Abstract

In the last 17 years, since the finalization of the first version of the now-dominant H.264/Moving Picture Experts Group-4 (MPEG-4) Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard in 2003, two major new generations of video coding standards have been developed. These include the standards known as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) and Versatile Video Coding (VVC). HEVC was finalized in 2013, repeating the ten-year cycle time set by its predecessor and providing about 50% bit-rate reduction over AVC. The cycle was shortened by three years for the VVC project, which was finalized in July 2020, yet again achieving about a 50% bit-rate reduction over its predecessor (HEVC). This article summarizes these developments in video coding standardization after AVC. It especially focuses on providing an overview of the first version of VVC, including comparisons against HEVC. Besides further advances in hybrid video compression, as in previous development cycles, the broad versatility of the application domain that is highlighted in the title of VVC is explained. Included in VVC is the support for a wide range of applications beyond the typical standard- and high-definition camera-captured content codings, including features to support computer-generated/screen content, high dynamic range content, multilayer and multiview coding, and support for immersive media such as 360° video.

Highlights

  • In 2013, the first version of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard was finalized [1], providing about a 50% bit-rate reduction compared with its prede-cessor, the H.264/Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard [2]

  • Cessor, the H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard [2]. Both standards were jointly developed by the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)

  • While AVC incorporates blocklevel features optimized for interlaced video, HEVC does not burden decoders with additional complexity for this and, instead, only provides a basic, yet efficient, picturelevel method to encode interlaced video using the same set of block-level coding tools as for progressive-scan video

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

In 2013, the first version of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard was finalized [1], providing about a 50% bit-rate reduction compared with its prede-. Practically every 4k TV is equipped with an HEVC decoder to play back high-quality 4k video, the data rates necessary to deliver that content are still rather high, stretching the limits of broadband capacity. This illustrates the need for even more efficient compression than the current HEVC standard can provide—a need further addressed by VVC.

VIDEOCODINGSTANDARDS
First Version
Extensions
VERSATILEVIDEOCODING
Standardization and Development
Coding Tools
Systems and Transport Interfaces
Findings
Subjective
Full Text
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