Foreword
Sandy MacInnis kindly provided the Foreword of the book. He was the MPEG Systems Group's chair during the development of MPEG-2 Systems until the group finished the first edition of the specification. Below is a statement from his Foreword.
Jan van der Meer is exceptionally well qualified to write this book. Since its inception, he was active in the MPEG Systems committee and remained active in it for many years. He contributed a great deal of clarity to the committee discussions and documentation and was a frequent source of ideas. As I chaired the committee through the development of the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 Systems standards, Jan's presence, participation, clarity, and humor were all invaluable in enabling the group to produce such a high-quality standard. Jan's knowledge extends well beyond this standard, encompassing a wide range of related topics, as you will find evident from reading this book. Even if you are already quite familiar with the MPEG-2 Systems standard, I am confident that you will find many refreshing insights in his detailed and clever writing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.