In Broadcast - September 2015 - 48


48

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 5 - Issue 9 | September 2015

InMedia

H.265 Makes A Grand Entrance
Contributing Editor Kieron Seth examines
some of the latest technology pushing
forward the adoption of H.265 / HEVC...

I

n practical terms, H.265 (HEVC)
doubles the data compression ratio
compared to H.264 at the same level
of video quality. As a format that
supports UHD, 4K and 8K resolutions,
it's an essential element as the industry
transitions to broadcasting beyond HD.
Although H.264 is capable of 4K
capture and distribution, the required
data rate makes it unsuited to multichannel delivery or streaming over
limited bandwidth networks. HEVC is
expected to dominate the worlds of
OTT media streaming, IPTV, satellite
and cable transmission.
In 2012, Ericsson announced the
world's first HEVC encoder for live TV
delivery to mobile devices. However,
until lately there have been relatively
little to complete the studio to home
H.265 workflow. NAB2015 certainly
saw an increase in the buzz around the
next generation format and this year
alone, there has been some dramatic
progress.
This optimistic outlook has been
fired by high profile test cases:
the 2015 French Open for example
produced and broadcast all centre
court matches in 4K, for the duration
of the tournament. The games were
aired on Francetv Sport UHD (channel
444), with HEVC encoding supplied by
Ateme and Thomson Video Networks.
4K images were also delivered over IP
networks, thanks to BBright encoding,
Samsung UHD TV sets, Technicolor
set-top boxes and STMicroeletronics'
UHD platform - a set-up which were
seen around the courts and in the
broadcaster's Roland-Garros Lab.
On the other side of the globe,
Japanese cable TV operator EHIME
CATV deployed Harmonic's Electra
X3 advanced media processor to
support a trial of the country's first
live, full-frame 4K UHD channel. Using
the media processor to encode UHD
content using the HEVC Main 10 codec,
EHIME CATV can deliver real-time
2160p60 video to subscribers' set-top
boxes (STBs) at low bit rates, while
maintaining video quality targets, the
company claims. The Electra X3 media

Harmonic's Electra media processor range

processor's compression technology is
designed to provide EHIME CATV with
superior video quality while offering
low total cost of ownership.
"We are the first video infrastructure
provider to offer a fully converged
platform for broadcast and OTT
delivery of UHD content," said Dario
Choi, Regional Vice President of Sales,
Asia Pacific, Harmonic. "The Electra X3
media processor offers an innovative
approach to encoding, enabling
operators like EHIME CATV to deliver
full-frame, broadcast-ready content
with the utmost video quality, to drive
new revenue-generating services."
At the heart of the Electra X3 media
processor is the Harmonic PURE
Compression Engine, an encoding
technology that supports resolutions
up to 2160p60 with the HEVC 10bit codec for broadcast and OTT
multiscreen delivery. The Electra X3
helps EHIME CATV's deliver video to
subscribers at sub 20Mbps bit rates
from a 2RU appliance.
H.265 is clearly at the heart of some
very exciting projects. At a glance,
this year's IBC looks likely to mark
another important landmark in the
evolution of the technology. However,
what is immediately striking is the lack
of much in the way of H.265 based
acquisition technology.
Advantech has announced PCI
Express adapters that enable real-time
60P 4K UHD HEVC encoding at up to
20x less power consumption than
a software-only solution. The HVC8700 and HVC-8701 adapters allow
broadcast video equipment makers to
add the otherwise compute-intensive
HEVC encoding task to existing or new
server-based applications, claims the
company.
The HVC-8700 targets file or
stream-based encoding workflows in
a low profile PCIe adapter format to
facilitate the integration of multiple
accelerators in a range of servers and
appliances. The HVC-8701 adapter
additionally features 4K video capture
over built-in HDMI 2.0, Display Port

1.2 or four-channel SDI-3G video
inputs for acquisition-based encoding
in contribution workflows. Both
cards feature a simple-to-use API
and example code for FFmpeg and
GStreamer multimedia frameworks
to streamline product development
and their integration into existing
applications.
Aviwest's DMNG HE4000, a new
HEVC 4K contribution video encoder
will be shown in Amsterdam.
The encoder is designed to help
broadcasters deliver 4K content
at low bit rates. The 1RU encoder
features the company's SafeStreams
technology, which bonds together IP
networks to assure the delivery of
live transmissions, even in the midst
of unpredictable cellular network
conditions. The device can be fully
integrated with the DMNG Studio
receiver and the DMNG Manager.
Elemental will run a variety of
enticing demonstrations at IBC 2015
including live and file-based 4K and
HEVC streaming applications, and
linear video workflows featuring
high-quality encoding integrated with
advanced system management, and
what the company suggests is the
industry's only 4K HEVC statistical
multiplexing solution.
Fraunhofer HHI's HEVC real-time
software encoder now integrates High
Dynamic Range (HDR) processing,
to enable HEVC live encoding of
10-bit UHD video with HDR and
Wide Colour Gamut (WCG). For that,
the HEVC encoder conveys video
metadata according to international
standards, such as ITU-R Rec. BT.2020
WCG, SMPTE ST 2084 HDR transfer
characteristics
and
SMPTE ST 2086 mastering
display colour volume
metadata,
supporting

AVIWEST will unveil an HEVC 4K
contribution video encoder

high luminance and WCG images. This
is designed to deliver a broader range
of colour and brightness, plus greater
contrast.
The
manufacturer
has
also
developed a lightweight technique
for compositing of HEVC coded video
in the compressed domain. The
technique consists of merging several
input video bitstreams into a single
output video bitstream, and inserting
pre-encoded pictures that form the
desired alpha-blended composition
through standard prediction tools.
Such a lightweight approach is said
to be computationally much less
demanding than transcoding-based
compositing, and requires only a single
standard-conformant HEVC video
decoder which keeps end devices as
simple as possible.
Sencore's new HEVC HD/SD decoding
options for existing MRD 5800 and
4400 IRD platforms provide a fullfeatured decoding solutions for
contribution and distribution video
applications. The new options add
support for HEVC decoding of 8-bit or
10-bit content in either 4:2:0 or 4:2:2
up to 1080p50/60. The decoders
support full backwards compatibility
with MPEG2 and H.264 standards.
The new Sencore distribution
monitoring decoder provides dense
decoding of HEVC 4K video in the
openGear chassis, with up to 20
channels of decoding in the 2RU
openGear frame. Supporting video
elementary stream decode up to
80Mbps, these cards are ideal for
monitoring production 4K video
feeds reliably at point of origination.
Decoded 4K output is provided via an
onboard HDMI 2.0 port, or the video
can be downscaled and output via
standard 3G-SDI as a 1080p50/60
signal. This IC-based solution operates
at less than 15 watts per channel.
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.aviwest.com/ http://www.harmonicinc.co.uk/product/encoding-transcoding-distribution/electra-x
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