roundtable_round 28/11/2013 16:50 Page 1
4K was the talk of IBC, with predictions it will
become as ubiquitous as HD and avoid the
underachievement of 3D. But that will only
happen if it isn’t oversold or under delivered.
Euromedia gathered four experts in London to
debate to the merits of HEVC and 4K and how
to fully exploit its potential.
ou can’t talk about 4K without
talking about the enabling
development of H.265/HEVC –
High Efficiency Video Codecs – ‘the
successor’ to the H.264/MPEG4
standard that was released earlier this
year and effectively doubles
compression.
Y
“HEVC is very much the next step in
the compression cycle.”
Fabio Murra, Ericsson
“We have been implementing a software
HEVC codec. There is a lot flexibility in the
codecs out there and the software solution is
available before hardware solutions,” says
Thomas Kramer, VP project management,
Rovi.
“HEVC is very much the next step in the
compression cycle,” says Fabio Murra, head of
Elemental
Elemental Technologies is a
leading supplier of video
solutions for multiscreen
content delivery. Founded in
2006 and headquartered in
Portland, Oregon, the
company pioneered the use
of graphics processors to
power adaptive video
streaming over IP networks.
Providing unmatched
26 EUROMEDIA
portfolio marketing video
compression, Ericsson, “like
those before it holds the promise
of delivering either many more, or
much better, services to consumers.
With 90 per cent of traffic predicted to be
video by 2020 it is much needed.”
“We are demonstrating the same quality at
half the bit rate of H.264, or twice the quality
at the same rate, so it is compelling from both
angles,” declares John Nemeth, VP EMEA,
Elemental Technologies. “Right now most
broadcasters say they will implement it in
order to provide more services, it will be
interesting to see if the consumer ‘pull’ for
higher quality changes that.”
“The applicability of the standard is across
the video delivery chain so it is an enabler of
new types of service, such as 4K, but also it is
an enabler of current services particularly in
mobility as it overcomes network constraints,”
says Murra.
“Yes, I see two distinct stories here,”
comments Noel McKenna, VP sales EMEA
and India, Entropic. “I see a very high-end
story in Western Europe where people are
driving for higher quality but also the ability
to deliver services over 4G in countries where
there is little fixed infrastructure, for example
India.”
“Our feedback so far from operators is that
they are looking to reach more users with
existing services, so quality video over lower
bandwidth,” adds Cramer.
Is HEVC really ready for market?
“There are some profiles that have been
established but certainly the patents licensing
hasn’t been figured out yet, and therefore
solutions for more than 300
leading media franchises
worldwide, Elemental helps
pay-TV operators, content
programmers, film studios
and sports broadcasters bring
video to any screen, anytime
– all at once. The company
has offices in the United
States, the United Kingdom,
Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan,
China, Russia, India and
Brazil.
there are some commercial concerns, and
some profiles that still need to be developed,”
admits Nemeth.
“I think the industry is good at bringing
together standards that deliver what the
consumer wants. When it comes of Blum-ray,
we can talk about whether that kind of
packaged media will remain in demand.
Where there is demand standards are coming
together, for instance HEVC DASH for
services over IP,” says Murra.
What about timetables for deployment?
“Most broadcasters are looking at HEVC
and testing it and also 4K services,” says
Nemeth, “Q1 next year will see some
implementations but while we can code what
“Operators are looking to reach more
users with existing services.”
Thomas Kramer, Rovi
content there is, so far there’s a shortage of
decoders and client devices, so can it be
played back? Quite a few providers want kit
that is HEVC-ready, but for now want to
concentrate on improving current HD
services.”
“It is true that on the professional side –
ingest, contribution, etcetera – standards are
Entropic
Entropic is a world leader in
semiconductor solutions for
the connected home. The
Company transforms how
traditional broadcast and IP
streaming video is
seamlessly, reliably, and
securely delivered, processed,
and distributed into and
throughout the home.
Entropic's next-generation
silicon and software solutions
enable global pay-TV service
providers to create more
captivating whole-home
entertainment experiences by
delivering new ways to
connect, engage and enjoy
multimedia content.
Ericsson
Ericsson is a world-leading
provider of communications