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MPEG starts work on the MPEG-I new work item
targeting future immersive applications
Hobart, Australia – The 118th MPEG meeting was held in Hobart, Australia, from 03 – 07 April 2017
New MPEG-I Work Item approved
MPEG started to work on the new work item called MPEG-I, targeting future immersive
applications. In particular, this new standard will enable various forms of audio-visual immersion
including panoramic video with 2D and 3D audio with various degrees of true 3D visual
perception. While the standard for panoramic video will be ready by the end of the year, other
parts including a new video codec targeted at supporting regular TV as well as the extremely high
resolutions of immersive video for domes and head mounted displays is expected to become
ready at the end of 2020. In addition to audio and video, 3D representations based on 3D point
clouds will also be part of the new suite of standards.
Common Media Application Format for Dynamic Adaptive Streaming Applications
At its 118th meeting, MPEG completed the development of the Common Media Application
Format (CMAF) standard. CMAF will set a clear standard for a format optimized for large scale
delivery of a single encrypted, adaptable multimedia presentation to a wide range of devices.
The format is compatible with a variety of adaptive streaming, broadcast, download, and storage
delivery methods including MPEG-DASH and MMT.
The segmented media format, which has been widely adopted for Internet content delivery using
MPEG-DASH, Web browsers, and commercial video streaming services, is derived from the ISO
Base Media File Format, and uses MPEG codecs, Common Encryption, etc. The same components
have already been widely adopted and specified by many other standards developing
organizations and industry consortia, but the absence of a common media format, or minor
differences in practice, has meant that slightly different media files must often be prepared for
the same content. The industry will greatly benefit from a common format, embodied in an MPEG
standard, to improve interoperability and distribution efficiency.
CMAF is a standard for encoding and decoding of segmented media. While CMAF defines only
the media format, CMAF segments can be used in environments that support adaptive bit-rate
streaming using HTTP(S) and any presentation description, such as the MPEG-DASH Media
Presentation Description (MPD) and the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) manifest. MPEG’s CMAF
specification is addressing the most common use cases including over-the-top (OTT) adaptive bitrate
streaming, broadcast/multicast streaming, hybrid network streaming of live content,
download of streaming files for local playback, and server-side and client-side ad insertion. The
agreed selection of a few CMAF profiles will help industry and consortia to avoid fragmentation
of media formats.
Call for Evidence on video compression with capability beyond HEVC
A “Call for Evidence on video compression with capability beyond HEVC” was issued at the 118th
MPEG meeting as MPEG document N16886. This call has been made jointly with ITU-T SG16/Q6
(VCEG). It is addressed to interested parties that have technology providing better compression
capability than the existing standard, either for conventional video material, or for other domains
such as HDR/WCG or 360-degree (“VR”) video. As test cases, the call defines bit rate points and
materials in all of three of these categories. Reference encodings using HEVC – the High Efficiency
Video Coding standard – and the recently-developed Joint Exploration Model (JEM) algorithm
are also provided for comparisons. The JEM is being developed by the Joint Video Exploration
Team (JVET) of MPEG and VCEG, and is already known to provide bit rate reductions in the range
of 20-30% for relevant test cases, as well as subjective quality benefits. Submissions are expected
for the July 2017 meeting, where assessments will be made based on subjective quality
evaluation (using expert viewing panels) in addition to objective criteria (such as bit rate savings
for equivalent objective quality). Based on the outcome of the call and promising evidence that
potential technology exists, MPEG and VCEG may produce a formal Call for Proposals later in the
year, with the intent to enter a formal standardization phase for the next generation of video
compression standards beyond HEVC. A preliminary target date for completion of a new standard
on the subject is late 2020.
MPEG calls for Immersive Test Data
Pursuant to the establishment of the new project supporting new highly immersive nextgeneration
visual experiences, MPEG is calling for video test material to assess algorithm
performance for multimedia services in which information is combined from different cameras
to generate virtual views that the user observes when virtually moving while experiencing a
scene. Different levels of experience are achieved by the user who may freely move their head
around three rotational axes, aka Three Degrees-of-Freedom (3DoF), and along three
translational directions (including stepping forward and backward into/from the scene), aka Six
Degrees-of-Freedom (6-DoF). In order to optimize the standard for the intended applications,
MPEG requests interested parties to submit test material to MPEG. Details are specified in
N16766 Call for Immersive Test Material.
