History: Standardization

High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is a video compression standard, a successor to H.
264/MPEG-4 AVC(Advanced Video Coding), that was

jointly developed by the ISO/IEC JCT 1/SC 29/WG 11 Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and ITU-T SG16/Q.6 Video Coding Experts
Group (VCEG) as ISO/IEC 23008-2 MPEG-H Part 2and ITU-T H.265.[1][2][3][4] MPEG and VCEG established a Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding
(JCT-VC) to develop the HEVC standard. [1][2] Version 1 of HEVC was finalized on January 25, 2013 and the specification was formally ratified as a
standard on April 13, 2013.
HEVC is said to double the data compression ratio compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC at the same level of video quality. It can alternatively be used to
provide substantially improved video quality at the same bit rate. It can support 8K UHD and resolutions up to 8192x4320. [1][2]
The first version of the standard was completed and published in early 2013. The second version of the standard was completed and published in 2014
and includes the outcome of a development referred to as Range Extensions (RExt) (supporting higher bit depths and 4:0:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 chroma
sampling formats), scalable coding extensions, and multi-view extensions. Additional extensions remain under active development which include 3D
video extensions.
History[edit]
Standardization[edit]
In 2004, the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) began significant study of technology advances that could enable creation of a new video
compression standard (or substantial compression-oriented enhancements of the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC standard).[1] In October 2004, various techniques
for potential enhancement of the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC standard were surveyed. In January 2005, at the next meeting of VCEG, VCEG began
designating certain topics as "Key Technical Areas" (KTA) for further investigation. A software codebase called the KTA codebase was established for
evaluating such proposals.[5] The KTA software was based on the Joint Model (JM) reference software that was developed by the MPEG & VCEG Joint
Video Team for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. Additional proposed technologies were integrated into the KTA software and tested in experiment evaluations over
the next four years.[6]
Two approaches for standardizing enhanced compression technology were considered: either creating a new standard or creating extensions of
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.[7] The project had tentative names H.265 and H.NGVC(Next-generation Video Coding), and was a major part of the work of VCEG
until its evolution into the HEVC joint project with MPEG in 2010. [7][8][9]
The preliminary requirements for NGVC was the capability to have a bit rate reduction of 50% at the same subjective image quality compared to the
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High profile and computational complexity ranging from 1/2 to 3 times that of the High profile. [9] NGVC would be able to provide
25% bit rate reduction along with 50% reduction in complexity at the same perceived video quality as the High profile, or to provide greater bit rate
reduction with somewhat higher complexity. [9][10]
The ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) started a similar project in 2007, tentatively named High-performance Video Coding.[11][12] An
agreement of getting a bit rate reduction of 50% had been decided as the goal of the project by July 2007. [11] Early evaluations were performed with
modifications of the KTA reference software encoder developed by VCEG. [1] By July 2009, experimental results showed average bit reduction of around
20% compared with AVC High Profile; these results prompted MPEG to initiate its standardization effort in collaboration with VCEG. [12]
A formal joint Call for Proposals (CfP) on video compression technology was issued in January 2010 by VCEG and MPEG, and proposals were
evaluated at the first meeting of the MPEG & VCEG Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC), which took place in April 2010. [1][7] A total of 27
full proposals were submitted.[7][13]Evaluations showed that some proposals could reach the same visual quality as AVC at only half the bit rate in many
of the test cases, at the cost of 2-10 increase in computational complexity; and some proposals achieved good subjective quality and bit rate results
with lower computational complexity than the reference AVC High profile encodings. At that meeting, the name High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)
was adopted for the joint project. [1][7] Starting at that meeting, the JCT-VC integrated features of some of the best proposals into a single software
codebase and a "Test Model under Consideration", and performed further experiments to evaluate various proposed features. [1][14] The first working draft
specification of HEVC was produced at the third JCT-VC meeting in October 2010. [1] Many changes in the coding tools and configuration of HEVC were
made in later JCT-VC meetings.[1]
On January 25, 2013, the ITU announced that HEVC had received first stage approval (consent) in the ITU-T Alternative Approval Process (AAP).[15][16]
[17]
On the same day MPEG announced that HEVC had been promoted to Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) status in the MPEG standardization
process.[18][19]
On April 13, 2013, HEVC/H.265 was approved as an ITU-T standard. [20][21][22] The standard was formally published by the ITU-T on June 7, 2013 and by
the ISO/IEC on November 25, 2013.[2][4]
On July 11, 2014, MPEG announced that the 2nd edition of HEVC will contain three recently completed extensions which are the multiview extensions
(MV-HEVC), the range extensions (RExt), and the scalability extensions (SHVC). [23]
On September 29, 2014, MPEG LA announced their HEVC license which covers the essential patents from 23 companies. [24] The license is US$0.20
per HEVC product after the first 100,000 units each year with an annual cap. [25]
On October 29, 2014, HEVC/H.265 version 2 was approved as an ITU-T standard. [26][27][28]
Implementations and products[edit]

