1．    How to get the National standard, Information Technology Advanced Audio and Video
          Coding Part 2: Vide (GB/T20090.2-2006)?
2．    What does AVS stand for?
3．    What is the mission of AVS Work Group?
4．    Where can AVS standard be applied?
5．    How many subgroups have been established in AVS currently?
6．    How many AVS member bodies are there?
7．    What are AVS members’ rights and obligations?
8．    Is there any difference between official members and observing members?
9．    How does AVS operate?
10． How to get the latest news about AVS?
11． How to access to AVS internal documents and how to get user name and password of AVS
           server? Does the password always remain unchanged?
12． Are there any other formalities to go through than filling forms and pay membership fees?
13． How can I contact AVS?
14． Does it cost much to have DTV system based on AVS?
15． Will AVS be international standard?
16． What are the standards produced by AVS?
17． How to get the English specification of AVS standards?
18． What is AVS P2 Video（GB/T 20090.2）to register MPEG-2 format identifiers?
19 .  How to get the National standard, Information Technology Advanced Audio and Video Coding Part 2: Vide (GB/T20090.2-2006)?

Q: How to get the National standard, Information Technology Advanced Audio and Video Coding Part 2: Vide (GB/T20090.2-2006)?
A: It can be purchased in the bookshops under China Standardization Press after been published. The copyright of the official standard belongs to the state since it was approved and promulgated. You could also obtain it on line http://www.spc.net.cn/produce/showonebook.asp?strid=28188. The specification at the stage of FCD can also be found on AVS ftp server, but it is restricted to access by AVS members using ID and password. The English specification can be purchased from the AVS secretariat.

Q: What does AVS stand for?
A: AVS is short for Audio and Video Coding Standard Workgroup of China which is attached to the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is announced to be established by the Science and Technology Division under the former Ministry of Information Industry of People’s Republic of China.

Q: What is the mission of AVS Work Group?
A: AVS is committed to setting technical standards for compression, decompression, processing, and representation of digital audio and video, and thus providing the digital audio-video equipments and systems with high-efficient and economical coding/decoding technologies.

Q: Where can AVS standard be applied?
A: AVS can meet variety of applications including digital television, laser disc, network streaming media, wireless streaming media, digital audio broadcasting, video surveillance and etc..

Q: How many subgroups have been established in AVS currently?
A: AVS has currently set up seven subgroups, namely, Request and test, system, video, audio, digital media rights management (DRM), implementation and the IPR. AVS member can choose join any one or every one of the subgroups. The contact information of each subgroup chair and co-chairs is available here.

Q: How many AVS member bodies are there?
A: AVS Work Group comprises a number of well-known enterprises and research institutes from academia world wide. As there always are new members constantly joining us, the number frequently changes. The latest statistics is available here.

Q: What are AVS members’ rights and obligations?
A: Please refer to AVS constitutions and bylaws, click here.

Q: Is there any difference between official members and observing members?
A: Any unit or organization that is registered in Mainland China and is an independent legal entity under Chinese law may apply to be Official Member at will, provided it agrees to abide by this Constitution. Any following applicant will become an Official Member or Observing Member after being reviewed and so accepted by the Working Group and its membership being reported to the Science and Technology Department of MII for record. Any unit or organization that is not an independent legal entity registered in Mainland China may apply to be an Observing Member. An Observing Member shall bear the same obligations as an Official Member. Except for the right to vote, an Observing Member enjoys all the other rights Official Members have.

Q: How does AVS operate?
A: AVS is composed of member bodies, and principally meet every three months to discuss technical proposals and report work progress. Works including standards drafting, discussion and test to verification are responsible by respective subgroup Chairs who are qualified to launch subgroup panel meetings when workload requests. When necessary, technical exchange and industrial exhibition will be arranged in electronic form or physical presence.

Q: How to get the latest news about AVS?
A: All updates or events of AVS are published on AVS website, and the latest news reports are regularly collected and distributed to AVS members by AVS Secretariat through e-mail.

Q: How to access to AVS internal documents and how to get user name and password of AVS server? Does the password always remain unchanged?
A: AVS internal documents are only available to AVS members. All AVS document are archived on AVS ftp server. AVS Secretariat sends by e-mail the ID name and Password to headers of its member bodies once when the ID and PW changes. The ID and PW will change after each member meeting to make sure the documents stay confidential.

Q: Are there any other formalities to go through than filling forms and pay membership fees?
A: In addition to filling electronic forms and pay membership fees, the applicant also need to post to us the executed hard copy of the following forms, namely Member Agreement, Default Licensing Form, application form and Registration Form. The detailed joining procedure is here.

Q: How can I contact AVS?
A: Please refer to AVS website Contact Us. In addition, the contact information can be found at the bottom of AVS homepage.

Q: Does it cost much to have DTV system based on AVS?
A: It has indeed great meaning for DTV system to choose AVS, not only because the cost is quite low, but also for the fact that the substantial input in DTV System is mainly on Program producing, broadcasting and transferring, to adopt AVS can be achieved just by replacing with AVS encoder in broadcasting system, and there will be no changes in other links.

Q: Will AVS be international standard?
A: AVS standard is qualified to apply for and potential for being an international standard through normative procedures. AVS is open to any international bodies, and actually as we did we are continuing our cooperation with them and regard them as our active participants and contributors. As a result of that, we get great support from them.

Q: What are the standards produced by AVS?
1. A: AVS standard is short for the series standards of "information technology advanced Audio and Video Coding". AVS standard series include four main parts: System, Video, Audio, Digital Copyright Management, and auxiliary standards e.g. consistency test. Comprehensive description of AVS standards, please refer to AVS achievements.

Q: How to get the English specification of AVS standards?
A: See here.

Q: What is AVS P2 Video（GB/T 20090.2）to register MPEG-2 format identifiers?
A: It is AVSV. Please refer to http://www.smpte-ra.org/mpegreg/mpegreg.html and http://www.smpte-ra.org/mpegreg/avsv.html.

Q: How to get the National standard, Information Technology Advanced Audio and Video Coding Part 2: Vide (GB/T20090.2-2006)?
A: It can be purchased in the bookshops under China Standardization Press after been published. The copyright of the official standard belongs to the state since it was approved and promulgated. You could also obtain it on line http://www.spc.net.cn/produce/showonebook.asp?strid=28188. The specification at the stage of FCD can also be found on AVS ftp server, but it is restricted to access by AVS members using ID and password.

The English specification can be purchased from the AVS secretariat.