H.264 and MPEG-4 Video Compression- Video Coding for Next-generation Multimedia Description:

H.264 and MPEG-4 Video Compression: Video Coding for Next-generation Multimedia review:
2 stars (One Chapter on H.264 Only - Don't Bother) - I got this book since it is the only book on H.264 I know of.

There is a single chapter on H.264, chapter 6. The free

on-line papers from Richardson are mostly what is in that chapter.



There are plenty of H.264 overviews on the net for free

which cover the subject in greater depth which are more current.


3 stars (First on the subject, rough around the edges) - This is the first text book published on H.264. It has a nice overview of digital video compression techniques followed by chapters focusing on the specifics of each of the MPEG-4 and H.264 standards. Buying this book relays much of the same information but is more cost effective than buying each of the papers and articles on the subject from IEEE and others.It appears that this book was rushed to publication in order to be first. Particularly in the chapter on H.264, there are many typos and incomplete figures. In some places, a new technical term is used without proper introduction. I look forward to a cleaner second edition in the future.