Main article: High Efficiency Video Coding implementations and products
2012
On February 29, 2012, at the 2012 Mobile World Congress, Qualcomm demonstrated a HEVC decoder running on an Android tablet, with a
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor running at 1.5 GHz, showing H.264/MPEG-4 AVC and HEVC versions of the same video content
playing side by side.[29] In this demonstration HEVC reportedly showed almost a 50% bit rate reduction compared with H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. [29]
2013
On April 3, 2013, ATEME announced the availability of the first open source implementation of a HEVC software player based on the OpenHEVC
decoder and GPAC video player which are both licensed under LGPL.[30][31] The OpenHEVC decoder supports the Main profile of HEVC and can decode
1080p at 30 fps video using a single core CPU.[30][31] A live transcoder that supports HEVC and used in combination with the GPAC video player was
shown at the ATEME booth at the NAB Show in April 2013. [30][31]
On July 23, 2013, MulticoreWare released alpha source code for x265.[32][33]
On August 8, 2013, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone announced the release of their HEVC-1000 SDK software encoder which supports the Main 10
profile, resolutions up to 7680x4320, and frame rates up to 120 fps. [34]
On November 14, 2013, DivX developers released information on HEVC decoding performance using an Intel i7 CPU at 3.5 GHz which had 4 cores
and 8 threads.[35] The DivX 10.1 Beta decoder was capable of 210.9 fps at 720p, 101.5 fps at 1080p, and 29.6 fps at 4K. [35]
On December 18, 2013, ViXS Systems announced shipments of their XCode 6400 SoC which is the first SoC to support the Main 10 profile of HEVC. [36]
2014
On January 15, 2014, oViCs announced the ViC-1 HEVC decoder which supports the Main 10 profile at up to 4K at 120 fps. [37]
On April 7, 2014, Vantrix released source code for the f265 HEVC encoder under the BSD license. [38]
On August 13, 2014, Ittiam Systems announces availability of its third generation H.265/HEVC codec with 422 12-bit support. [39]
On September 5, 2014, the Blu-ray Disc Association announced that the 4K Blu-ray Disc specification will support 4K video at 60 fps, High Efficiency
Video Coding, the Rec. 2020 color space, high dynamic range, and 10-bit color depth.[40][41] 4K Blu-ray Disc will have a data rate of at least 50 Mbit/s and
may include support for 66/100 GB discs.[40][41] 4K Blu-ray Disc will be licensed in the spring or summer of 2015 and 4K Blu-ray Disc players have an
expected release date of late 2015.[40][41]
On September 9, 2014, Apple announced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus which supports HEVC/H.265 for FaceTime over cellular. [42]
On October 31, 2014, Microsoft confirmed that Windows 10 will support HEVC out of the box, according to a statement from Gabriel Aul, the leader of
Microsoft Operating Systems Group's Data and Fundamentals Team. [43][44] Windows 10 Technical Preview Build 9860 added platform level support for
HEVC andMatroska.[45][46]
On November 3, 2014, Android Lollipop was released with out of the box support for HEVC using Ittiam Systems' software [47]
2015
On January 5, 2015, ViXS Systems announced the XCode 6800 which is the first SoC to support the Main 12 profile of HEVC. [48]
Coding efficiency[edit]
The design of most video coding standards is primarily aimed at having the highest coding efficiency. [49] Coding efficiency is the ability to encode video
at the lowest possible bit rate while maintaining a certain level of video quality. [49] There are two standard ways to measure the coding efficiency of a
video coding standard, which are to use an objective metric, such as peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), or to use subjective assessment of video
quality.[49] Subjective assessment of video quality is considered to be the most important way to measure a video coding standard since humans
perceive video quality subjectively.[49]
HEVC benefits from the use of larger Coding Tree Unit (CTU) sizes.[49] This has been shown in PSNR tests with a HM-8.0 HEVC encoder where it was
forced to use progressively smaller CTU sizes.[49] For all test sequences when compared to a 64x64 CTU size it was shown that the HEVC bit rate
increased by 2.2% when forced to use a 32x32 CTU size and increased by 11.0% when forced to use a 16x16 CTU size. [49] In the Class A test
sequences, where the resolution of the video was 2560x1600, when compared to a 64x64 CTU size it was shown that the HEVC bit rate increased by
5.7% when forced to use a 32x32 CTU size and increased by 28.2% when forced to use a 16x16 CTU size. [49] The tests showed that large CTU sizes
increase coding efficiency while also reducing decoding time. [49]
The HEVC Main Profile (MP) has been compared in coding efficiency to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High Profile (HP),MPEG-4 Advanced Simple Profile
(ASP), H.263 High Latency Profile (HLP), and H.262/MPEG-2 Main Profile (MP).[49] The video encoding was done for entertainment applications and
twelve different bitrates were made for the nine video test sequences with a HM-8.0 HEVC encoder being used. [49] Of the nine video test sequences five
were at HD resolution while four were at WVGA (800x480) resolution.[49] The bit rate reductions for HEVC were determined based on PSNR with HEVC
having a bit rate reduction of 35.4% compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC HP, 63.7% compared to MPEG-4 ASP, 65.1% compared to H.263 HLP, and
70.8% compared to H.262/MPEG-2 MP. [49]
HEVC MP has also been compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC HP for subjective video quality. [49] The video encoding was done for entertainment
applications and four different bitrates were made for nine video test sequences with a HM-5.0 HEVC encoder being used. [49] The subjective
assessment was done at an earlier date than the PSNR comparison and so it used an earlier version of the HEVC encoder that had slightly lower
performance.[49] The bit rate reductions were determined based on subjective assessment using mean opinion score values.[49] The overall subjective
bitrate reduction for HEVC MP compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC HP was 49.3%. [49]
cole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne (EPFL) did a study to evaluate the subjective video quality of HEVC at resolutions higher than HDTV. [50][51][52]
[53]
The study was done with three videos with resolutions of 3840x1744 at 24 fps, 3840x2048 at 30 fps, and 3840x2160 at 30 fps. [50][51][53] The five second
video sequences showed people on a street, traffic, and a scene from the open source computer animated movie Sintel.[50][51][53] The video sequences
were encoded at five different bitrates using the HM-6.1.1 HEVC encoder and the JM-18.3 H.264/MPEG-4 AVC encoder. [50][51] The subjective bit rate
reductions were determined based on subjective assessment using mean opinion score values. [50][51] The study compared HEVC MP with H.264/MPEG-
4 AVC HP and showed that for HEVC MP the average bitrate reduction based on PSNR was 44.4% while the average bitrate reduction based on
subjective video quality was 66.5%.[50][51]
In a HEVC performance comparison released in April 2013 the HEVC MP and Main 10 Profile (M10P) were compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC HP and
High 10 Profile (H10P) using 3840x2160 video sequences. [54] The video sequences were encoded using the HM-10.0 HEVC encoder and the JM-18.4
H.264/MPEG-4 AVC encoder.[54] The average bit rate reduction based on PSNR was 45% for inter frame video.[54]
In a video encoder comparison released in December 2013 the HM-10.0 HEVC encoder was compared to thex264 encoder and the VP9 encoder.
[55]
The x264 encoder was version r2334 and the VP9 encoder was version v1.2.0-3088-ga81bd12. [55] The comparison used the Bjntegaard-Delta bit-
rate (BD-BR) measurement method in which negative values are how much lower the bit rate is reduced for the same PSNR and positive values are
how much the bit rate is increased for the same PSNR. [55] In the comparison the HM-10.0 HEVC encoder had the highest coding efficiency and on
average to get the same objective quality the x264 encoder needed to increase the bit rate by 66.4% while the VP9 encoder needed to increase the bit
rate by 79.4%.[55]
In a subjective video performance comparison released in May 2014 the JCT-VC compared the HEVC Main profile to the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC High
profile.[56] The comparison used mean opinion score values and was conducted by the BBC and the University of the West of Scotland.[56] The video
sequences were encoded using the HM-12.1 HEVC encoder and the JM-18.5 H.264/MPEG-4 AVC encoder. [56] The comparison used a range of
resolutions and the average bit rate reduction for HEVC was 59%. [56] The average bit rate reduction for HEVC was 52% for 480p, 56% for 720p, 62%
for 1080p, and 64% for 4K UHD.[56]
Subjective video performance comparison[56]
Average bit rate reduction compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC HP
Video coding standard
480p 720p 1080p 4K UHD
HEVC 52% 56% 62% 64%
In a subjective video codec comparison released in August 2014 by the EPFL the HM-15.0 HEVC encoder was compared to the VP9 1.2.0-5183
encoder and the JM-18.8 H.264/MPEG-4 AVC encoder. [57][58][59] Four 4K resolutions sequences were encoded at five different bit rates with a one second
intra period.[58][59] In the comparison the HM-15.0 HEVC encoder had the highest coding efficiency and on average for the same subjective quality the bit
rate could be reduced by 49.4% compared to the VP9 1.2.0-5183 encoder and it could be reduced by 52.6% compared to the JM-18.8 H.264/MPEG-4
AVC encoder.[58][59]
Features[edit]
HEVC was designed to substantially improve coding efficiency compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC HP, i.e. to reduce bitrate requirements by half with
comparable image quality, at the expense of increased computational complexity. [1] HEVC was designed with the goal of allowing video content to have
a data compression ratio of up to 1000:1. [60] Depending on the application requirements HEVC encoders can trade off computational complexity,
compression rate, robustness to errors, and encoding delay time. [1] Two of the key features where HEVC was improved compared to H.264/MPEG-4
AVC was support for higher resolution video and improved parallel processing methods. [1]
HEVC is targeted at next-generation HDTV displays and content capture systems which feature progressive scanned frame rates and display
resolutions from QVGA (320x240) to 4320p (8192x4320), as well as improved picture quality in terms of noise level, color spaces, and dynamic range.
[10][61][62][63]
Video coding layer[edit]
The HEVC video coding layer uses the same "hybrid" approach used in all modern video standards, starting fromH.261, in that it uses inter-/intra-
picture prediction and 2D transform coding.[1] A HEVC encoder first proceeds by splitting a picture into block shaped regions for the first picture, or the
first picture of a random access point, which uses intra-picture prediction. [1] Intra-picture prediction is when the prediction of the blocks in the picture is
based only on the information in that picture. [1] For all other pictures inter-picture prediction is used in which prediction information is used from other
pictures.[1] After the prediction methods are finished and the picture goes through the loop filters the final picture representation is stored in the decoded
picture buffer. [1] Pictures stored in the decoded picture buffer can be used for the prediction of other pictures. [1]
HEVC was designed with the idea that progressive scan video would be used and no coding tools were added specifically for interlaced video.
[1]
Interlace specific coding tools, such as MBAFF and PAFF, are not supported in HEVC. [64] HEVC instead sends metadata that tells how the interlaced
video was sent.[1] Interlaced video may be sent either by coding each frame as a separate picture or by coding each field as a separate picture. [1] For
interlaced video HEVC can change between frame coding and field coding using Sequence Adaptive Frame Field (SAFF) which allows the coding
mode to be changed for each video sequence. [65] This allows interlaced video to be sent with HEVC without needing special interlaced decoding
processes to be added to HEVC decoders. [1]
Color spaces
The HEVC standard supports color spaces such as generic film, NTSC, PAL, Rec. 601, Rec. 709, Rec. 2020, SMPTE 170M,
SMPTE 240M, sRGB, sYCC, xvYCC, XYZ, and externally specified color spaces.[2][66] HEVC supports color encoding representations such
as RGB, YCbCr, and YCoCg.[2]
Coding tools[edit]
Coding tree unit [edit]

