Design of MPEG-2 video test bitstreams

The MPEG-2 video specification is quite flexible. Many parameters in the standard must be interpreted correctly for a decoder to reconstruct encoded video data. It needs a well defined procedure to verify that a MPEG-2 decoder is compliant with the standard. This paper presents a design method of MPEG-2 video test bitstreams, which examines whether an MPEG decoder under test (DUT) produces correct images. The test bitstreams are designed to produce a uniform gray image if the DUT complies with the standard to facilitate error detection. The presented test bitstream is composed of two parts: the first part generates an image by varying a test parameter and the second part is predictive coded with a zero motion vector and a difference image which is the negative of the correct test pattern. It will cancel the test pattern and a uniform image will result if the decoder conforms to the standard. Also, we analyze the characteristics of the test bitstream in the public domain and present a design method of test bitstreams.