NTT H.265/HEVC encoder allows simultaneous transmission of 60P and 120P UHD video

NTT Develops World’s First H.265/HEVC Software-Encoding Engine Supporting 60P/120P Simultaneous Transmission of Ultra High-Definition Video

TOKYO — Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (hereafter referred to as NTT) has developed a software-encoding engine which complies with the International Standard H.265/HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) (abbreviated to HEVC), and which enables the simultaneous transmission of 60 frames-per-second videos that is currently used for 4K distribution as well as ultra high-definition 120 frames-per-second videos.

Encoding done by this technology will enable viewers to watch videos at 60 frames per second on existing TVs and other devices when video distribution of 120 frames per second starts in the future, facilitating a smooth switchover. This functionality is achieved by implementing temporal-direction hierarchical encoding, which enables embedding of a 60-frame-per-second HEVC bitstream in a 120-frame-per-second HEVC bitstream. NTT’s original bit rate control algorithm is used to achieve high visual quality while keeping both 60- and 120-frame-per-second HEVC bitstreams at the desired bit rates. Furthermore, by introducing an original variable bit rate-encoding technique, we have also achieved an approximately 40% reduction in the amount of data compared to a constant bit rate, with image quality equivalent to that seen previously. Therefore, we can expect a reduction in storage costs, even with the current distribution services.

This technique has been acquired by NTT Advanced Technology Corporation (hereafter referred to as NTT-AT), and upgraded versions of the software codec development kit “HEVC-1000 SDK” and the file conversion software “FileConverter FC4000” are going on sale.

Nowadays, video delivery services provide content for various devices such as PCs, smartphones and 4K TVs due to the diversifications of viewing patterns. Therefore, demand for file transcoding is increasing rapidly. XAVC for the 4K video content format and H.265/HEVC for the video codec are emerging as new formats, and the transcoding is also required to use these formats. “FileConverter FC4000” is a file-transcoding application on Windows. H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC are available to support distribution formats for multi-devices such as HLS, Smooth-Streaming, and MPEG-DASH. The encoding “Task Management” and “Watch Folder” functions are available. Therefore, various encoding parameter verifications can be simplified. Evolution of video formats
(8K,120fps,12bit,BT.2020,HDR) will be supported.

Note that this technique will be exhibited at “IBC 2015” which will be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from September 11 to 15.