QuickTime 6 now has the ability to play back MPEG-2 content via the QuickTime 6 MPEG-2 Playback Component. It is available as an add-on to QuickTime 6 for $19.99 in the Apple Store online.
Support for MPEG-2
The new QuickTime 6 MPEG-2 Playback Component provides QuickTime 6 users with the ability to import and play back MPEG-2 content, including both multiplexed (a.k.a. muxed, where the audio and video tracks are interleaved together into one track) and non-multiplexed (a.k.a. elementary) streams. It is perfectly suited for professional and semi-professional content creators with projects such as:
Professional content production – Throughout the professional content production process, many approvals and progress checks are necessary. With QuickTime 6 and the QuickTime 6 MPEG-2 Playback Component, your clients and reviewers can view your MPEG-2 streams and provide feedback. This eliminates the need for frequent transcodes and allows your clients and reviewers to play back your work on any Macintosh or PC.
Transcoding video content – Now your MPEG-2 video content can be imported into QuickTime and exported to other formats such as MPEG-4, the new international standard for Internet media, QuickTime Movie, or DV Stream, to name a few. The QuickTime 6 MPEG-2 Playback Component allows the transcode of MPEG-2 video from both multiplexed and elementary video streams. By converting your MPEG-2 video content into other formats, it can be used in new forums, such as on the web, on CD-ROM, or on DV tape.
MPEG Comparison
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| MPEG-1 |
MPEG-2 |
MPEG-4 |
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- MPEG-1
- Approved November 1991
- VHS-quality
- Enabled Video CD
- Enabled CD-ROM
- Enabled mp3 audio
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- Approved November 1994
- DVD-quality
- Enabled Digital TV set-top boxes
- Enabled Digital Versatile Disk (DVD)
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- Approved October 1998
- Scalable quality
- Based on QuickTime File Format
- Scalable delivery - from cell phones to satellite television.
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| What is MPEG-2? |
| MPEG-2 is a set of technology specifications for the compression, decompression, processing, and coded representations of video and audio. It was defined by the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) committee, the working group within the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) that specified the popular MPEG-1 standard and the new MPEG-4 standard. MPEG-2 was approved in 1994 and is the basis for such products as Digital Television set top boxes and Digital Versatile Disk (DVD). |
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| MPEG-2 Playback File Types |
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| Contact QuickTime |
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