When Was the MPEG 4 Standard First Published?

This article provides a direct answer to when the MPEG-4 standard was first published, detailing the timeline of its release by the Moving Picture Experts Group. It also explains the purpose of the standard and its significance in the evolution of digital audio and video compression.

The MPEG-4 standard was first officially published in 1998. The Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) finalized the initial parts of the standard (designated as ISO/IEC 14496) in October 1998, and the official international standard documents were formally published in 1999.

MPEG-4 was developed to address the growing need for more efficient multimedia compression across various bandwidths. It succeeded the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 standards by introducing better data compression algorithms, allowing for high-quality audio and video delivery over the internet, mobile networks, and broadcast television.

Unlike its predecessors, MPEG-4 is divided into multiple “Parts,” each covering a specific aspect of multimedia technology. For example, MPEG-4 Part 2 handles video compression, while MPEG-4 Part 3 focuses on audio coding (including AAC). Perhaps the most famous extension of the standard is MPEG-4 Part 10, commonly known as H.264 or Advanced Video Coding (AVC), which was published in 2003 and became the global standard for high-definition video.