Main article: Coding tree unit
HEVC replaces 16x16 pixel macroblocks, which were used with previous standards, with Coding Tree Units(CTUs) which can use a larger block
structures of up to 64x64 samples and can better sub-partition the picture into variable sized structures. [1][67] HEVC initially divides the picture into CTUs
which can be 64x64, 32x32, or 16x16 with a larger pixel block size usually increasing the coding efficiency. [1]
Parallel processing tools [edit]

Tiles allow for the picture to be divided into a grid of rectangular regions that can independently be decoded/encoded. The main purpose of
tiles is to allow for parallel processing.[1] Tiles can be independently decoded and can even allow for random access to specific regions of a
picture in a video stream.[1]
Wavefront parallel processing (WPP) is when a slice is divided into rows of CTUs in which the first row is decoded normally but each
additional row requires that decisions be made in the previous row. [1] WPP has the entropy encoder use information from the preceding row of
CTUs and allows for a method of parallel processing that may allow for better compression than tiles. [1]
Tiles and WPP are allowed but are optional. [1][2] If tiles are present they must be at least 64 pixels high and 256 pixels wide with a level
specific limit on the number of tiles allowed.[1][2]
Slices can for the most part be decoded independently from each other with the main purpose of tiles being the re-synchronization in case
of data loss in the video stream.[1] Slices can be defined as self-contained in that prediction is not made across slice boundaries. [1] When in-loop
filtering is done on a picture though information across slice boundaries may be required. [1] Slices are CTUs decoded in the order of the raster
scan and different coding types can be used for slices such as I types, P types, or B types. [1]
Dependent slices can allow for data related to tiles or WPP to be accessed more quickly by the system than if the entire slice had to be
decoded.[1] The main purpose of dependent slices is to allow for low delay video encoding due to its lower latency. [1]
Other coding tools [edit]

Entropy coding
HEVC uses a context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC) algorithm that is fundamentally similar to CABAC in H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. [1] CABAC is
the only entropy encoder method that is allowed in HEVC while there are two entropy encoder methods allowed by H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. [1] CABAC and
the entropy coding of transform coefficients in HEVC were designed for a higher throughput than H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, [68] while maintaining higher
compression efficiency for larger transform block sizes relative to simple extensions. [69] For instance, the number of context coded bins have been
reduced by 8x and the CABAC bypass-mode has been improved in terms of its design to increase throughput. [1][68][70] Another improvement with HEVC is
that the dependencies between the coded data has been changed to further increase throughput. [1][68] Context modeling in HEVC has also been
improved so that CABAC can better select a context that increases efficiency when compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC. [1]
Intra prediction
HEVC specifies 33 directional modes for intra prediction compared to the 8 directional modes for intra prediction specified by H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.
[1]
HEVC also specifies DC intra prediction and planar prediction modes. [1] The DC intra prediction mode generates a mean value by averaging
reference samples and can be used for flat surfaces. [1] The planar prediction mode in HEVC supports all block sizes defined in HEVC while the planar
prediction mode in H.264/MPEG-4 AVC is limited to a block size of 16x16 pixels. [1] The intra prediction modes use data from neighboring prediction
blocks that have been previously decoded from within the same picture. [1]
Motion compensation
For the interpolation of fractional luma sample positions HEVC uses separable application of one-dimensional half-sample interpolation with an 8-tap
filter or quarter-sample interpolation with a 7-tap filter while, in comparison, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC uses a two-stage process that first derives values at
half-sample positions using separable one-dimensional 6-tap interpolation followed by integer rounding and then applies linear interpolation between
values at nearby half-sample positions to generate values at quarter-sample positions. [1] HEVC has improved precision due to the longer interpolation
filter and the elimination of the intermediate rounding error. [1] For 4:2:0 video, the chroma samples are interpolated with separable one-dimensional 4-
tap filtering to generate eighth-sample precision, while in comparison H.264/MPEG-4 AVC uses only a 2-tap bilinear filter (also with eighth-sample
precision).[1]
As in H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, weighted prediction in HEVC can be used either with uni-prediction (in which a single prediction value is used) or bi-
prediction (in which the prediction values from two prediction blocks are combined). [1]
Motion vector prediction
HEVC defines a signed 16-bit range for both horizontal and vertical motion vectors (MVs). [2][71][72][73] This was added to HEVC at the July 2012 HEVC
meeting with the mvLX variables.[2][71][72][73] HEVC horizontal/vertical MVs have a range of 32768 to 32767 which given the quarter pixel precision used by
HEVC allows for a MV range of 8192 to 8191.75 luma samples. [2][71][72][73] This compares to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC which allows for a horizontal MV range
of 2048 to 2047.75 luma samples and a vertical MV range of 512 to 511.75 luma samples. [72]
HEVC allows for two MV modes which are Advanced Motion Vector Prediction (AMVP) and merge mode. [1]AMVP uses data from the reference picture
and can also use data from adjacent prediction blocks. [1] The merge mode allows for the MVs to be inherited from neighboring prediction blocks.
[1]
Merge mode in HEVC is similar to "skipped" and "direct" motion inference modes in H.264/MPEG-4 AVC but with two improvements. [1] The first
improvement is that HEVC uses index information to select one of several available candidates. [1] The second improvement is that HEVC uses
information from the reference picture list and reference picture index. [1]
Inverse transforms
HEVC specifies four transform units (TUs) sizes of 4x4, 8x8, 16x16, and 32x32 to code the prediction residual. [1]A CTB may be recursively partitioned
into 4 or more TUs.[1] TUs use integer basis functions that are similar to thediscrete cosine transform (DCT).[1] In addition 4x4 luma transform blocks that
belong to an intra coded region are transformed using an integer transform that is derived from discrete sine transform (DST).[1] This provides a 1% bit
rate reduction but was restricted to 4x4 luma transform blocks due to marginal benefits for the other transform cases. [1] Chroma uses the same TU sizes
as luma so there is no 2x2 transform for chroma.[1]
Loop filters [edit]

HEVC specifies two loop filters that are applied sequentially, with the deblocking filter (DBF) applied first and the sample adaptive offset (SAO) filter
applied afterwards. [1] Both loop filters are applied in the inter-picture prediction loop, i.e. the filtered image is stored in the decoded picture buffer (DPB)
as a reference for inter-picture prediction.[1]
Deblocking filter
The DBF is similar to the one used by H.264/MPEG-4 AVC but with a simpler design and better support for parallel processing. [1] In HEVC the DBF only
applies to a 8x8 sample grid while with H.264/MPEG-4 AVC the DBF applies to a 4x4 sample grid. [1] DBF uses a 8x8 sample grid since it causes no
noticeable degradation and significantly improves parallel processing because the DBF no longer causes cascading interactions with other operations.
[1]
Another change is that HEVC only allows for three DBF strengths of 0 to 2. [1] HEVC also requires that the DBF first apply horizontal filtering for vertical
edges to the picture and only after that does it apply vertical filtering for horizontal edges to the picture. [1] This allows for multiple parallel threads to be
used for the DBF.[1]
Sample adaptive offset
The SAO filter is applied after the DBF and is designed to allow for better reconstruction of the original signal amplitudes by applying offsets stored in
a lookup table in the bitstream. [1][74] Per CTB the SAO filter can be disabled or applied in one of two modes: edge offset mode or band offset mode. [1]
[74]
The edge offset mode operates by comparing the value of a sample to two of its eight neighbors using one of four directional gradient patterns. [1]
[74]
Based on a comparison with these two neighbors, the sample is classified into one of five categories: minimum, maximum, an edge with the sample
having the lower value, an edge with the sample having the higher value, or monotonic. [1][74] For each of the first four categories an offset is applied. [1]
[74]
The band offset mode applies an offset based on the amplitude of a single sample. [1][74] A sample is categorized by its amplitude into one of 32 bands
(histogram bins).[1][74] Offsets are specified for four consecutive of the 32 bands, because in flat areas which are prone to banding artifacts, sample
amplitudes tend to be clustered in a small range. [1][74] The SAO filter was designed to increase picture quality, reduce banding artifacts, and reduce
ringing artifacts.[1][74]
Range extensions [edit]

