Many are hoping that MPEG-4 will do for video what MP3 did for the portability of high quality music. This standard improves compression while providing interactivity that could give new life to the convergence movement. The standard's capabilities were increased in 1995 with the introduction of MPEG-2 and an eye to the advent of digital television. MPEG-2 compression is used in the manufacture of DVD movies. This is because the audio and video are being played in a linear fashion.
Input data is processed and output data is produced.
Recently, however, considerable research has been done into going beyond the limits of traditional linear-streaming media and introducing a new dimension of interactivity for the user. Virtual-reality technology has captured the imagination of people from gamers to medical professionals and the prospect of being able to manipulate and interact with media seems both possible and full of potential if it can get out to the public. In order to deliver such media data to users, a new kind of compression standard is necessary. To understand the radical shift in functionality made possible through the use of this standard, it's necessary to grasp the basics of object-oriented programming, in which the objects themselves are of greater importance than the logic necessary to manipulate them. Inc. All Rights Reserved.