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Google plans to release the VP9 codec in less than a month. While it sounds promising, deep-pocketed companies will want to hold off on adoption. In a series of blog posts last week, Google detailed the final release schedule for VP9 and a few other implementation details. These posts also indicated that YouTube plans to start using VP9 once it’s available in Chrome. Unfortunately for Google, recent patent infringement claims from Nokia seriously muddy the waters regarding whether or not VP8 and VP9 will ultimately be royalty free.
What’s clear at this point is that multiple companies have patents relating to HEVC technology, and they plan to ask for royalties from those who use their technology. This was the case with H.264 as well, and though many in the streaming industry grumbled about the royalties, this disgruntlement certainly didn’t limit H.264’s success. Two things are different with HEVC. First, where H.264 involved a single group of patent holders administered by MPEG LA, it appears that some HEVC patent holders want to pursue royalties outside of a patent group, which will make it more challenging for HEVC users to license the technologies. According to “Patent Snafus Could Delay New Video Codec,” Mediatek and Qualcomm do not want to join the HEVC group formulated by MPEG LA, and Samsung hasn’t decided either way. Our contact at MPEG LA reported that while the HEVC group had met three times as of February 2013, there was still no guarantee that a group would be formed or that all patent holders would join the group. So it appears that HEVC early adopters will have to decide to implement the technology without knowing the cost. For large companies such as Adobe, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, that might be tenable; the H.264 license was capped, and it’s reasonable to assume that the HEVC license will also be capped. All four companies can amortize that cost over millions of product units shipped, and I think it’s highly likely that one or more of these companies will announce HEVC integration by NAB.
At this year’s NAB show in Las Vegas, Motorola moves beyond basic technology demonstrations and will exhibit a practical implementation of HEVC with its first HEVC encoding and decoding in real-time. One demo will feature a real-time HEVC encoder delivering streaming content to a Google Nexus 10 tablet for real-time decoding and playback. A second demo will showcase real-time HEVC HTTP livestreaming to an Apple iPad (4th generation). A third demo will show an IP set-top box decoding HEVC. Motorola’s demonstrations will highlight how the compression efficiency of HEVC enables high-quality video delivery over bandwidth constrained networks to multiple platforms.
The ViBE VS7000 multi-screen video encoding/transcoding system from Thomson Video Networks now provides support for the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) compression standard for live and offline applications. The company says the ViBE VS7000 will lower operator OPEX for delivery of a wide range of convergent TV services including OTT as well as traditional IPTV and cable applications, thanks to the use of HEVC.
During NAB Thomson Video Networks will demonstrate its new live and file-based HEVC encoding solution up to Ultra HD format, working with various HEVC players. One such device is a player from Japanese mobile operator NTT DOCOMO, which has just announced that it will license video decoding software for HEVC to enable full HD video streaming on smartphones and other devices. The ViBE VS7000 will also be demonstrated with VisualOn’s OnStream MediaPlayer+ running HEVC decoding on Nexus tablets. OnStream MediaPlayer+ enables high-quality playback across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, Mac OS and Windows Desktop.
Encoding specialist Telestream couldn't contain itself to just one piece of news for this week's NAB conference. On Friday, it announced that Vantage, it's video transcoding and workflow solution, is going to the cloud. A new product, Vantage Cloud, runs on a cloud-based infrastructure, and connects with local workflows. That gives customers the flexibility to turn to Telestream's cloud encoder when they have a temporary spike in processing needs, or when they need outside help working with new regulations or formats. Combining local and cloud solutions, Telestream says, creates a unified hybrid workflow where users can get jobs done quickly without large investments in hardware. Telestream is partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) on the cloud solution.