Additional coding tool options have been added in the July 2014 range extensions. [66] This includes new definitions of profiles and levels:
Profiles supporting bit depths beyond 10 bits per sample. [66] Profiles that support a range of bit depths can use different bit depths
for luma and chroma with YCbCr color spaces.[2][66]
Profiles that support 4:0:0 (monochrome), 4:2:2 (half-horizontal chroma resolution), and 4:4:4 (full chroma resolution) chroma sampling. [66]
Additional profiles supporting only all-intra coding and only still-picture coding for applications that do not need inter-picture (temporal)
prediction.[66]
The Still Picture profiles can use an unbounded level, level 8.5, for which no limit is imposed on the picture size. [66] Decoders for level 8.5
are not required to decode all level 8.5 bitstreams, since some may exceed their picture size capability. [66]
Within these new profiles are enhanced coding features that include:
Extended precision processing, using an extended dynamic range for inter prediction interpolation and inverse transform. [66]
High precision weighted prediction uses an increased precision for weighted prediction that increases the coding efficiency for fading video
scenes at high bit depths.[75]
Cross-component prediction, using prediction between the chroma/luma components to improve coding efficiency. [66] The reduction in bit
rate can be up to 7% for YCbCr 4:4:4 video and up to 26% for RGB video. [75][76] RGB video has a larger reduction in bit rate due to the greater
correlation between the components. [66]
Intra smoothing disabling, allowing the neighbor region filtering process ordinarily applied in intra prediction to be disabled. [66]
Modifications of transform skip mode processing:

Residual DPCM (RDPCM), allowing a vertical or horizontal spatial-predictive coding of residual data in transform skip and
transform-quantization bypass blocks (which can be selected for use in intra blocks, inter blocks, or both). [66]

Transform skip block size flexibility, supporting block sizes up to 32x32 (versus only 4x4 support in version 1). [66]

Transform skip rotation, allowing the encoder to indicate a rotation of residual data for 4x4 transform skip blocks. [66]

Transform skip context enabling, using a separate context for entropy coding the indication of which blocks are coded using
transform skipping.[66]
Persistent Rice adaptation, using a Rice coding parameter derivation for entropy coding that has memory that persists across transform
coefficient sub-block boundaries.[66]
CABAC bypass alignment, allowing for the alignment of the data to a byte boundary before bypass decoding is supported in the High
Throughput 4:4:4 16 Intra profile.[66]
The second version of HEVC adds several supplemental enhancement information (SEI) messages which include:

Color remapping information SEI message, provides information on remapping from one color space to a different color space. [66] An
example would be to preserve the artistic intent when converting wide color gamut(WCG) video from the Rec. 2020 color space for output on
a Rec. 709 display.[77] The color remapping information SEI message was proposed for future UHDTV applications.[77] Multiple color remapping
processes can be supported for different display scenarios.[66]
Knee function information SEI message, provides information on how to convert from one dynamic range to a different dynamic range.[66] An
example would be to compress the upper range of high dynamic range (HDR) video that has a luminance level of 800 cd/m2 for output on a
100 cd/m2 display.[78] Multiple knee function processes can be supported for different display scenarios. [66]
Mastering display color volume SEI message, provides information on the color primaries and dynamic range of the display that was used
to author the video.[66]
Time code SEI message, provides information on the time of origin when the video was recorded. [66]
Profiles[edit]
Version 1 of the HEVC standard defines three profiles: Main, Main 10, and Main Still Picture.[2] Version 2 of HEVC adds 21 range extensions profiles,
two scalable extensions profiles, and one multi-view profile.[66] HEVC also contains provisions for additional profiles.[2] Extensions that were added to
HEVC include increased bit depth, 4:2:2/4:4:4 chroma sampling, Multiview Video Coding (MVC), and Scalable Video Coding (SVC).[1][79] The HEVC
range extensions, HEVC scalable extensions, and HEVC multi-view extensions were completed in July 2014. [66][80][81][81] In July 2014 a draft of the second
version of HEVC was released.[66] Screen content coding (SCC) extensions are under development for screen content video, which contains text and
graphics, with an expected final draft release date of 2015. [82][83]
A profile is a defined set of coding tools that can be used to create a bitstream that conforms to that profile. [1] An encoder for a profile may choose
which coding tools to use as long as it generates a conforming bitstream while a decoder for a profile must support all coding tools that can be used in
that profile.[1]
Feature support in some of the video profiles[2][66]
Version 1 Version 2
Feature
Main Main Main 4:2:2 Main 4:2:2 Main 4:4:4 16

Main Main 4:4:4 Main 4:4:4 10 Main 4:4:4 12
10 12 10 12 Intra
Bit depth 8 8 to 10 8 to 12 8 to 10 8 to 12 8 8 to 10 8 to 12 8 to 16
Chroma samplingformats 4:2:0 4:2:0 4:2:0 4:2:0/4:2:2 4:2:0/4:2:2 4:2:0/4:2:2/4:4:4 4:2:0/4:2:2/4:4:4 4:2:0/4:2:2/4:4:4 4:2:0/4:2:2/4:4:4
4:0:0 (Monochrome) No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
High precision weighted prediction No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Cross-component prediction No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Intra smoothing disabling No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Persistent Rice adaptation No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes

RPDCM implicit/explicit No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Transform skip block sizes larger than

No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
4x4
Transform skip context/rotation No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Extended precision processing No No No No No No No No Yes
Version 1 profiles[edit]
Main [edit]
The Main profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits per sample with 4:2:0 chroma sampling, which is the most common type of video used with consumer
devices.[1][2][80]
Main 10 [edit]
The Main 10 profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 10-bits per sample with 4:2:0 chroma sampling. [1][2] HEVC decoders that conform to the Main 10
profile must be capable of decoding bitstreams made with the following profiles: Main and Main 10. [2] A higher bit depth allows for a greater number of
colors.[84][85] 8-bits per sample allows for 256 shades per primary color (a total of 16.78 million colors) while 10-bits per sample allows for 1024 shades
per primary color (a total of 1.07 billion colors). [84][85] A higher bit depth allows for a smoother transition of color which resolves the problem known
as color banding.[84][85] The Main 10 profile allows for improved video quality since it can support video with a higher bit depth than what is supported by
the Main profile.[86]Additionally, in the Main 10 profile 8-bit video can be coded with a higher bit depth of 10-bits, which allows improved coding efficiency
compared to the Main profile.[54][87][88][89]
Ericsson has stated that the Main 10 profile will bring the benefits of 10-bits per sample video to consumer TV. [84]They also state that for higher
resolutions there is no bit rate penalty for encoding video at 10-bits per sample. [84]Imagination Technologies states that 10-bits per sample video will
allow for larger color spaces and is required for the Rec. 2020 color space that will be used by UHDTV. [85][90] They also state that the Rec. 2020 color
space will drive the widespread adoption of 10-bits per sample video. [85][90]
In a PSNR based performance comparison released in April 2013 the Main 10 profile was compared to the Main profile using a set of 3840x2160 10-bit
video sequences.[54] The 10-bit video sequences were converted to 8-bits for the Main profile and remained at 10-bits for the Main 10 profile. [54] The
reference PSNR was based on the original 10-bit video sequences. [54] In the performance comparison the Main 10 profile provided a 5% bit rate
reduction for inter frame video coding compared to the Main profile. [54] The performance comparison states that for the tested video sequences the Main
10 profile outperformed the Main profile.[54]
The Main 10 profile was added at the October 2012 HEVC meeting based on proposal JCTVC-K0109 which proposed that a 10-bit profile be added to
HEVC for consumer applications.[86] The proposal stated that this was to allow for improved video quality and to support the Rec. 2020 color space that
will be used by UHDTV.[86] A variety of companies supported the proposal which included ATEME, BBC, BSkyB, CISCO, DirecTV, Ericsson,Motorola
Mobility, NGCodec, NHK, RAI, ST, SVT, Thomson Video Networks, Technicolor, and ViXS Systems.[86]
Main Still Picture [edit]

