New H.266 codec is coming

[Ken Berry]

People may be interested in this article from the latest version of Red Shark News to which I subscribe:

NEW H.266 VCC CODEC PROMISES TO CUT 4K AND 8K VIDEO SIZES IN HALF
Written by Heath McKnight

There is a new encoding format from the creators of H.264, H.265, and MP3 that aims to cut the size of 4K and 8K video in half.

Dubbed H.266 VCC (Versatile Video Coding), and created by Fraunhofer in conjunction with several major companies, this new codec should debut later this year, and give content creators high quality video without the accompanying size.

With the rise of 6K and 8K video, plus the widespread use of 4K video, the need for a new codec that preserves quality, but doesn't take up space, became apparent. The team at Fraunhofer says the H.266 VCC codec will take up half the space compared to H.265. It was developed with Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Sony, Qualcomm, Huawei, and Ericsson.

Another major benefit of the H.266 VCC codec is streaming; around the world, people enjoy Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube, and others. The amount of bandwidth required is immense, since the need to preserve the image and sound is most important. Add in 4K and HDR, and things get even trickier when delivering content online. This codec will help alleviate bandwidth issues for the major streamers and Internet providers.

Backing up to the post-production side of things, more and more movies and TV shows are being filmed in 6K and 8K, and sometimes with HDR. It's important that the system editing this content is up to the task, including CPU, GPU, RAM, and hard drive space. But having a format like H.266 VCC helps cut down on the size while preserving quality, making it easier on the system while editing. Supported formats start with 480p, and will include High Definition and Ultra HD.

The H.266 VCC codec should arrive by the fall, and will be licensed to the Media Coding Industry Forum. However, there are still some things that need to be worked out, including the chips needed to playback the video, and a software standard still needs to be developed. But in the coming years, it's safe to say the H.266 VCC codec will be the standard format for content creation and delivery.

[tletter]

Due to the increased compression, video creators are probably going to need more powerful processors for post-production, and users to play back smoothly.

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter

[asik1]

Well, if H.266 is here, surly H267 is down the road and it will make 16K even smaller.
The good news is that VS2021 or VS2023 will not cope with either...

[arunodith]

Due to the increased compression, video creators are probably going to need more powerful processors for post-production, and users to play back smoothly.

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter

Is i7-3770K good or do I need more powerful processor?

[tletter]

Is i7-3770K good or do I need more powerful processor?

Eventually you'll probably want to move on from your Intel Core i7-3770K which dates from 2012. However, your profile doesn't indicate that you have a copy of VS, as well you don't state what you're using your computer for. Hence it's hard to say whether your CPU is powerful enough, but if you're happy with it's performance then that's all that matters. In any event, if you're not rendering 4K or 8K videos or planning to do so, then you don't need to worry about the just finalized VVC (H.266) codec, which in any case, is initially targeted at streaming 4K or 8K videos, and likely won't be incorporated into VS202x for quite some time.

operating_system: Windows 7 Ultimate

Since you're still rocking Win 7, you might want to look at upgrading to Win 10 in the coming years.

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter

[TonyP]

You will need a strong computer for that new codec. I remember the problems when H264 came out. Then 4K. Now this....
I don't know when it will be universally adopted...... but in the "here and now", I'm quite happy with H264/265 and 4K.
And while most new tv's are UHD 4K, I'm not willing to be in the hardware treadmill of spending for the latest tech.... where I live, Bluray isn't even that popular.