Some digital video links:

Chris Pirazzi's Video selected papers:

Mpeg2 information:

Broadcasting:

  • DVB: Digital Video Broadcasting specifications.
  • Davic.

codec specifications:

  • AC3: this is an audio format used in DVD mpeg streams.
  • ETSI TS 102 114 V1.2.1 (2002-12): this is a copy of the DTS specification which is an audio format used in DVD mpeg streams (requires an account to download the free specification).
  • ISO 11172-3: draft of Mpeg 1 audio (dated 22 november 1991). The popular MP3 format is actually Mpeg 1 audio layer III.
  • ISO 13818-1: last draft of Mpeg 2 systems (dated November 13, 1994).
  • ISO 13818-2: last draft of Mpeg 2 video (dated January 20, 1995).
  • Mpeg Drafts: someone seems to maintain a good list of word files which correspond to the last versions of mpeg specification drafts.

Application-level specifications

Application-level specifications are usually independent on the underlying medium storage. For example, it is possible to write DVD-Video data onto a CD-ROM disc and playback that disc in any consumer DVD player.

  • DVD-Video (identified by DVD Specifications for Read-Only Disc - Part 3 - Video Specifications by the dvd-forum): this is what most people know as DVD. It describes the layout of the data structures stored on disc which describe the navigation menus. DVD-Video discs contain two filesystems: an OSTA UDF-compatible filesystem and an iso-9660 compatible filesystem.
  • DVD-Audio (designed and endorsed by the dvd-forum): this specification describes a set of data structures stored on disc which describe high-quality digital audio streams and still and animated mpeg 1/2 video streams which can be played back simultaneously. A subset of DVD-Video is also defined to act as a kind of compatibility wrapper for straight DVD-Video players.
  • DVD-VR (designed and endorsed by the dvd-forum): this specification which is incompatible with DVD-Video was designed to provide real-time recording and editing of audio/video data onto an optical disc. Medium-level, filesystem-level and application-level data structures are described which make this possible.
  • DVD+VR (designed by philips): this specification was designed to provide real-time recording and limited editing of audio/video data onto an optical disc. The discs produced after the operation of finalization by compatible recorders are compatible with the DVD-Video specification (that is, any DVD-Video capable player should play the disc if it can read the medium on which the data is stored).
  • VCD 1.1 (designed philips and JVC, also known as the white book): provides simple playback of mpeg 1 video/mpeg1 layer 1/2 audio non-interlaced movies. This format was designed to be stored on CD-ROM medium. VCD 1.1 discs are to be compatible with CD-I players.
  • VCD 2.0 (designed philips, JVC, Matsushita an Sony): Adds interactive capability (basically, graphical menus ala DVD) to VCD 1.1. These discs are still compatible with CD-I players.
  • SVCD (IEC 62107): Adds Mpeg 2 video (mainly, interlaced video) support to VCD 2.0. The development of this specification was mainly driven by the desire from Chinese companies to be able to produce high-quality digital video players without having to pay huge per-player royalties to foreign companies.
  • CD-I (also known as the green book): this technology is dead. A lot of information can be found on the icdia website.

Filesystems

  • CD-Bridge (included in the white book): contains extra information on a CD-ROM XA track.
  • iso 9660 (ECMA 119/2): the filesystem used by most CDs. All DVDs compliant with the DVD-Video specification contain a valid iso9660 filesystem.
  • ECMA TR-71: DVD-ROM filesystem: this is a straight copy of the DVD-Video specification Part 2 (v1.0).
  • Joliet extensions: microsoft's non-standard extension to iso 9660.
  • UDF specifications:
    • ECMA 167/1 (June 92) started it all: it was the basis for iso 13346.
    • ECMA 167/2 is a backport of iso 13346.
    • ECMA 167/3 (June 97) contains a few additions over 167/2, most notably the concept of streams (filesystem within a file).
    • OSTA UDF 1.0.2 is a rather limited subset of iso 13346. This is used by the DVD-Video specification.
    • OSTA UDF 1.5 is a bigger subset of iso 13346. It also includes some new features such as the VAT for incremental recording on write-once media.
    • OSTA UDF 2.0.1 is a superset of OSTA UDF 1.5 and references most of ECMA 176/3. This is used by DVD-VR (realtime video recording on write-once or write-multiple DVD media).
    • ECMA TR 71 (also known as UDF bridge): this bridge format is used by DVD-Video (DVD-Video specifies a few constraints on the UDF brudge format but it is compatible). It specifies how to provide both an iso9660-compatible filesystem and a UDF-compatible filesystem.

Low-level CD/DVD device information:

  • Physical media
    • ECMA-130 (this is the part of the yellow-book which describes the physical layout of data on the disc. ISO/IEC 10149): CD-ROM physical characteristics, sector format.
    • CDROM-XA: an extension of CD-ROM to provide compatibility with CD-I. It comprises extensions to the original yellow book (sector format 2), and a filsystem based on iso9660. CDROM-XA is now described in the yellow book.
    • ECMA-267: this is a copy of the DVD specification book 1: DVD-ROM physical characteristics, sector format.
    • ECMA-279: DVD-R physical characteristics, sector format.
    • ECMA-338: DVD-RW physical characteristics, sector format.
    • ECMA-272: DVD-RAM physical characteristics, sector format.
    • ECMA-337: DVD+RW physical characteristics, sector format.
  • Atapi commands: (how to access the data on a DVD/CD drive)