The Main Still Picture profile allows for a single still picture to be encoded with the same constraints as the Main profile. [2] As a subset of the Main profile
the Main Still Picture profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits per sample with 4:2:0 chroma sampling. [1][2][80] An objective performance comparison was done
in April 2012 in which HEVC reduced the average bit rate for images by 56% compared to JPEG.[91] A PSNR based performance comparison for still
image compression was done in May 2012 using the HEVC HM 6.0 encoder and the reference software encoders for the other standards. [92] For still
images HEVC reduced the average bit rate by 15.8% compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, 22.6% compared to JPEG 2000, 30.0% compared to JPEG
XR, 31.0% compared to WebP, and 43.0% compared to JPEG.[92]
A performance comparison for still image compression was done in January 2013 using the HEVC HM 8.0rc2 encoder, Kakadu version 6.0 for JPEG
2000, and IJG version 6b for JPEG. [93] The performance comparison used PSNR for the objective assessment and mean opinion score (MOS) values
for the subjective assessment.[93] The subjective assessment used the same test methodology and images as those used by the JPEG committee
when it evaluated JPEG XR.[93] For 4:2:0 chroma sampled images the average bit rate reduction for HEVC compared to JPEG 2000 was 20.26% for
PSNR and 30.96% for MOS while compared to JPEG it was 61.63% for PSNR and 43.10% for MOS. [93]
Comparison of standards for still image compression based on equal PSNR and MOS [93]
Average bit rate reduction compared to

Still image coding
JPEG 2000 JPEG
standard (test method)
HEVC (PSNR) 20.26% 61.63%
HEVC (MOS) 30.96% 43.10%
A PSNR based HEVC performance comparison for still image compression was done in April 2013 by Nokia.[94]HEVC has a larger performance
improvement for higher resolution images than lower resolution images and a larger performance improvement for lower bit rates than higher bit rates.
[94]
For lossy compression to get the same PSNR as HEVC took on average 1.4 more bits with JPEG 2000, 1.6 more bits with JPEG-XR, and 2.3
more bits with JPEG.[94]
A compression efficiency study of HEVC, JPEG, JPEG XR, and WebP was done in October 2013 byMozilla.[95][96] The study showed that HEVC was
significantly better at compression than the other image formats that were tested. [95][96] Four different methods for comparing image quality were used in
the study which were Y-SSIM, RGB-SSIM, IW-SSIM, and PSNR-HVS-M. [95][96]
Version 2 profiles[edit]
Version 2 of HEVC adds 21 range extensions profiles, two scalable extensions profiles, and one multi-view profile:Monochrome, Monochrome
12, Monochrome 16, Main 12, Main 4:2:2 10, Main 4:2:2 12, Main 4:4:4, Main 4:4:4 10, Main 4:4:4 12, Monochrome 12 Intra, Monochrome 16
Intra, Main 12 Intra, Main 4:2:2 10 Intra,Main 4:2:2 12 Intra, Main 4:4:4 Intra, Main 4:4:4 10 Intra, Main 4:4:4 12 Intra, Main 4:4:4 16 Intra, Main
4:4:4 Still Picture, Main 4:4:4 16 Still Picture, High Throughput 4:4:4 16 Intra, Scalable Main, Scalable Main 10, and Multiview Main.[66][97] All of
the inter frame range extensions profiles have an Intra profile. [66]
Monochrome
The Monochrome profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0 chroma sampling. [66]
Monochrome 12
The Monochrome 12 profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 12-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0 chroma sampling. [66]
Monochrome 16
The Monochrome 16 profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 16-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0 chroma sampling. [66] HEVC decoders that
conform to the Monochrome 16 profile must be capable of decoding bitstreams made with the following profiles: Monochrome, Monochrome 12, and
Monochrome 16.[66]
Main 12
The Main 12 profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 12-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0 and 4:2:0 chroma sampling. [66] HEVC decoders that
conform to the Main 12 profile must be capable of decoding bitstreams made with the following profiles: Monochrome, Monochrome 12, Main, Main 10,
and Main 12.[66]
Main 4:2:2 10
The Main 4:2:2 10 profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 10-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0, 4:2:0, and 4:2:2 chroma sampling. [66] HEVC
decoders that conform to the Main 4:2:2 10 profile must be capable of decoding bitstreams made with the following profiles: Monochrome, Main, Main
10, and Main 4:2:2 10.[66]
Main 4:2:2 12
The Main 4:2:2 12 profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 12-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0, 4:2:0, and 4:2:2 chroma sampling. [66] HEVC
decoders that conform to the Main 4:2:2 12 profile must be capable of decoding bitstreams made with the following profiles: Monochrome,
Monochrome 12, Main, Main 10, Main 12, Main 4:2:2 10, and Main 4:2:2 12. [66]
Main 4:4:4
The Main 4:4:4 profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 chroma sampling. [66] HEVC decoders that
conform to the Main 4:4:4 profile must be capable of decoding bitstreams made with the following profiles: Monochrome, Main, Main 4:2:2 10, and Main
4:4:4.[66]
Main 4:4:4 10
The Main 4:4:4 10 profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 10-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 chroma sampling. [66] HEVC
10, Main 4:2:2 10, Main 4:4:4, and Main 4:4:4 10. [66]
Main 4:4:4 12
The Main 4:4:4 12 profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 12-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 chroma sampling. [66] HEVC
10, Main 12, Main 4:2:2 10, Main 4:2:2 12, Main 4:4:4, Main 4:4:4 10, Main 4:4:4 12, and Monochrome 12. [66]
Main 4:4:4 16 Intra

The Main 4:4:4 16 Intra profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 16-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 chroma sampling.
[66]
HEVC decoders that conform to the Main 4:4:4 16 Intra profile must be capable of decoding bitstreams made with the following profiles:
Monochrome Intra, Monochrome 12 Intra, Monochrome 16 Intra, Main Intra, Main 10 Intra, Main 12 Intra, Main 4:2:2 10 Intra, Main 4:2:2 12 Intra, Main
4:4:4 Intra, Main 4:4:4 10 Intra, and Main 4:4:4 12 Intra. [66]
High Throughput 4:4:4 16 Intra
The High Throughput 4:4:4 16 Intra profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 16-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 chroma
sampling.[66] The High Throughput 4:4:4 16 Intra profile has an HbrFactor 12 times higher than other HEVC profiles allowing it to have a maximum bit
rate 12 times higher than the Main 4:4:4 16 Intra profile. [66][98] The High Throughput 4:4:4 16 Intra profile is designed for high end professional content
creation and decoders for this profile are not required to support other profiles. [98]
Main 4:4:4 Still Picture
The Main 4:4:4 Still Picture profile allows for a single still picture to be encoded with the same constraints as the Main 4:4:4 profile. [66] As a subset of the
Main 4:4:4 profile the Main 4:4:4 Still Picture profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits per sample with support for 4:0:0, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 chroma
sampling.[66]
Main 4:4:4 16 Still Picture
The Main 4:4:4 16 Still Picture profile allows for a single still picture to be encoded with the same constraints as the Main 4:4:4 16 Intra profile. [66] As
a subset of the Main 4:4:4 16 Intra profile the Main 4:4:4 16 Still Picture profile allows for a bit depth of 8-bits to 16-bits per sample with support for
4:0:0, 4:2:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 chroma sampling.[66]
Scalable Main
The Scalable Main profile allows for a base layer that conforms to the Main profile of HEVC. [97]
Scalable Main 10
The Scalable Main 10 profile allows for a base layer that conforms to the Main 10 profile of HEVC. [97]
Multiview Main
The Multiview Main profile allows for a base layer that conforms to the Main profile of HEVC. [97]
Tiers and levels[edit]

Main article: High Efficiency Video Coding tiers and levels
The HEVC standard defines two tiers, Main and High, and thirteen levels.[1][2] A level is a set of constraints for a bitstream. [1][2] For levels below level 4
only the Main tier is allowed.[1][2] The Main tier is a lower tier than the High tier. [1][2] The tiers were made to deal with applications that differ in terms of
their maximum bit rate.[1] The Main tier was designed for most applications while the High tier was designed for very demanding applications. [1] A
decoder that conforms to a given tier/level is required to be capable of decoding all bitstreams that are encoded for that tier/level and for all lower
tiers/levels.[1][2]
Tiers and levels with maximum property values[2][66]
Max bit rate for Main Example picture resolution @

and Main 10 profiles (kbit/s) [A] highest frame rate[B]
Max luma sample rate Max luma picture size (MaxDpbSize[C])
Level
(samples/s) (samples)
Click here to hide/show
Main tier High tier additional examples
12896@33.7 (6)
1 552,960 36,864 128
176144@15.0 (6)
176144@100.0 (16)
2 3,686,400 122,880 1,500
352288@30.0 (6)
2.1 7,372,800 245,760 3,000 352288@60.0 (12)

