MPEG-4 Book, The

Foreword

by Leonardo Chiariglione

Communication standards have existed for centuries. Whereas in the past standards were generated by custom or by royal or republican edicts, with the progress of technology and the formation of standards bodies such as the ITU, a new process was put in place whereby innovations leading to new forms of communication could be developed in a particular environment and ratified by a standards body. This arrangement served the needs of all concerned parties for a long time. But those were times when innovation happened slowly and industries operated independently from one another.

MPEG came to the forefront at a time when it was becoming apparent that the old arrangement would no longer work. Too many similar developments ...