Exceptional Performance Verified for Screen Content Coding Extensions of HEVC
Tests performed by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) of MPEG and VCEG
have verified the exceptional performance of the Screen Content Coding (SCC) extensions to
HEVC. This powerful set of tools augments the compression capabilities of HEVC to make it the
flexible standard for virtually any type of video source content that is commonly encountered in
our daily lives. Screen content is video containing a significant proportion of rendered (moving
or static) graphics, text, or animation rather than, or in addition to, camera-captured video
scenes. The new SCC extensions of HEVC greatly improve the compression of such content.
Example applications include wireless displays, news and other television content with text and
graphics overlays, remote computer desktop access, and real-time screen sharing for video chat
and video conferencing. The tests were performed using formal subjective testing and rigorous
statistical analysis for video content in the RGB, Y'CbCr 4:4:4, and Y'CbCr 4:2:0 colour sampling
formats. For scenes containing a substantial amount of text and graphics, the tests showed a
major benefit in compression capability for the new extensions over both the Advanced Video
Coding standard and the previous version of the newer HEVC standard without the new SCC
features.
How to contact MPEG, learn more, and find other MPEG facts
To learn about MPEG basics, discover how to participate in the committee, or find out more
about the array of technologies developed or currently under development by MPEG, visit
MPEG’s home page at http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/. There you will find information publicly
available from MPEG experts past and present including tutorials, white papers, vision
documents, and requirements under consideration for new standards efforts. You can also find
useful information in many public documents by using the search window including publicly
available output documents of each meeting.
Examples of tutorials that can be found there include tutorials for: High Efficiency Video Coding,
Advanced Audio Coding, Universal Speech and Audio Coding, and DASH to name a few. A rich
repository of white papers can also be found and continues to grow. You can find these papers
and tutorials for many of MPEG’s standards freely available.
Further Information
Future MPEG meetings are planned as follows:
No. 119, Torino, IT, 17 – 21 July 2017
No. 120, Macau, CN, 23 – 27 October 2017
No. 121, Gwangju, KR, 22 – 26 January 2018
No. 122, San Diego, US, 16 – 20 April 2018
targeting future immersive applications
Hobart, Australia – The 118th MPEG meeting was held in Hobart, Australia, from 03 – 07 April 2017
New MPEG-I Work Item approved
MPEG started to work on the new work item called MPEG-I, targeting future immersive
applications. In particular, this new standard will enable various forms of audio-visual immersion
including panoramic video with 2D and 3D audio with various degrees of true 3D visual
perception. While the standard for panoramic video will be ready by the end of the year, other
parts including a new video codec targeted at supporting regular TV as well as the extremely high
resolutions of immersive video for domes and head mounted displays is expected to become
ready at the end of 2020. In addition to audio and video, 3D representations based on 3D point
clouds will also be part of the new suite of standards.
Common Media Application Format for Dynamic Adaptive Streaming Applications
At its 118th meeting, MPEG completed the development of the Common Media Application
Format (CMAF) standard. CMAF will set a clear standard for a format optimized for large scale
delivery of a single encrypted, adaptable multimedia presentation to a wide range of devices.
The format is compatible with a variety of adaptive streaming, broadcast, download, and storage
delivery methods including MPEG-DASH and MMT.
The segmented media format, which has been widely adopted for Internet content delivery using
MPEG-DASH, Web browsers, and commercial video streaming services, is derived from the ISO
Base Media File Format, and uses MPEG codecs, Common Encryption, etc. The same components
have already been widely adopted and specified by many other standards developing
organizations and industry consortia, but the absence of a common media format, or minor
differences in practice, has meant that slightly different media files must often be prepared for
the same content. The industry will greatly benefit from a common format, embodied in an MPEG
standard, to improve interoperability and distribution efficiency.
CMAF is a standard for encoding and decoding of segmented media. While CMAF defines only
the media format, CMAF segments can be used in environments that support adaptive bit-rate
streaming using HTTP(S) and any presentation description, such as the MPEG-DASH Media
Presentation Description (MPD) and the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) manifest. MPEG’s CMAF
specification is addressing the most common use cases including over-the-top (OTT) adaptive bitrate
streaming, broadcast/multicast streaming, hybrid network streaming of live content,
download of streaming files for local playback, and server-side and client-side ad insertion. The
agreed selection of a few CMAF profiles will help industry and consortia to avoid fragmentation
of media formats.