640360@30.0 (6)
640360@67.5 (12)
720576@37.5 (8)
3 16,588,800 552,960 6,000
960540@30.0 (6)
720576@75.0 (12)
960540@60.0 (8)
3.1 33,177,600 983,040 10,000
1280720@33.7 (6)
1,280720@68.0 (12)
1,9201,080@32.0 (6)
4 66,846,720 12,000 30,000
2,0481,080@30.0 (6)
2,228,224
1,280720@136.0 (12)
1,9201,080@64.0 (6)
4.1 133,693,440 20,000 50,000
2,0481,080@60.0 (6)
1,9201,080@128.0 (16)
3,8402,160@32.0 (6)
5 267,386,880 25,000 100,000
4,0962,160@30.0 (6)
1,9201,080@256.0 (16)
3,8402,160@64.0 (6)
5.1 534,773,760 8,912,896 40,000 160,000
4,0962,160@60.0 (6)
1,9201,080@300.0 (16)
3,8402,160@128.0 (6)
5.2 1,069,547,520 60,000 240,000
4,0962,160@120.0 (6)
6 1,069,547,520 35,651,584 60,000 240,000 3,8402,160@128.0 (16)

7,6804,320@32.0 (6)
8,1924,320@30.0 (6)
3,8402,160@256.0 (16)
7,6804,320@64.0 (6)
6.1 2,139,095,040 120,000 480,000
8,1924,320@60.0 (6)
3,8402,160@300.0 (16)
7,6804,320@128.0 (6)
6.2 4,278,190,080 240,000 800,000
8,1924,320@120.0 (6)
A
The maximum bit rate of the profile is based on the combination of bit depth, chroma sampling, and the type of profile. [66] For bit depth the
maximum bit rate increases by 1.5x for 12-bit profiles and 2x for 16-bit profiles. [66] For chroma sampling the maximum bit rate increases by
1.5x for 4:2:2 profiles and 2x for 4:4:4 profiles. [66] For the Intra profiles the maximum bit rate increases by 2x. [66]
B
The maximum frame rate supported by HEVC is 300 fps. [2]
C
The MaxDpbSize is the maximum number of pictures in the decoded picture buffer. [2]
Decoded picture buffer[edit]

Previously decoded pictures are stored in a decoded picture buffer (DPB), and are used by HEVC encoders to form predictions for
subsequent pictures.[1][2] The maximum number of pictures that can be stored in the DPB, called the DPB capacity, is 6 (including the
current picture) for all HEVC levels when operating at the maximum picture size supported by the level. [1][2] The DPB capacity (in units
of pictures) increases from 6 to 8, 12, or 16 as the picture size decreases from the maximum picture size supported by the level. [1]
[2]
The encoder selects which specific pictures are retained in the DPB on a picture-by-picture basis, so the encoder has the flexibility
to determine for itself the best way to use the DPB capacity when encoding the video content. [1][2]
Versions[edit]
Versions of the HEVC/H.265 standard using the ITU-T approval dates. [2]

Version 1: (April 13, 2013) First approved version of the HEVC/H.265 standard containing Main, Main 10, and Main Still
Picture profiles.[20][21][22]

Version 2: (October 29, 2014) Second approved version of the HEVC/H.265 standard which adds 21 range extensions
profiles, two scalable extensions profiles, and one multi-view profile. [26][27][28]
Containers[edit]
MPEG has published an amendment which added HEVC support to the MPEG transport stream used by ATSC,DVB, and Blu-ray
Disc; MPEG decided not to update the MPEG program stream used by DVD-Video.[99][100]MPEG has also added HEVC support to
the ISO base media file format.[101][102] HEVC is also supported by theMPEG media transport standard.[99][103] DivX has proposed a
method to add HEVC support to Matroska and provides a patched release of the MKVToolNix v6.2.0 binaries on their website. [104][105] A
draft document has been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force which describes a method to add HEVC support to
theReal-time Transport Protocol.[106]
Using HEVC's intra frame encoding, a still-image coded format called Better Portable Graphics (BPG) has been proposed by the
programmer Fabrice Bellard.[107] It is essentially a wrapper for images coded using the HEVC Main 4:4:4 16 Still Picture profile with
up to 14 bits per sample, although it uses an abbreviated header syntax and adds explicit support for EXIF, ICC profiles,
and XMP metadata.[107][108]
See also[edit]
x265 open source High Efficiency Video Coding encoding software

H.264/MPEG-4 AVC the predecessor video standard of HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding)
VP8 an open format competitor to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC that was made an open format by Google
VP9 an open format competitor to HEVC that is being developed by Google
Dirac (video compression format) an open format competitor to the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC video standard that was developed
by the BBC
Daala an open format competitor to HEVC that is being developed by Mozilla Foundation and Xiph.Org Foundation
UHDTV digital video formats with resolutions of 4K (3840x2160) and 8K (7680x4320)
Rec. 2020 ITU-R Recommendation for UHDTV
List of multimedia (audio/video) codecs
List of open source codecs
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External links[edit]
Official websites
Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HEVC website

Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC)
JCT-VC Document Management System
Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) website
ITU-T Recommendation H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding
Videos
HEVC 4K Video Demonstration (DiVX)

Standardization of High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)
Motorola's Ajay Luthra discusses HEVC
MainConcept HEVC Demonstration Video IBC 2012
Couple videos in different resolutions/bitrates in HEVC/AAC multiplexed TS from Elecard
Example HEVC bitstreams from NGCodec
Websites
x265 Overview Open source HEVC/H.265 encoder

f265 Open source HEVC/H.265 encoder (BSD)
Cinemartin Cinec HEVC - H.265 encoder software for windows
Lentoid HEVC/H.265 Encoder/Decoder
OpenHEVC Open source HEVC decoder
Elecard HEVC Analyzer in-depth analysis tool for HEVC encoded video
libde265 Open HEVC/H.265 video codec implementation (LGPL)
H2B2VS. HEVC Hybrid Broadcast Broadband Video Services. European R&D project on HEVC TV and Hybrid TV
Intel's HEVC/H.265 Encoder, Decoder and Analysis Tools
DivX's Free HEVC/H.265 Encoder and Decoder
[show]
V
T
Multimedia compression and container formats
[show]
MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)
[show]
Graphics file formats
Categories:
Computer file formats
Graphics file formats
IEC standards
ISO standards
http://www.cnet.com/news/what-is-hevc-high-efficiency-video-coding-h-265-and-4k-compression-
explained/
What is HEVC? High

Efficiency Video Coding,
H.265, and 4K compression
explained
High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also known as H.265,
promises twice the compression possible with Blu-rays best video
compression methods. But how does it work, and is it enough to get
us better-looking 4K content?
by Geoffrey Morrison
@TechWriterGeoff
April 18, 2014 9:21 AM PDT
comme nts
27
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more +
Screenshot by Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

I'd like to call it H.265, because it sounds cool, but it's full name is High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). It's the new successor to
Advanced Video Coding (AVC), also known as H.264, which is one of the compression schemes used by Blu-ray.
The idea of HEVC is to offer the same level of picture quality as AVC, but with better compression, so there's less data to deal with.
This is key if we want 4K/Ultra HD broadcasts (including satellite), 4K Blu-rays, and more.
But is it enough, and for that matter, how does it work?
Compression (the good, the bad, and the lossy)

