New H.266 VVC codec reduces 4K and 8K data streams by 50%

[Ink]

Fraunhofer, the German company that helped develop the H.264, H.265 and MP3 encoding formats, has unveiled a new video encoding standard that could severely reduce streaming bottlenecks. Called H.266/Versatile Video Coding (VVC), it’s specifically designed for 4K and 8K streaming and reduces data requirements by around 50 percent compared to H.265 HEVC (high-efficiency video coding). At the same time, the improved compression won’t compromise visual quality.

The company developed the codec in collaboration with partners including Apple, Ericsson, Intel, Huawei, Microsoft, Qualcomm and Sony. It will be licensed by the Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF), a group with 34 major member companies

Fraunhofer said that if a 90-minute, H.265/HEVC-encoded movie is about 10GB, it would only be 5GB for the same quality when encoded with the new codec. “Because H.266/VVC was developed with ultra-high-resolution video content in mind, the new standard is particularly beneficial when streaming 4K or 8K videos on a flat screen TV,” Fraunhofer said. At the same time, it will support all formats from 480p on up.

Read more - New H.266 codec uses half the data to stream 4K video

 

[CyberTech]

For those who don't know what it is:

What Are HEVC and AVC? H.265 and H.264 Video Codecs and Content Streaming Explained

Big on streaming content? Learn how H.265 / HEVC and H.264 / AVC make it possible.

www.tomshardware.com

 

[blackice]

Heck yeah! Fight those data caps!

 

[cali_max99]

The goal of video compression never changes: cut redundant info without the least quality degrading and release the burden of bandwidth during data transmission accordingly. With people's increasing demand for UHD contents, H.266 technology seems very competitive, especially in broadcasting, security, education, medical, entertainment, etc.

But things may be not that desirable. HEVC is a negative example: the standard was finalized in 2013 but was not supported by Apple Inc. until 2017. H.264 is still playing a dominant role. H266 is obviously a huge challenge for multimedia software.

So I'm doubting whether it will go viral in the near future. If yes, I will be really excited to see excellent video playback and editing software designed for H266.