AVS3 added to the DVB's codec toolbox as a Next Generation Video Coding solution

This week, the Digital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB) Steering Board Committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland officially approved the Video Codec standard AVS3 originated from China as one of the Next Generation Video Codecs (NGVC) in the DVB standard. It aims to promote the application and development of the ultra-high-definition video industry.

https://dvb.org/news/avs3-codec-added-to-dvbs-media-delivery-toolbox/

DVB formulates technical standards for digital broadcasting (satellite, cable, terrestrial and broadband networks), which are widely used around the world. More than 150 global organizations in 25 countries are responsible for developing the DVB specifications.

After nearly two years of joint efforts by AVS Industry Alliance, AVS Workgroup of China, HiSilicon (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Shanghai National Engineering Research Center of Digital Television Co., Ltd., Peking University, and Peng Cheng Laboratory, AVS3 video and system standards (T/AI 109.2-2021 and T/AI 109.6-2022 respectively) have been officially approved for inclusion in DVB BlueBooks, as an NGVC solution. This activity has been completed around 6 months ahead of the original DVB workplan.

AVS Alliance intends to cooperate with the DVB Project to promote 4K/8K standards including AVS3 and the overall development of the audio and video industry.

“The addition of AVS3 to our video coding toolbox is a significant milestone for the DVB Project, not least as it is the first time we have included a standard developed by the AVS Workgroup of China," said DVB Chairman Peter MacAvock. "This move underlines both the global reach of DVB solutions and the increasingly diverse nature of the media distribution technology ecosystem.”

Prof. Gao Wen, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Chairman of the AVS Workgroup, said, "AVS3 is a coding standard for 4K/8K ultra-high-definition applications. The coding efficiency is about twice as high as that of the previous generation standard, and it is the first such standard officially released in the world. AVS and DVB cooperation is of great significance for AVS3 being included as a global standard, and will strongly support the future development of the ultra-high-definition audio and video industry worldwide."

Mr. Ding Wenhua, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, who made every effort during his tenure as the chief engineer of CCTV to promote the application of the AVS+ standard in the high-definition channels of radio and television, was deeply influential in the AVS standards’ development and adoption by the industry. For this cooperation between AVS and DVB, Ding is responsible for guiding the comprehensive formulation of the test plan, an essential aspect for the AVS3 standard to become a next-generation video coding DVB solution. Ding said that the AVS Workgroup of China has completed the 3rd generation of AVS in its series of standards, and established a demonstration case for Chinese standards to fully support industrial development, and that AVS standards and its industrial development have continued to be fully deployed. This decision by the DVB Project is a significant milestone and an exploration for the inclusion of Chinese standards in international standards, and is a successful case of international cooperation.

In May 2020, DVB started its work on the NGVC specification, including an evaluation of AVS3 as a suitable candidate, aimed at satisfying at least one of the priority use cases. With the strong support of the AVS Alliance and industry partners, it has been effectively proved that AVS3 meets the commercial and technical requirements of DVB NGVC. Objective performance tests show that AVS3 achieves 40% average bitrate saving on 4K video compared to HEVC, an important commercial requirement with establishing new market technologies.

In July 2021, DVB officially announced that it had prepared a roadmap for 4K/8K broadcasting and broadband TV, and AVS3 was identified as one of the three candidate NGVC codecs, see https://dvb.org/news/dvb-prepares-the-way-for-advanced-4k-and-8k-broadcast-and-broadband-television.

By July 2022, the revisions of the two DVB BlueBooks, A001 (Specification for use of Video and Audio Coding in Broadcast and Broadband Applications, DVB-AVC) and A168 (MPEG-DASH Profile for Transport of ISO BMFF Based DVB Services over IP Based Networks, DVB-DASH) were completed and approved by the DVB Steering Board Committee meeting. The new revisions of these DVB BlueBooks will be available soon, followed by the publication of new versions of the corresponding European Telecommunications Standardization Institute’s standards (ETSI TS 101 154 and TS 103 285 respectively).

In the past two years, the AVS Workgroup of China and the AVS Alliance have strongly supported the program to include AVS3 video and system standards into the relevant DVB BlueBooks, and will promote AVS3 and DVB standards to the global TV and video service operators in the ultra-high-definition industry. This marks a major milestone in the internationalization of the AVS3 standard and the recognition of it as a global industry standard. It will effectively increase the opportunities for the worldwide application of AVS.

Special Thanks to Industry Partners for Their Support:

• DVB Members
  Academy of Broadcasting Science - State Administration of Radio and Television, HiSilicon (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Shanghai National Engineering Research Center for Digital Television Center of Digital Television Co.,Ltd., Peng Cheng Laboratory, Hisense Group Co., Ltd., MediaTek Inc., Shenzhen National Engineering Laboratory of Digital Television Co., Ltd., Shenzhen TCL New Technology Co., Ltd., Sichuan Changhong Network Technologies, Co., Ltd., Shanghai Qingshen Technology Development Co., Ltd., SMIT Group Limited, Skyworth Group Co.,Ltd.
• Verification Test
  Peking University, Academy of Broadcasting Planning - National Radio and Television Administration, Peng Cheng Laboratory, Guangdong Bohua Ultra HD Innovation Center Co., Ltd., HiSilicon (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd., OPPO Guangdong Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd., Beijing ByteDance Technology Co., Ltd.
• System Technologies
  ZTE Corporation, Peking University, Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd., Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Beijing ByteDance Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai National Engineering Research Center of Digital Television Co., Ltd.
• Industry Partners
  ArcVideo Tech, Alibaba Group, Goke Microelectronics Co., Ltd., Beijing Peony DIGITAL Video Electronic Co., Ltd., Beijing Boya RealScene Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing ByteDance Technology Co., Ltd., Guangdong Bohua Ultra HD Innovation Center Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., Ltd,, Guangdong Southern Television New Media Co., Ltd., Institute of Intelligent Video Audio Technology, Shanghai GMT Digital Technology Co., Ltd. Co., Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited, Sumavision Technologies Co., LTD., Suzhou CATV Industry Company.