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Banned
Source: https://www.engadget.com/h266-vvc-codec-4k-streaming-data-half-133047705.htmlFraunhofer, 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.
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.
Once implemented, VVC could allow a stark reduction in traffic from services like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Netflix. Video streaming takes the lion’s share of the world’s internet bandwidth, something that’s become starkly apparent in the COVID-19 era. Because of the jump in traffic during pandemic lockdowns, services like Netflix and YouTube agreed to reduce default streaming rates to take the strain off web infrastructure.
At the same time, streaming services could use VCC to offer higher 4K HDR quality without increasing bandwidth, given the more efficient compression. The new system will also be indispensable once 8K video — with quadruple the bandwidth requirements of 4K — enters the mainstream.
For the tech heads around here....could this potentially help gaming services like xCloud & PSNow?
I know several articles mention streaming content to places like Youtube & Twitch and some of the talks I've come across have talked about games. But haven't seen anything particularly focused on how if at all this could effect next generation. Any insight would be helpful.