MPEG-1 - Applications

Applications

• Most popular software for video playback includes MPEG-1 decoding, in addition to any other supported formats.
• The popularity of MP3 audio has established a massive installed base of hardware that can play back MPEG-1 Audio (all three layers).
• "Virtually all digital audio devices" can play back MPEG-1 Audio. Many millions have been sold to-date.
• Before MPEG-2 became widespread, many digital satellite/cable TV services used MPEG-1 exclusively.
• The widespread popularity of MPEG-2 with broadcasters means MPEG-1 is playable by most digital cable and satellite set-top boxes, and digital disc and tape players, due to backwards compatibility.
• MPEG-1 is the exclusive video and audio format used on Green Book CD-i, the first consumer digital video format, and on Video CD (VCD), still a very popular format around the world.
• The Super Video CD standard, based on VCD, uses MPEG-1 audio exclusively, as well as MPEG-2 video.
• The DVD-Video format uses MPEG-2 video primarily, but MPEG-1 support is explicitly defined in the standard.
• The DVD-Video standard originally required MPEG-1 Layer II audio for PAL countries, but was changed to allow AC-3/Dolby Digital-only discs. MPEG-1 Layer II audio is still allowed on DVDs, although newer extensions to the format, like MPEG Multichannel, are rarely supported.
• Most DVD players also support Video CD and MP3 CD playback, which use MPEG-1.
• The international Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) standard primarily uses MPEG-1 Layer II audio, and MPEG-2 video.
• The international Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) standard uses MPEG-1 Layer II audio exclusively, due to MP2's especially high quality, modest decoder performance requirements, and tolerance of errors.