The MPEG Video Standards – from 1 to 21

MPEG21
Skipping a few numbers, we get to the last of the brewing standards – the MPEG-21 Multimedia Framework. MPEG21 seeks to let content distributors have complete control over content at all parts of the delivery chain and on all kinds of networks and devices. The basic idea is that digital media content is broken down into digital items. An item might be a video data stream, an audio data stream, subtitle text or the URL to a logo image, all within one MPEG21 file. Using the "adaptation" feature of MPEG21, networks or playback devices can interact with specific items in the file. For example, you might have multiple audio tracks in different languages all packed in one file. The playback device would understand the options and rules, and play the appropriate one for the user. With the delivery system having knowledge of what's inside the file, the intent is to allow seamless access to media across all kinds of devices and networks, regardless of bandwidth or client capability.

Perhaps the MPEG21 feature that has received the most attention is its DRM (Digital Rights/Restrictions Management) system. To maintain control over the dissemination and use of digital content, MPEG21 aims to assert total control over usage. Every digital item has granular rights and permissions associated with it, and every user who interacts with it – consumers or content providers – are granted specific rights according to their role.

Total control over the file's behavior for any purpose on any device or network, along with extensive restrictions and role-based authorization, will result in two possibilities. One is an ubiquitous and standardized capacity to do eCommerce with digital media in any environment – be it server-based, peer-to-peer, or "sneaker net." The other is that, without proper legal and technical safeguards, you also may be granting too much power to the content owner to control the way the media is consumed.