In comparing these two compression codecs, the installing security company must consider a number of factors to determine whether MPEG or JPEG-based devices will provide the best performance and value for a particular client. The first is the network’s available bandwidth to transmit video. Because JPEG transmits complete images, a high rate stream of JPEG images, for example 15-25 frames per second (fps), will require a large portion of bandwidth to deliver its images. MPEG video streams are intrinsically lower, as only a relatively few full images are transmitted, along with a number of partial images. From this perspective, MPEG devices should be considered when a sizeable quantity of video cameras or encoders are to be connected to an individual network, as the overall bandwidth requirements will be lower than with similar JPEG devices.
Product cost is another primary consideration. JPEG is a “free†technology, requiring no licensing fees to be paid by the manufacturer and secondarily by the user. Devices using JPEG are less expensive than equivalent MPEG equipment, for which licensing fees must be paid for use of the codec.