ITU-T Recommendation H.264 Advanced video coding for generic audiovisual services 0 Introduction This clause does not form an integral part of this Recommendation | International Standard. 0.1 Prologue This subclause does not form an integral part of this Recommendation | International Standard. As the costs for both processing power and memory have reduced, network support for coded video data has diversified, and advances in video coding technology have progressed, the need has arisen for an industry standard for compressed video representation with substantially increased coding efficiency and enhanced robustness to network environments. Toward these ends the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) formed a Joint Video Team (JVT) in 2001 for development of a new Recommendation | International Standard. 0.2 Purpose This subclause does not form an integral part of this Recommendation | International Standard. This Recommendation | International Standard was developed in response to the growing need for higher compression of moving pictures for various applications such as videoconferencing, digital storage media, television broadcasting, internet streaming, and communication. It is also designed to enable the use of the coded video representation in a flexible manner for a wide variety of network environments. The use of this Recommendation | International Standard allows motion video to be manipulated as a form of computer data and to be stored on various storage media, transmitted and received over existing and future networks and distributed on existing and future broadcasting channels.