4K/HD HEVC CODEC for Video Streaming : We exhibit some types of our HEVC Encoder. These achieve UHD Video Streaming, HD mobile video streaming, and live streaming also, because of high compression efficiency and stable CBR of our HEVC encoders. - High Quality and Stable CBR Software HEVC Encoder SDK responded up to 4K - HD Real-time Software HEVC Encoder - Real-time FPGA HEVC Encoder, this is the first step to the ASIC Encoder
The French government-backed research and development project 4EVER will trial delivery of HD content OTT using the recently ratified HEVC codec at the 2013 French Open Tennis championships starting May 17. This will provide one of the first large scale demonstrations of OTT HD delivery using HEVC, which reduces, by half, the bit rate required to encode video at a given quality level compared with the currently deployed H.264/MPEG4. In Europe, France has taken a lead over HEVC deployment, rather as it did with H.264 in becoming the world’s biggest IPTV market until overtaken by China last year. France Telecom’s Orange, which is still the world’s number one IPTV operator with almost 6 million subscribers, has announced it will launch an VOD service in 1080p HD using HEVC by June 2013. For IPTV operators, a major attraction of HEVC will be the ability to extend the distance range of their services by being able to sustain the same quality at the lower bit rates prevailing further from the DSLAMs where fiber is terminated.
The encoding business is all about squeezing more bits per buck, and the industry is about to advance another level, where HEVC compression plays a huge role in delivering HD quality with optimised throughput and bandwidth.
French telco Orange may be the first to launch a service based on the High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC, also known as H.265), ratified by the ITU in January. According to an announcement at CES 2013, the telco is on the verge of debuting a VoD movies service using HEVC to deliver 3Mbps 1080p HD content on Samsung Smart TVs in France. Encoder vendors are rushing to adapt to the new technology. French specialistATEME has demonstrated HEVC with constant bitrate (CBR) video encoded offline with software, and the company has begun work on real-time encoding. At IBC last year it showed 4K resolution content at 60fps running at 11-15Mbps. ATEME is far from the only vendor researching and developing the technology. Motorola Mobility has demoed HEVC running HD video at 8.8Mbps using MPEG-4 AVC and at 4.4Mbps with HEVC. Ericsson has an HEVC encoder on trial with several telcos for delivery of linear TV over mobile networks and Rovi is to enable third parties to provide HEVC support on their own devices. Meanwhile, Swiss telco Swisscom plans to use HEVC to boost bitrates of HD content for delivery of multi-screen video services by mid-2014.
New end-to-end LTE broadcast solution will revolutionize video delivery in mobile networks and address growing consumer demand for TV Anywhere servicesEnables operators to efficiently launch media services over LTE with Ericsson's unique combination of three new standards: eMBMS, HEVC and MPEG DASHVerizon Wireless to introduce LTE Broadcast for entertainment and sporting events beginning in 2014Leading mobile network operator Telstra to commence trials on its live network in 2013
Designed to support next-generation GPU and CPU architectures, release 2.0 is now available for Elemental’s suite of products for video processing, packaging and streaming live and on-demand video. The release brings together a host of features for multiscreen video delivery to create a unified platform providing substantial benefit to Elemental customers: •Increased performance – With next-generation processor architectures and an optimized video pipeline, Elemental systems offerdouble the performance and density of previous generation solutions in asingle RU footprint. Increased throughput allows customers tobring multiscreen assets to market more quickly and in a smaller footprint than ever before. •Comprehensive codec support – Support for multiple codecs running simultaneously on a single platform provides customers with aseamless migration path from existing video delivery standards tofuture compression technologies. Elemental solutions offer MPEG-2,H.264, VC-1 and HEVC / H.265 encoding with patented compression technology as well as support for JPEG 2000 and ProRes mezzanineassets. •Current and future standards – In addition to support for common video streaming protocols such as Adobe RTMP and HTTP DynamicStreaming (HDS), Microsoft Smooth Streaming and Apple HTTP LiveStreaming (HLS), Elemental software supports newly emergingtechnologies including MPEG-DASH, Ultraviolet and 4K Ultra HD. •Advanced encryption and protection – Secure content with a variety of integrated technologies including Civolution forensic watermarkingfor both live and VOD content, Adobe Flash Access, Apple Sample-AES and Microsoft PlayReady as well as DRM solutions from NDS, Verimatrix and Widevine. •Increased monetization – Support for ESAM dynamic ad insertion and Nielsen ID3 tagging give pay TV operators a path to multiscreenvideo delivery and a way to deepen audience engagement andinteraction. Media companies can also take advantage of the Adobe Primetime ecosystem for ad insertion as well as ad integration solutions from BlackArrow and mDialog. •Augmented audio options – With release 2.0, robust support for audio encoding is available across the Elemental product line, includingsupport for DTS Express, Dolby Digital, Dolby E and Dolby DigitalPlus. In addition, release 2.0 features support for Dolby Digital Plus inApple HLS and Microsoft Smooth Streaming, raising the bar for audio fidelity in the streaming market. •Accessibility features – Audio loudness management lets broadcasters adhere to the CALM Act and new captioning features, includingcaption burn-in, SMPTE-TT and SCC file creation let content creatorsadhere to captioning requirements coming into effect later this year.Elemental makes it easy to caption content originally aired on television and destined for delivery over the Internet.
