MPEG-E is the result of an entirely new direction of MPEG standardisation. Starting from the need to define API that applications can call to access key MPEG technologies, MPEG developed a Call for Proposal to which several responses were received. MPEG reviewed the responses and developed the ISO/IEC standard called Multimedia Middleware.

MPEG-E is composed of 8 parts

1. Part 1 – Architecture specifies the MPEG Multimedia Middleware (M3W) architecture that allows applications to execute multimedia functions without requiring detailed knowledge of the middleware and to update, upgrade and extend the M3W
2. Part 2 – Multimedia application programming interface (API) specifies the M3W API that provide media functions suitable for products with different capabilities for use in multiple domains
3. Part 3 – Component model specifies the M3W component model and the support API for instantiating and interacting with components and services
4. Part 4 – Resource and quality management, Part 5 – Component download, Part 6 – Fault management and Part 7 – System integrity management specify the support API and the technology used for M3W Component Download Fault Management Integrity Management and Resource Management, respectively