MPEG-2 video compression tutorial

MPEG-2 is a generic coding and multiplexing specification for video, audio and associated data. It is intended to serve a range of applications, bit-rates, qualities and services. The MPEG-2 video specification defines the syntax of the coded representation of the video, known as the video elementary bit stream, and the decoding process required to reconstruct a component video sequence. This paper introduces the principles used in MPEG-2 video compression systems, outlines the general structure of a coder and decoder, and describes defined subsets of the specification known as profiles.