG-4 Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) and MPEG-7. See http://www.m4if.org/exhibitions/IBC2003/ for details.

About the MPEG Industry Forum

MPEGIF represents over 100 companies and institutes across North America, Europe and Asia, from diverse industries. MPEGIF's activities to promote adoption of open MPEG standards start where the charter of ISO/IEC MPEG ends. Activities include marketing, interoperability (including AVC) and certification, the management of a branded logo, presence at trade shows and an annual conference. MPEGIF recently expanded its charter from MPEG-4 to include MPEG-7 and MPEG-21. For more information visit: http://www.mpegif.org and http://www.m4if.org

For more information, contact Paul Ritchie: Tel: +1 925 275 6654, Email: [email protected]

Why Join MPEGIF??

MPEGIF Logo Qualification Program