Quality issues in MPEG-2 transmission applications-bandwidth versus quality

MPEG is maturing. MPEG-1 is now well established for a variety of applications ranging from kiosk/point of sale to entertainment and surveillance markets. MPEG-2 is growing for an even more diverse range of applications which are both PC and TV centric. In the PC domain we have DVD, the new high density CD that provides MPEG-2 feature film length storage. In the TV domain we have an increasing use of MPEG-2 in transmission, either prior to broadcast, or for the actual broadcast process itself. The MPEG algorithm, and the quality achieved, is a complex issue. There are a number of lessons learnt in MPEG-1 delivery that can be applied to the emerging MPEG-2 markets. MPEG is a lossy algorithm and every effort must be made to optimise this process to achieve the delicate balance between bandwidth availability (cost) and quality of the resultant material (payback). This paper discusses some of the issues and tricks that can be employed to ensure the best return on investment in the MPEG process