Following three years of research, the Fraunhofer HHI (Heinrich Hertz Institute) has announced the new H.266 codec, also known as the Versatile Video Coding (VVC) codec, has been finalised. The H.266 codec is expected to to maintain the visual quality of the current H.265 codec, also known as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), but the file size is will be about 50 per cent smaller. That would mean the codec will be able to efficiently transport high-resolution content, such as 4K or 8K media, through mobile networks. It also supports HDR content and 360-degree videos.
   

According to Fraunhofer HHI, the previous H.265/HEVC standard requires up to 10 gigabytes of data to transmit a 90-minute UHD video. With H.266, only 5 gigabytes of data are required to achieve the same quality.

“After dedicating almost three years toward this standard, we are proud to have been instrumental in developing H.266/VVC,” said Benjamin Bross, head of the Video Coding Systems group at Fraunhofer HHI. “Because of the quantum leap in coding efficiency offered by H.266/VVC, the use of video will increase further worldwide. Moreover, the increased versatility of H.266/VVC makes its use more attractive for a broader range of applications related to the transmission and storage of video.”

Thomas Schierl, head of the Video Coding and Analytics department at Fraunhofer HHI, added that “this autumn Fraunhofer HHI will publish the first software (for both encoder and decoder) to support H.266/VVC.”