The amount of raw data coming out the back of a professional HD camera is a massive. There's no way to conveniently transport it
to your home. Instead, the video is compressed to reduce the amount of data into a more manageable form.
Macroblocking artifacts Screenshot by Geoffrey
Morrison/CNETThereare many ways to do this, one of the easiest being reducing the quality. In some cases this is OK. Think of your
average YouTube video. Not great, right? Often that's because the video is highly compressed (either before or during the upload).
Heavy compression might keep the resolution technically the same, but the image can appear softer, noisier, or haveweird
distracting artifacts (like those seen to the right).
But that's not a great idea if the point is to preserve a director's intent, or show off your new 77-inch OLED.
So the other option is to use better compression. In this case, you can basically think of "better" compression as "smarter"
compression. So it's taking the same original (the video), and finding out better ways to make the amount of data less, without
sacrificing quality. Every few years the processing power of gear has improved enough to let more processor-intensive
compression algorithms to be used, and further compress the data without making the image worse.
This distinction between "more" compression and "better" compression is important, as really, the terms aren't interchangeable in
this context. You can decrease the amount of data required for a signal either by cranking up the compression and making the
image ugly (just "more" compression), or using a more efficient compression technique ("better" compression).
Sarah Tew/CNET
Let me put it this way. Say you have a bushel of apples. You need to fit 100 apples inside. You can do it with more compression
(reducing the apples to sauce), or with better compression (finding a better way to make them all fit, but preserving their
appleness).
More compression: applesauce

Better compression: more apples, same space
As you can see from this delicious example, "more" compression is easy (SMUSH) while "better" compression requires more
thought and/or better technology.
RELATED STORIES
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Why Ultra HD 4K TVs are still stupid
What is refresh rate?

Enter H.265
As data-intensive as HD is, 4K is even worse. While most of us were just getting used to the idea of H.264's advantages over MPEG-
2 on Blu-ray, the Motion Picture Experts Group and the International Telecommunication Union's Telecommunication
Standardization Sector (ITU-T) were already starting work on the next generation of video compression, with an eye on the future.
Not wanting to mess around with small, incremental improvements, whenever a new compression standard is introduced, it has to
be a sizable change. With each jump, the general rule is half the bit rate for the same quality (or greater quality at the same bit
rate).
How does it do this? Largely by expanding on how AVC (and other compression techniques before it) works.
First, it looks at multiple frames to see what doesn't change. In most scenes in a TV show or movie, the vast majority of the frame
doesn't change much. Think of a scene with someone talking. The shot is mostly their head. The background isn't going to change
much for many frames. For that matter, most of the pixels representing their face probably won't change much (other than their
lips, of course). So instead of encoding every pixel from every frame, an initial frame is encoded, and then after that only what
changes is encoded (basically).
HEVC then expands the size of the area that's looked at for these changes. Larger and smaller "blocks" essentially, which offers
additional efficiency. Ever seen blocks in your image, when the picture goes foul? Those can be bigger, smaller, and differently
shaped with HEVC than with previous compression methods. Larger blocks, for example, were found to be more efficient.
On the left is macroblocking as done by AVC/H.264. As you can see on the right, there's a lot more flexibility, not to mention larger
sizes, for the HEVC/H.265 encoder to work with.Elemental Technologies
Then other things were improved, like motion compensation, spatial prediction, and so on. All of these things would have been done
with AVC or even earlier, but it required more processing power than was economically feasible at the time.
During the development phase, the compression algorithm is tested objectively, for its raw number efficiency, but also subjectively,
by video professionals comparing different compression methods and amounts in a "blind" test, where they don't know which
method is which. The human element is crucial. Just because a computer says one level of compression is better than another
doesn't mean it looks better than another.
Because H.265 is so much more processor intensive, don't expect a simple firmware upgrade to get your gear to decode it. In fact,
that's part of the issue. You need a hardware decoder somewhere. If your new media streamer, cable box, or BD player has it, then
you'll be all set (presuming you also have HDMI 2.0 so you can get 2160p/60 and not just 2160p/30). Could a high-end PC decode it
via software? Maybe. Could the Xbox One or PS4? Not likely. Everyone loves their favorite console, but remember, this generation's
hardware is equivalent to a pretty average PC.
Yeah, there's a LOT of acronyms and abbreviations here. The takeaway, HEVC improves on AVC in a lot of ways. If you want to dive
into the tech, the Wiki page reads like a whitepaper.Broadcom
Will it be enough?
Well, technically yes, but with a big caveat. Like AVC (and other compression standards) before it, H.265 is adjustable, depending
on the bandwidth needed. Want 4K over a mediocre Internet connection? No problem; crank up the "dial" (remember the
applesauce?). Want the best picture quality? No problem; turn the dial the other way.
While this arrangement offers flexibility, it also means that "4K" and "UHD" won't necessarily guarantee better picture quality any
more than "1080p" or "HD" do today. A highly compressed 4K signal could, in many ways, look worse than a less heavily
compressed HD signal.
In other words, streaming 4K might look worse than current 1080p Blu-ray, depending on how much compression is used.
With Netflix now streaming "House of Cards" in UltraHD at 15.6 Mbps, initial indications speak of 1080p Blu-ray looking "cleaner,"
confirming some expert predictions. The likely reason? 1080p Blu-ray has a lot more bandwidth to devote to video than online
streaming, more than compensating for the discs' older compression scheme.
And while processing speed in all devices follows Moore's Law, Internet bandwidth does not. Sure there are pockets of true high-
speed connections, but many people struggle to get a decent streaming HD signal. With the shaky ground Net Neutrality has in the
US, the future of decent and cheap 4K streaming for the masses remains cloudy.
One other benefit

While most of HEVC's potential benefits are focused on 4K, its better compression provides benefits for HD, too. Lower bandwidth
with HD means more people canget HD. People out in the sticks with connections too slow for current HD might be able to get
HEVC-encoded HD. If you pay per megabyte (mobile or at home), lower bit rates mean cheaper HD viewing as well.
Bottom line
Start looking out for HEVC (or H.265) as a line item on TVs, Blu-ray players and other media players in the future. Nearly all major-
brand 2014 4K TVs include the necessary hardware decoder, although 2013 4K TVs do not. There will also be more streamers like
the Sony FMP-X10 that include the requisite hardware.
There were a lot of grumblings during the transition to H.264/AVC at the advent of Blu-ray, now its a given. The same will be true of
HEVC, eventually. Lower data rates, while maintaining quality, are a good thing for everyone.
Special thanks to Broadcom's Rich Nelson for his help with some background info for this article (and the chart).
Got a question for Geoff? First, check out all the other articles he's written on topics like why all HDMI cables are the same, LED
LCD vs. plasma, active versus passive 3D, and more. Still have a question? Send him an e-mail! He won't tell you what TV to buy,
but he might use your letter in a future article. You can also send him a message on Twitter @TechWriterGeoff or Google+.
Tags:
TVs
Internet
Blu-ray Players
Media Streamers
Cameras
Home Entertainment
DVRs
4K TVs
HDMI
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Geoffrey Morrison
twitter
googleplus
Geoffrey Morrison is a freelance writer/photographer for CNET, Forbes,

and TheWirecutter. He also writes for Sound&Vision magazine,
HDGuru.com, and several others. He was Editor in Chief of Home
Entertainment magazine and before that, Technical Editor of Home
Theater magazine. He is NIST and ISF trained, and has a degree in
Television/Radio from Ithaca College. His bestselling first
novel, Undersea, is available in paperback and as an ebook
on Amazon, B&N, and elsewhere. See full bio
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/hevc-4k-explained,news-18206.html
What Is HEVC?
By Kevin OhannessianAPRIL 16, 2014 8:16 AM - Source: Tom's Guide US | B 4 COMMENTS
10
2 Reddit
Print
TAGS :
TV
4K
Online Video
The Netflix series "House of Cards" will be one of the first 4K programs encoded in HEVC.
If you've ever watched a DVD or Blu-ray, caught up with a show using an on-demand service, streamed a film with Netflix or laughed at the latest viral video, you have benefited from a video
codec. Thistechnologycompresses a video file into a smaller package, making it easier to store or transmit. The next generation of codecs including a technology called HEVC will make
several things possible or easier to do. The most notable of these is streaming 4K, aka Ultra HD video.
What is HEVC?
HEVC stands for high-efficiencyvideocoding. Also known as H.265, this new video codec will compress video files to half the size possible using the most-efficient current encoding format,
MPEG-4, aka H.264 (used on Blu-ray discs and some satellite TV broadcasts). That will be one-quarter the size of files compressed using the MPEG 2 codec that most cable-TV companies still
employ. More importantly, HEVC is used to compress video with 4K resolution and possibly even 8K resolution in the future so it can be efficiently delivered.
MORE: TV Buying Guide 2014