Call for Evidence on video compression with capability beyond HEVC
A “Call for Evidence on video compression with capability beyond HEVC” was issued at the 118th
MPEG meeting as MPEG document N16886. This call has been made jointly with ITU-T SG16/Q6
(VCEG). It is addressed to interested parties that have technology providing better compression
capability than the existing standard, either for conventional video material, or for other domains
such as HDR/WCG or 360-degree (“VR”) video. As test cases, the call defines bit rate points and
materials in all of three of these categories. Reference encodings using HEVC – the High Efficiency
Video Coding standard – and the recently-developed Joint Exploration Model (JEM) algorithm
are also provided for comparisons. The JEM is being developed by the Joint Video Exploration
Team (JVET) of MPEG and VCEG, and is already known to provide bit rate reductions in the range
of 20-30% for relevant test cases, as well as subjective quality benefits. Submissions are expected
for the July 2017 meeting, where assessments will be made based on subjective quality
evaluation (using expert viewing panels) in addition to objective criteria (such as bit rate savings
for equivalent objective quality). Based on the outcome of the call and promising evidence that
potential technology exists, MPEG and VCEG may produce a formal Call for Proposals later in the
year, with the intent to enter a formal standardization phase for the next generation of video
compression standards beyond HEVC. A preliminary target date for completion of a new standard
on the subject is late 2020.
MPEG calls for Immersive Test Data
Pursuant to the establishment of the new project supporting new highly immersive nextgeneration
visual experiences, MPEG is calling for video test material to assess algorithm
performance for multimedia services in which information is combined from different cameras
to generate virtual views that the user observes when virtually moving while experiencing a
scene. Different levels of experience are achieved by the user who may freely move their head
around three rotational axes, aka Three Degrees-of-Freedom (3DoF), and along three
translational directions (including stepping forward and backward into/from the scene), aka Six
Degrees-of-Freedom (6-DoF). In order to optimize the standard for the intended applications,
MPEG requests interested parties to submit test material to MPEG. Details are specified in
N16766 Call for Immersive Test Material.
Exceptional Performance Verified for Screen Content Coding Extensions of HEVC
Tests performed by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) of MPEG and VCEG
have verified the exceptional performance of the Screen Content Coding (SCC) extensions to
HEVC. This powerful set of tools augments the compression capabilities of HEVC to make it the
flexible standard for virtually any type of video source content that is commonly encountered in
our daily lives. Screen content is video containing a significant proportion of rendered (moving
or static) graphics, text, or animation rather than, or in addition to, camera-captured video
scenes. The new SCC extensions of HEVC greatly improve the compression of such content.
Example applications include wireless displays, news and other television content with text and
graphics overlays, remote computer desktop access, and real-time screen sharing for video chat
and video conferencing. The tests were performed using formal subjective testing and rigorous
statistical analysis for video content in the RGB, Y'CbCr 4:4:4, and Y'CbCr 4:2:0 colour sampling
formats. For scenes containing a substantial amount of text and graphics, the tests showed a
major benefit in compression capability for the new extensions over both the Advanced Video
Coding standard and the previous version of the newer HEVC standard without the new SCC
features.
How to contact MPEG, learn more, and find other MPEG facts
To learn about MPEG basics, discover how to participate in the committee, or find out more
about the array of technologies developed or currently under development by MPEG, visit
MPEG’s home page at http://mpeg.chiariglione.org/. There you will find information publicly
available from MPEG experts past and present including tutorials, white papers, vision
documents, and requirements under consideration for new standards efforts. You can also find
useful information in many public documents by using the search window including publicly
available output documents of each meeting.
Examples of tutorials that can be found there include tutorials for: High Efficiency Video Coding,
Advanced Audio Coding, Universal Speech and Audio Coding, and DASH to name a few. A rich
repository of white papers can also be found and continues to grow. You can find these papers
and tutorials for many of MPEG’s standards freely available.
Further Information
Future MPEG meetings are planned as follows:
No. 119, Torino, IT, 17 – 21 July 2017
No. 120, Macau, CN, 23 – 27 October 2017
No. 121, Gwangju, KR, 22 – 26 January 2018
No. 122, San Diego, US, 16 – 20 April 2018