MobiTV showcases benefits of HEVC for service providers at IBC

MobiTV ‘Compress to Impress’ Demo at IBC

EMERYVILLE, California and LONDON — MobiTV, Inc., a global leader in enabling delivery of live and on-demand TV everywhere, will perform a demonstration of the HEVC (H.265) video compression standard at IBC in Amsterdam (7- 11 September). HEVC is the latest iteration of industry standards developed to improve the compression efficiency of video and will supersede the current AVC (H.264) standard. HEVC is capable of reducing the bandwidth requirements by up to 50 percent, while still maintaining the same level of video quality. The MobiTV demonstration will showcase the improved efficiencies delivered by the HEVC standard and how it compares with AVC.

HEVC is recognized by the industry as a significant leap forward in video compression standards. New techniques and innovations have been applied to the development of HEVC including the introduction of hierarchical coding units and additional transform sizes. The efficiencies delivered by HEVC are also underpinned by new, and improved, motion vector prediction and motion compensation methods.

“MobiTV has always been at the forefront of optimising the delivery of content and the development of new transport methods,” said MobiTV Chief Technology Officer Kay Johansson. “Similar to when we launched HTTP adaptive streaming using the AVC standard in 2008, MobiTV has continued to push forward to reduce TCP round trips and enable the reduction of data packetization overhead on IP networks.”

More recently, MobiTV added policy-based adaptation based on the highest perceived quality a device is capable of displaying; thus, ensuring that the appropriate amount of data is used to deliver the best possible picture quality based on network conditions.

“We are always working to improve media distribution efficiency and HEVC video compression represents a giant leap forward here,” said Johansson.

As more television providers around the world evolve services to deliver multiscreen, it’s quickly understood that reducing bandwidth requirements is just as important for the delivery of HD to the home as it is for wireless services. The MobiTV connected media platform continues to lead the industry in addressing this issue.

“The ability to deliver 720p HD to a big screen TV at 2Mbit/s or less over a broadband or IPTV network will be a game changer and will play a vital role in reducing data usage for wireless networks,” said Johansson.

This new standard is in its final draft and is expected to be approved by early 2013. MobiTV has been focused on ensuring that its end-to-end connected media platform is prepared to support HEVC and optimise playback (decoding) on devices and chipsets for a rapid roll out. The company is an active member of MPEG and recently sponsored the 101st MPEG meeting in Stockholm.

The company’s participation in IBC is part of its continued expansion into international markets to support the growth of IPTV and True TV Everywhere.

MobiTV will be exhibiting at the IBC Show in Amsterdam (7-11 September) and will be located in the Connected World Hall 14, Booth 151. The recurring demonstration will be held at the booth and visitors will be able to see the full demonstration upon request.