What is MPEG-2 Video / H.262?
MPEG-2 Video, standardized jointly as ITU-T H.262 / ISO/IEC 13818-2, is the video codec associated with DVD-Video and a large amount of digital television and broadcast infrastructure.
How MPEG-2 Video works
H.262/MPEG-2 uses motion-compensated prediction and DCT-based transform coding. It was designed to cover a wide range of bitrates, resolutions and qualities and supports both interlaced and progressive pictures.
Profiles and levels
MPEG-2 defines profiles and levels to constrain coding tools and decoder requirements. Main Profile at Main Level became especially important for standard-definition DVD and broadcast, while extensions added 4:2:2 and higher-level professional capabilities.
Where it remains relevant
| Context | Why MPEG-2 still appears |
|---|---|
| DVD-Video | Primary video codec for DVD-Video |
| Broadcast/TS archives | Large installed base in digital TV and contribution systems |
| Legacy cameras/editing | Many older acquisition and intermediate workflows |
| Compatibility/transcoding | FFmpeg still decodes and encodes MPEG-2 Video |
Common confusion
MPEG-2 is not one file extension. MPEG-2 Video may live in VOB, MPEG program streams, MPEG transport streams, MXF and other containers.