New H.266 / VVC codec will cut video file sizes in half without losing quality
According to analyst estimates, compressed video data today represents up to 80% of all global Internet traffic, and software developers pay close attention to the quality of processing and transmission of “heavy” content on mobile networks. Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications has introduced a new video encoding standard: according to the developers, it can cut the amount of transmitted data in half without losing image quality.
The codec, whose specification spans more than 500 pages, was created with the popularity of streaming video in 4K and 8K resolutions in mind. It took specialists several years to develop it together with Apple, Ericsson, Intel, HUAWEI, Microsoft, Qualcomm and Sony. The new compression standard is called Versatile Video Coding. It promises to reduce the bit rate and size of video files by about 50% without a noticeable difference in image quality compared to its predecessor (H.265).
H.266 / VVC, according to its creators, makes video transmission on mobile networks more efficient. For example, the old standard requires approximately 10 GB of data to transfer 90 minutes of 4K video, while using the new technology only requires 5 GB of bandwidth. In addition, the codec is suitable for all types of moving images, including 360-degree panoramas and screen capture with live simulcast. Other benefits of H.266 include adaptive resolution switching, as well as support for HDR and 10-bit color depth.
Based on preliminary test results, the efficiency of the new codec turned out to be superior to that of the previously introduced AV1, which was competing with H.265 due to open source code and the lack of a licensing system. Additionally, H.266 has shown significant bitrate savings compared to HEVC, especially when it comes to 4K content. The first software solutions capable of taking advantage of VVC encoding and decoding are expected to appear this fall.
