It was in 1995 when MPEG-2 video coding format was first standardized. It was later revised in 2013. The format was quite popular then due to its low computational complexity and had huge native implementations in video hardware.

MPEG2 discards the image information that remains unchanged from one frame to another and consequently saves the portion where new information is added. The process is known as video compression and is standardized for satellite and cable broadcasting. It is also used to create DVDs. Furthermore, it is also used in DCP, wrapped in MXF container for theatre screening as MPEG2 format is acceptable in certain cinemas.