Versatile video coding

Versatile Video Coding (VVC) is a video compression method that was developed by JVET (the combined video expert team from MPEG and ITU ). At times it was also called the Future Video Codec / FVC or ITU H.266. It is the successor to the High Efficiency Video Codec / HEVC process (also known as ITU H.265). The standardization process for the HEVC successor officially started in October 2017. A version of the codec was shown at IBC 2018 that compresses 40% more efficiently than HEVC. On July 6, 2020, the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute announced the finalization of the video coding standard.

Goals and schedule

aims

At least 30 percent better compression than H.265 / HEVC (target: as always 50 percent)
Resolutions: from 4K to 16K
Support of 360 ° videos

Original schedule

October 2017: Call for Proposals
February 2018: Evaluation of the suggestions received
October 2018: first test modules for evaluation
October 2019: first draft of the standard
End of 2020: first official standard
June 2021: first hardware implementations

Quality and efficiency

In a blog post on a study by BBC Research in May 2019, the tested version of the codec was certified as having a bit rate saving of 35% for UHD compared to HEVC. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is assuming a 50% saving for the finalized version compared to HEVC.

Areas of application

Together with SES, the video equipment supplier ATEME has already carried out initial tests on the use of the method for satellite transmission of UHD video with VVC via DVB-S2 .

Licensing and Alternative Procedures

The licensing situation is currently largely unknown. Since this is a further development of HEVC technology, it is clear that VVC is a patented video coding standard and will not be free.

In order to avoid the mistakes made when licensing the HEVC codec at VVC, a new working group called the Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) was founded.

With the AOMedia Video 1 process, another video compression process appeared in the course of 2018, which can also achieve good compression rates, is offered by the Alliance for Open Media free of license fees and is already integrated in many web browsers and media players .

In the future, MPEG also wants to offer a standard codec free of license fees, and also wants to document the patent claims more precisely and enable and disable individual functions for which patent rights exist or license fees are required. For this purpose, a new standard is to be defined as MPEG-5 Part 1 Essential Video Coding (EVC) in 2020, which should be free of license fees in the basic profile. The idea of making individual technologies on and off was also implemented in the competing XVC codec . The MPEG also wants to define another standard in 2020 as MPEG-5 Part 2 with Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding (LCEVC) .

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ N17195, Joint Call for Proposals on Video Compression with Capability beyond HEVC | MPEG. Retrieved December 25, 2019 .
↑ slashCAM: Fraunhofer Institute shows 50% better HEVC successor VVC at // IBC 2018. Accessed on November 8, 2018 (German).
↑ Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI. Retrieved July 6, 2020 .
↑ heise online: HEVC successor VVC / H.266: video coding finalized and ready for GPUs. Retrieved July 6, 2020 .
↑ Testing AV1 and VVC - BBC R&D. Retrieved December 25, 2019 .
↑ Faster video transmission: Fraunhofer HHI introduces new global video coding standard H.266 / VVC. Fraunhofer HHI, July 6, 2020, accessed on July 6, 2020 .
↑ ATEME Joins Forces with SES to Trial First-Ever Live Over-The-Air UHD Broadcast Using VVC - ATEME. Retrieved July 14, 2020 (UK English).
↑ Christian Feldmann: VVC video codec - the next-next generation codec. December 6, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).
^ Jan Ozer, Jan Ozer: A Video Codec Licensing Update. January 13, 2019, accessed January 16, 2019 .
^ MC-IF. Retrieved January 16, 2019 .
↑ Broken license model: MPEG founder sees video codecs in danger - Golem.de . ( golem.de [accessed on November 12, 2018]).
↑ Essential Video Coding | MPEG. Retrieved May 21, 2019 .
↑ MPEG 125 - Marrakesh | MPEG. Retrieved May 21, 2019 .
↑ Inside MPEG's Ambitious Plan to Launch 3 Video Codecs in 2020. October 15, 2019, accessed March 12, 2020 (American English).

[1] N17195, Joint Call for Proposals on Video Compression with Capability beyond HEVC | MPEG. Retrieved December 25, 2019 .

[2] slashCAM: Fraunhofer Institute shows 50% better HEVC successor VVC at // IBC 2018. Accessed on November 8, 2018 (German).

[3] Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI. Retrieved July 6, 2020 .

[4] se online: HEVC successor VVC / H.266: video coding finalized and ready for GPUs. Retrieved July 6, 2020 .

[:0-5] Testing AV1 and VVC - BBC R&D. Retrieved December 25, 2019 .

[6] Faster video transmission: Fraunhofer HHI introduces new global video coding standard H.266 / VVC. Fraunhofer HHI, July 6, 2020, accessed on July 6, 2020 .

[7] ATEME Joins Forces with SES to Trial First-Ever Live Over-The-Air UHD Broadcast Using VVC - ATEME. Retrieved July 14, 2020 (UK English).

[8] Christian Feldmann: VVC video codec - the next-next generation codec. December 6, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2019 (American English).

[9] Jan Ozer, Jan Ozer: A Video Codec Licensing Update. January 13, 2019, accessed January 16, 2019 .

[10] MC-IF. Retrieved January 16, 2019 .

[11] Broken license model: MPEG founder sees video codecs in danger - Golem.de . ( golem.de [accessed on November 12, 2018]).

[12] Essential Video Coding | MPEG. Retrieved May 21, 2019 .

[13] MPEG 125 - Marrakesh | MPEG. Retrieved May 21, 2019 .

[14] Inside MPEG's Ambitious Plan to Launch 3 Video Codecs in 2020. October 15, 2019, accessed March 12, 2020 (American English).