The goal of this project is to provide a single function: the compression of a stream of raw video data into an MPEG-1 encoded video bitstream. Several important design constraints have been identified that must be met to provide a useful final project. First of all, the encoder should be real-time or nearly real-time. Although achieving nearly real-time compression might not seem worthwhile, the constantly decreasing cost of computational power means that a very fast software encoder would rapidly approach real-time performance. Secondly, the networking hardware should be restricted to a 10 Megabit process. Although newer network hardware provides much greater throughput, the low cost and availability of the older hardware makes it preferable. A third constraint is cost. Recent low end hardware based devices now sell for under $1000. The goal for this project is that the final product could be assembled for under $500. This will make it competitive with both the current generation and next generation of hardware based solutions. Finally, the encoder should provide less than 12 user defined parameters that can be used to customize the compression process. Although the standard is quite open ended, a small set of options will provide enough flexibility for the majority of applications while making the implementation more manageable.
One group that could make use of this product would be web content providers. MPEG-1 video is the most widely used video format on the Internet, and not all of the people who create web content have access to current encoders. Hobbyists, who currently have no options for producing MPEG-1 video in real-time, could assemble the hardware needed to run this software on a limited budget. Finally, artists interested in distributing original films or animations could use this product for that purpose.