The new H.266/VVC video codec has arrived, promising to cut data use by half for both 4k and 8k streaming. The new technology emerges after years of conversations between some of the industry’s largest players. The previous standards, H.265/HECV, and H.264/AVC are still active in over 10 billion endpoints, processing around 90% of the world’s video data.
However, this new codec should help people with slow connections to access footage in better quality than ever before, without the need for buffering. This highlights an exciting new opportunity for 4K video conferencing and paves the way for companies to explore the realm of 8k content.
Through the reduction of data requirements, the new codec supports video transmission in all networks – including mobile. The previous standard, H2.65, would require ten gigabytes to transmit an ultra-high-definition 90-minute video. This new codec would only need 5 gigabytes to convey the same quality. Because the codec was built with higher resolution content in mind, it will be particularly beneficial when streamlining all kinds of images.
A New Era for Video
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Benjamin Bross[/caption]
According to the head of the Video Coding Systems group from Fraunhofer HHI, Benjamin Bross, it’s wonderful to see this new codec coming to life after three years of development. The team is proud to be responsible for the new codec, which has the potential to change the way we use and access video worldwide. The increased versatility of the new format will also make things like video conferencing more appealing.
A transparent and uniform licensing model based on FRAND will help to deliver essential patents for the new codec. The Media Coding Industry Forum will support this. Unfortunately, it may be a while before we begin to see the impact of this new technology. The updated chips required for the codec are still in the design process.
According to Fraunhofer HHI, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Qualcomm, Huawei, and Ericsson are among some of the companies contributing to the tech’s development. The brand hopes that in time, cameras and smartphones will be able to automatically record and deliver content in the new format. However, the new chips will need to be ready first.
In the meantime, recordings require a new encoding to access the latest compression functionality. Playback may also require a faster processor because the hardware available today wasn’t created with this technology in mind.
The Next Generation in Codec Choices
H.266 is requires only half of the bitrate as the current standard H.265. The H.265 also halved the bitrate requirements of the codec that came before it, H.264, although this format is still available around the world. When this new technology does begin to gain steam in the current landscape, the opportunities for high-quality video will be endless.
