An extension of the AVC file format for Video Surveillance

This paper introduces and discusses a recent standardization project by the MPEG group that aims at providing an interoperable file format tailored to the needs of the surveillance industry. The new standard is called Video Surveillance Application Format and extends the H.264 - AVC file format specification. Based on a review of the application requirements, the rationale is provided for the technical design choices, and an example system implementation is described in detail. This provides interoperability at the data format and metadata levels. An example reference implementation instantiates and tests the design. The resultant is the specification of a file format suitable for large-scale camera network deployment.