A bitstream format is the format of the data found in a stream of bits used in a digital communication or data storage application.
Standardized interoperability specifications such as the video coding standards produced by the MPEG and the ITU-T, and the audio coding standards produced by the MPEG, often specify only the bitstream format and the decoding process.
[clarification needed][2] Normally, decoding of a bitstream can be initiated without having to start from the beginning of a file, or the beginning of the data transmission.
Some bitstreams are designed for this to occur, for example by using indexes or key frames.
[citation needed] Uses of bit stream decoders (BSD):