High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also referred to as H.265, is a video standard that is being developed through an ISO/IEC collaboration. HEVC planning was begun way back in 2004, shortly after H.264 was finalized and the topic has been getting a lot of exposure in the industry over the past few months. Many questions remain about HEVC including how quickly it can be implemented into the current video ecosystem and when content owners will adopt it.
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NHK's 8K Super Hi-Vision is an extremely bandwidth-heavy format -- so much so that earlier tests used gigabit-class internet links rather than traditional TV broadcasting methods. Thankfully, both the broadcaster and Mitsubishi have developed an encoder that could keep data rates down to Earth. The unassuming metal box (above) is the first to squeeze 8K video into the extra-dense H.265(HEVC) format, cutting the bandwidth usage in half versus H.264. Its parallel processing is quick enough to encode video in real time, too, which should please NHK and other networks producing live TV. We'll still need faster-than-usual connections (and gigantic TVs) to make 8K an everyday reality, but that goal should now be more realistic.
Contribution presented during the 104th MPEG meeting and related to the delivery of timeline for external data in MPEG-2 Transport Stream. Read the contribution here : http://goo.gl/jOlMq
European-based satellite bandwidth provider SES has succesful tested an end-to-end file transmsission solution for UltraHD content using the H.265 coding scheme. The compressed 3840×2160 pixel (4K) signal was broadcast from an Astra satellite at 19.2 degrees East in DVB-S2 using a data rate of 20 Mbps. According to those that saw it, the live transmission provided significant improvements in file size and image quality when compared to H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC) compression. The company used technology from Harmonic and Broadcom Corp. to show that it can be done at the SES Industry Days in Luxembourg (April 18-19), using Harmonic’s ProMedia Xpress and a HEVC decoder reference-design system based on Broadcom’s BCM7445 Home Gateway Chip for receiving and displaying HEVC encoded UltraHD television transmissions.
Ultra-HD 4K broadcasting may be all the rage at NAB, but the implementation of the HEVC codec that makes it all possible is happening first for streaming video over-the-top. At NAB, virtually every video processing developer is highlighting adoption of HEVC/H.265 into their products; here we'll take a look at a few of the most notable who were willing to talk about their NAB plans in advance.
ATEME has announced what it says is the industry’s first open source implementation of a software media player supporting High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). The implementation is available immediately. Service providers and broadcasters are able to accelerate experimentation of the new HEVC Codec standard in the field thanks to this development, the company says. GPAC is an open source media player that can be used to playback live or file-based audio and video content and also to encapsulate and transmit such content as a stream. Those functionalities are now extended to files or streams encoded with HEVC, the latest video compression format standardized by ITU as H.265. GPAC has been validated with a 1080p High Definition content delivery chain. Work is now ongoing to extend the use cases to Ultra High Definition.
