Editing MPEG-4 (section)

==Overview==
MPEG-4 provides a series of technologies for developers, for various service-providers and for end users:

* MPEG-4 enables different software and hardware developers to create multimedia objects possessing better abilities of adaptability and flexibility to improve the quality of such services and technologies as [[digital television]], [[animation]] graphics, the [[World Wide Web]] and their extensions.
* Data network providers can use MPEG-4 for data transparency. With the help of standard procedures, MPEG-4 data can be interpreted and transformed into other signal types compatible with any available network.
* The MPEG-4 format provides end users with a wide range of interaction with various animated objects.
* Standardized digital rights management signaling, otherwise known in the MPEG community as Intellectual Property Management and Protection (IPMP).

The MPEG-4 format can perform various functions, among which might be the following:

* [[Multiplexes]] and [[Synchronization|synchronizes]] data, associated with media objects, in such a way that they can be efficiently transported further via network channels.
* Interaction with the audio-visual scene, which is formed on the side of the receiver.

===Profiles and Levels===
{{See also|1=MPEG-4 Part 2#Profiles|label 1=Profiles and levels specified in MPEG-4 Part 2|2=Advanced Video Coding#Profiles|label 2=Profiles specified in MPEG-4 Part 10|3=Advanced Video Coding#Levels|label 3=Levels specified in MPEG-4 Part 10}}

MPEG-4 provides a large and rich set of tools for encoding.{{vague|date=August 2023}}
Subsets of the MPEG-4 tool sets have been provided for use in specific applications.{{vague|date=August 2023}}
These subsets, called 'Profiles', limit the size of the tool set a decoder is required to implement.<ref name="rfc3640-31"/> In order to restrict computational complexity, one or more 'Levels' are set for each Profile.<ref name="rfc3640-31"/> A Profile and Level combination allows:<ref name="rfc3640-31">{{citation | url = http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3640#page-31 | title = RFC 3640 | date = December 2003 | page = 31 | publisher = IETF | last1 = MacKie | first1 = David | last2 = Singer | first2 = David | last3 = Meer | first3 = Jan Van der | last4 = Swaminathan | first4 = Viswanathan | last5 = Gentric | first5 = Philippe | access-date = 2009-03-23 | archive-date = 2009-04-28 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090428050828/http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3640#page-31 | url-status = live }}.</ref>
* A codec builder to implement only the subset of the standard needed, while maintaining interworking with other MPEG-4 devices that implement the same combination.<ref name="rfc3640-31"/>
* Checking whether MPEG-4 devices comply with the standard, referred to as [[conformance testing]].<ref name="rfc3640-31"/>