What is a codec?
Sony's Ultra HD Media Player stores 4K HEVC downloads on a 2TB hard drive. A codec (an abbreviation of the term
"coder-decoder") is software that uses an algorithm to systematically compress raw videodatainto a compact form fit for broadcasting, transmitting over an Internet stream or storing on a Blu-
ray disc, for example. At the receiving end, the same codec in your TV, computer or disc player uncompresses the data to display the video on your screen. Codecs also remove some detail
from video to reduce its size, and a high level of compression can drop too much data, resulting in choppy and blocky video. Most pay-TV services use aggressive compression to get all those
channels into your cable or satellite receiver, which is one reason the video from your cable box does not look as good as that from a Blu-ray. A good codec will compress video while causing
few defects due to overcompression.
High-definition video can take a lot of data. A full-HD image has about 2 million pixels and up to several million colors per individual frame, with hundreds of thousands of frames making up a
movie.
Why use HEVC for 4K video?
The current MPEG-4/H.264 codec makes it possible to compress the huge amount of information in a film so that it can stream over Netflix, rather than storing all of that data on a physical
source like a Blu-ray. Those high-definition images from Netflix are in either 720p resolution (1280 x 720, or 0.92 million pixels per frame) or 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080 resolution, 2 million
pixels). The images from a 4K video that Netflix is now streaming to 4K televisions have 8 million pixels (3840 x 2160 resolution). Such a huge jump in detail requires a better way to compress
the data in order to transmit or store it. HEVC is twice as efficient as MPEG-4/H.264, and experiences only a minimal loss in quality. As a result, current content will need only half the data to
stream over Netflix, and it will become viable to stream 4K content. (Netflix recommends a 15 Mbps or better broadbandconnectionfor streaming 4K.)
The same
video rate encoded at 420kbps in H.264 (left) and HEVC (right). Credit: Vcodex
What content will use HEVC?
Potentially everything. Each service will have to decide if it will send data using HEVC/H.265 instead of MPEG-4/H.264 or MPEG-2. Netflix has already begun using HEVC to stream 4K content
to the few 4K TVs equipped to decode HEVC. New televisions coming this year from LG, Samsung, Sony and Vizio will support HEVC and will be able to stream 4K video from Netflix. Though
they haven't mentioned Netflix deals, both Panasonic and Toshiba have announced that their new 4K TVs willalso support HEVC.
Amazon has been filming all of its original content, such as political comedy "Alpha House," in 4K. The company also has partnered with several studios for 4K streaming using HEVC, including
Warner Bros., Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox and Discovery. Amazon hasn't announced when it will offer streams or downloads of these videos as 4K via Amazon Prime Instant Video, though
Samsung is the first partner that will have 4K-capable Amazon Prime Instant Video on its televisions.
Streaming service M-Go has announced it will be offering 4K video via HEVC soon, including via an app for Samsung televisions. Individual cable companies will have to decide when to
change both the data they are sending and the receiver to decode it to HEVC. But that likely won't happen for several years, if and when they broadcast in 4K. Though they aren't broadcasting
in 4K yet, DirecTV and Comcast's Xfinity will have 4K apps to stream video over the Internet to Samsung televisions.
The Sony Xperia Z2Most current cellphones and tablets don't have hardware compatible with HEVC, but some new devices are starting
to support it. The new Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone, for example, supports HEVC to shoot 4K video.
But that doesn't mean all mobile devices will eventually support HEVC. For instance, Google has announced its own 4K codec, called VP9, that will be used with YouTube. Other companies
may support that, or possibly both 4K codecs.

MORE: Where can you get 4K video?
Can I watch HEVC content now?
Yes, if you have the right hardware. Newer televisions support 4K video via HEVC, though these TVs have limited 4K content.
Sony offers its Ultra HD Media Player, a $700 4K video player that uses HEVC, which downloads content to a 2TB hard drive and is compatible only with Sony televisions. You can purchase or
rent new content via Sony's 4K version of its Video Unlimited online service, and download films like "The Amazing Spider-Man" and shows like" Breaking Bad" (both made by Sony Pictures).
Films cost about $30 to buy and $8 to rent (for 24 hours) and take up about 40GB; television episodes are available to purchase for $4 each. There are currently about 80 films available.
Samsung will soon release the $300 CY-SUC105H UHD video pack to watch 4K content created with HEVC. This 1TB hard drive will also feature unannounced documentaries and vignettes,
as well as five films from Paramount and 20th Century Fox: "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," "World War Z," "Night at the Museum," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and "The Counselor." The company said
additional video packs will be released.
How did HEVC come about?
Two tech-standards organizations, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG), developed HEVC. These same groups are also behind the
MPEG-2 standard used in DVD, cable and other content formats for standard- and some high-definition video. ITU and MPEG also created the MPEG-4/H.264 standard used in Blu-ray, some
cable satellite broadcasts and high-definition online video.
Follow Kevin Ohannessian at @khohannessian and on Google+. Follow us @tomsguide, onFacebookand on Google+.
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High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is a video compression standard, a successor to H.

264/MPEG-4 AVC(Advanced Video Coding), that was

Implementations and products[edit]

Subjective video performance comparison[56]

Average bit rate reduction compared to H.264/MPEG-4 AVC HP

Video coding standard

480p 720p 1080p 4K UHD

HEVC 52% 56% 62% 64%

Video coding layer[edit]

Coding tree unit [edit]

Parallel processing tools [edit]

Other coding tools [edit]

Motion vector prediction

Loop filters [edit]

Sample adaptive offset

Range extensions [edit]

Modifications of transform skip mode processing:

Feature support in some of the video profiles[2][66]

Main Main Main 4:2:2 Main 4:2:2 Main 4:4:4 16

4:0:0 (Monochrome) No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Cross-component prediction No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Intra smoothing disabling No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Persistent Rice adaptation No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Transform skip block sizes larger than

Transform skip context/rotation No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Extended precision processing No No No No No No No No Yes

Main Still Picture [edit]

Average bit rate reduction compared to

HEVC (PSNR) 20.26% 61.63%

HEVC (MOS) 30.96% 43.10%

Main 4:4:4 16 Intra

High Throughput 4:4:4 16 Intra

Main 4:4:4 Still Picture

Main 4:4:4 16 Still Picture

Tiers and levels[edit]

Tiers and levels with maximum property values[2][66]

Max bit rate for Main Example picture resolution @

2.1 7,372,800 245,760 3,000 352288@60.0 (12)

6 1,069,547,520 35,651,584 60,000 240,000 3,8402,160@128.0 (16)

Decoded picture buffer[edit]

x265 open source High Efficiency Video Coding encoding software

VP9 an open format competitor to HEVC that is being developed by Google

UHDTV digital video formats with resolutions of 4K (3840x2160) and 8K (7680x4320)

Rec. 2020 ITU-R Recommendation for UHDTV

List of multimedia (audio/video) codecs

List of open source codecs

17. Jump up^ "ITU-T Work Programme". ITU. Retrieved 2013-01-27.

19. Jump up^ "MPEG Basics". MPEG. Retrieved 2013-01-28.

47. Jump up^ http://www.ittiam.com/News/en/Press-releases/2014/162-Ittiam%E2%80%99s-H265-Software-Solution-Enables-

66. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bdbe bf bg Jill Boyce; Jianle Chen;

105. Jump up^ "Using MKVToolNix". DivX. Retrieved 2013-06-05.

108. Jump up^ https://lwn.net/Articles/625535/

Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HEVC website

JCT-VC Document Management System

Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) website

ITU-T Recommendation H.265 High Efficiency Video Coding

HEVC 4K Video Demonstration (DiVX)

Motorola's Ajay Luthra discusses HEVC

MainConcept HEVC Demonstration Video IBC 2012

Couple videos in different resolutions/bitrates in HEVC/AAC multiplexed TS from Elecard

Example HEVC bitstreams from NGCodec

x265 Overview Open source HEVC/H.265 encoder

Cinemartin Cinec HEVC - H.265 encoder software for windows