MPEG-2 - broadcast-quality video can be obtained using MPEG-2 compression schemes. Transfer rates are approximately 3 Mbps to 15 Mbps and higher. MPEG-2 can also be used to create "scalable" video systems - those in which the picture quality of each decoded subset is directly proportional to the amount of information bits that the subset carries.

 

MPEG-4 - was defined using the standards for encoding video in a digital compressed format as specified by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). It supports video, audio, and system components that are compliant with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) MPEG-4 defacto standards. The MPEG-4 open standards are a set of specifications that are used to build products for production, encoding and delivery of audio/video content over many kinds of networks to a variety of clients such as personal computers, wireless devices, Web browsers, and many more. Device manufacturers prefer using MPEG-4 because the open architecture and codec do not lock them into specific formats or players. Instead of having to develop for three or four separate formats, which is logistically difficult and costly, providers can build on MPEG-4's single format.

 

H.264 - is a standard for video compression, and is equivalent to MPEG-4 Part 10, or MPEG-4 AVC (for Advanced Video Coding). The intent of the H.264/AVC project was to create a standard capable of providing good video quality at substantially lower bit rates than previous standards (e.g. half or less the bit rate of MPEG-2, H.263, or MPEG-4 Part 2), without increasing the complexity of design so much that it would be impractical or excessively expensive to implement. An additional goal was to provide enough flexibility to allow the standard to be applied to a wide variety of applications on a wide variety of networks and systems, including low and high bit rates, low and high resolution video, broadcast, DVD storage, RTP/IP packet networks, and ITU-T multimedia telephony systems.