Video Coding Layer

YCbCr Color Space

MPEG-2 uses the YCbCr color space, supporting 4:2:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 sampling. The 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 sampling options increase the chroma resolution over 4:2:0, resulting in better picture quality.

Coded Picture Types

There are three types of coded pictures. I (intra) pictures are fields or frames coded as a stand-alone still image. They allow random access points within the video stream. As such, I pictures should occur about two times a second. I pictures also should be used where scene cuts occur.

P (predicted) pictures are fields or frames coded relative to the nearest previous I or P picture, resulting in forward prediction processing. P pictures provide more compression than I pictures, through the ...

Get Digital Video and DSP: Instant Access now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.