Qualcomm is touting its role in completing the new Versatile Video Coding (VVC) standard for video compression. The company expects commercial deployments to happen in 2021.
VVC has improved compression and reduces data requirements by around 50% of the bit rate relative to H.265/High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), meaning faster video transmission for equal perceptual quality. VVC provides transmission and storage for video resolutions including SD, HD, 4K and 8K while supporting high dynamic range video and omnidirectional 360-degree video.
“By 2022, 82% of internet traffic will be video. In our connected world of Netflix, Zoom calls, and video sharing, video compression is an extraordinarily important technology area that people around the world rely on every day,” said Marta Karczewicz, vice president of technology at Qualcomm Technologies, in a statement.
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Fraunhofer earlier this month officially announced the completion of the standard.
“After dedicating almost three years toward this standard, we are proud to have been instrumental in developing H.266/VVC," said Benjamin Bross, head of the Video Coding Systems group at Fraunhofer HHI and editor of the standard specification of H.266/VVC, in a statement. “Because of the quantum leap in coding efficiency offered by H.266/VVC, the use of video will increase further worldwide. Moreover, the increased versatility of H.266/VVC makes its use more attractive for a broader range of applications related to the transmission and storage of video.”
The organization plans to implement a licensing model based on the FRAND principle (i.e., fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) for the use of standard essential patents related to H.266/VVC. For this purpose, the Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) was founded. In addition to Fraunhofer Society, the MC-IF now includes more 30 companies and organizations like Apple, Beamr, CableLabs, Dolby, HEVC Advance, Nokia, Orange, Sony and Tencent. The new chips required for the use of H.266/VVC, such as those in mobile devices, are currently being designed and Dr. Thomas Schierl, head of the Video Coding and Analytics department at Fraunhofer HHI, said that this fall Fraunhofer will publish the first software for both encoder and decoder to support H.266/VVC.