With over-the-top content delivery, HEVC and 4K becoming hot topics for this year's NAB Show, Harmonic is unveiling significant enhancements to its ProMedia suite of adaptive bit rate (ABR) solutions for multiscreen processing and delivery that include support for HEVC and Ultra HD.
The product is also now more closely integrated with the Harmonic MediaGrid shared storage system and is offering improved support for closed captioning, regional blackouts, and Nielsen ID3 tagging.
At NAB, taking place in Las Vegas April 8-11, Envivio will introduce
new products and showcase new developments in next-generation
software-based video processing that optimize the convergence of
traditional TV and multi-screen services : - An Ultra HD 4K technology demonstration
- HEVC HDTV video compression, enabling up to 50 percent bit-rate savings while preserving video quality
- HEVC video streamed to a tablet in MPEG-DASH format
- TV Anytime capabilities including applications such as Catch-up and Start-over TV, highlights creation, ad insertion and nPVR
- Introduction of a new product that further personalizes the multi-screen user experience
- High efficiency MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) statistical multiplexing
- Envivio True Motion Experience, a new technology for high-quality streaming in MPEG-4 AVC format to connected TVs
- Video packaged by Envivio Halo(TM) network media processor in the Adobe HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS) format, protected by Adobe Access
We're close to broadly available HD streaming which could trigger mass adoption of connected TV. Alex Zambelli gives the story so far.
Pay TV operators in all categories have welcomed HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) as a game changer following its recent ratification by the ITU (International Telecommunications Union), although for varying reasons. There is broad agreement that HEVC will be the codec to usher in Ultra HDTV (UHDTV) services, but also that adoption will proceed gradually over some years as the whole broadcast ecosystem will have to be upgraded.
Mobile World Congress 2013 - Leading Rovi's showcase will be a demonstration of DivX® HEVC 720p integrated with DivX Plus Streaming®, developed to support the rollout of the newly ratified High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard for mobile and consumer electronic devices. The demonstration is an example of Rovi's focus on bringing technologies to market to promote the rapid adoption of HEVC. Outlined in its plan for HEVC, announced at CES 2013, Rovi will be readying its MainConcept® branded codec SDKs and DivX solutions to help enable mobile operators, consumer electronic manufacturers, service providers and other businesses meet demands for streaming content through IP wireless services. In addition, Rovi plans on using DivX Plus Streaming technology to package the benefits of HEVC with advanced features such as support for 1080p, subtitles, multiple language tracks, and trick-play functions such as smooth fast forward and rewind for playback. Support for HEVC will also be integrated in the next version of its DivX consumer playback software to enable consumers to enjoy high definition content, including 4K, as soon as it is released. Rovi plans to have an end-to-end solution for professional HEVC content creation, distribution and playback on PC, mobile and consumer electronics devices. The steps outlined in Rovi's plan provide a clear path towards enabling manufacturers and service providers to be better apt at responding to consumer demand for high quality content on any device and enabling content to be properly distributed to the screen size -- no matter the device.
Not sure what to make of the new format on the block? Read this to get up to speed on how HEVC was created, the challenges it now faces, and when it will go into everyday use.
NTT DOCOMO, INC., Japan’s leading mobile operator and provider of integrated services centered on mobility, announced today that it will license a software for decoding HEVC, the new international standard for video coding, in March. DOCOMO’s HEVC decoding software is the world’s first of its kind for Full HD playback on smartphones. DOCOMO played a leading role in the new standard’s development beginning in 2007, including proposing the concept and technical requirements of using HEVC for mobile video services. Beginning in late 2011, DOCOMO verified feasibility by demonstrating some of the world’s first and most advanced real-time HEVC software decoding on tablets and smartphones. DOCOMO’s achievement of Full HD video on smartphones and real-time decoding of UHDTV video at 60 frames per second on PCs were key milestones in the standard’s eventual realization.
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