MPEG-2

MPEG-2 is an extended version of the MPEG-1 standard for video and audio streams. It is used in digital TV broadcasts and DVDs. The ISO/IEC 13818 group of standards specify the details of the standard.

A number of patents relate to various aspects of the format, but they are starting to expire as of 2012, with most expired by 2015 (but a few hanging on a little longer). As long as any of the patents are in effect, a licensing body with control over the entire patent pool demands royalties from everybody producing anything using the format.

Links

 * Wikipedia article
 * MPEG official website
 * Official page on MPEG-2
 * Forthcoming changes to MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 variants in next PRONOM/DROID signature release