Visualization objective | Optimal codec changes depending on the recipient
What should we think about widely used codecs, such as H.265, and internal standards other than international standards?
When making a selection, you need to think about it depending on your goal and display purpose.
For example, Microsoft codecs include WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, WMA9. These are internal standards, but if you have a Windows machine, Windows Media Player is installed and supports company codecs. The Windows environment is widespread, and if you are targeting offices and users in a Windows environment, you don’t have to think about checking for codecs or installing them, which is a very efficient option.
It is also high resolution, but uses FLAC codec with lossless compression and WAV without compression. Compared to AAC and MP3, which are widely used in portable music players, the amount of FLAC and WAV data is very large and is considered disadvantageous in terms of penetration rate. However, if you are targeting people who want to enjoy higher sound quality, the high resolution is very attractive, and there are many cases where buying compatible equipment or supporting FLAC, WAV, etc. is not a barrier to aiming. .
■ Trends in international standards H.265 / HEVC and H.266 / VVC
H.265 has attracted attention as a next-generation codec, but its spread is limited to some environments. Also, H.266 was announced in 2020 as the latest codec.
H.265 has twice the high compression rate of H.264 / MPEG4 AVC, but on the other hand, it says “the encoding time is longer than H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC” and “the load on the computer during playback is high “. There is one caveat. H.266 has a compression ratio that is twice that of H.265, but it also increases the load.
By the way, some of you may be wondering: “Why is H.265 not so widespread?” This has to do with “standardization”.
The most famous codec is WebM, which is used on YouTube. In this way, “the codec developed by the company and AV1 developed by a non-profit organization are in a competitive state”, and H.265 is “used”. to the fact that a license fee is incurred, it has not been generalized.
One of the reasons H.264 is widely used is the “x264” encoder, which was built around licensing. By avoiding the license relationship, “x264” has been adopted and used in many encoding software, and H.264 has become widespread.
■ Easy to distribute new codecs for specific purposes
For example, Dwango and NTT started the H.265 demo experiment on Nico Nico Live Broadcasting in November 2014. If you are a specific target of niconico users, it is easier to distribute codecs than an indeterminate number of users.
In this way, the codec selection changes according to the display purpose.
In the end
So far, we have explained “compression rate”, “standardization” and “display objective” as “three points of view that must be suppressed to select the optimal video codec”. In actual operation, you may not be able to make decisions due to the rapidly changing display environment and technology. In such a case, I think the best shortcut is to consult a professional. We are not only familiar with the latest codecs and file combination examples, but we also believe that they will offer the best selection according to the purpose and usage scene based on our achievements.
