The SMPTE 421M "VC-1" Standardization Project Mark Jeffrey Microsoft Corporation markjeff@microsoft.com

VC-1 & Windows Media Microsoft submitted WMV9 syntax for standardization to SMPTE in Summer 2003 SMPTE C24 standardizing WMV9 into open standard Includes Simple, Main and Advanced Profiles Will be known as SMPTE 421M / VC-1 when standard is published dates

VC-1 & Windows Media WMV9 and VC-1 are identical codec technologies WMV9 is Microsoft’s implementation of the VC-1 standard WMV9 decoder = VC-1 decoder Transport independence VC-1 elementary stream can be delivered over ASF, RTP, MPEG-2 Systems Improved system-layer design in Advanced Profile Start codes User data Entry Point header Display metadata dates

SMPTE Standardization Process SMPTE is producing 3 documents VC-1 specification – SMPTE 421M VC-1 conformance – SMPTE RP228 VC-1 transport – SMPTE RP227 Over 60 companies working on VC-1 in SMPTE Participants represent broad segments of the digital video industry (Content providers; CE, Chip, Encoder, Test equipment manufacturers; DTV Operators) Standard is quality-driven dates

SMPTE Standardization Process September 2003 WD1 WD4 CD ballot March 2004 CD1 CD1r5 CD ballot November 2004 CD2 CD2r3 FCD ballot April 2005 FCD1 DS dates

Towards Draft Standard… All 3 documents recently achieved FCD status FCD status means VC-1 specification is technically stable and opens the gates to DS (Draft Standard) balloting Reference decoder implementation and conformance bit streams available to SMPTE members FCD status means VC-1 is normatively stable, in other words, no substantial technical changes are expected AND it is ,technically stable enough to begin product development As the next step, all three documents will undergo Draft Standard (DS) ballot. After successful completion of the DS ballots, the documents will be issued for Trial Publication. The VC-1 test materials have generated tremendous interest with dozens of evaluators obtaining and reviewing the test materials. More than 240 reference bit streams covering all VC-1 profiles are included with the reference decoder to assist in verification of the proposed standard and to aid implementation of conformant VC-1 decoders. dates

Other Standards and Consortia DVD Forum: Group mandated MPEG-2, VC-1 and H.264 for next gen HD DVD players Blu-ray: Group mandated MPEG-2, VC-1 and H.264 as formats for next gen BD players FVD: Group mandated only VC-1 Other: VC-1 optional in DLNA, becoming part of DVB spec set, under ATSC consideration, … Benefit: Rapidly growing ecosystem support for VC-1 In addition to SMPTE, VC-1 is under consideration by a number of standards and industry organizations and has already been adopted as a mandatory codec for all leading next generation DVD formats, Blu-ray, HD DVD and FVD an new DVD standard for China and Taiwan. Completion of the work within SMPTE is a critical step toward broader standardization allowing interested organizations to make a simple normative reference to a SMPTE Standard, avoiding the adoption of different versions of the technology by different organizations. FVD – red-laser, will be deployed this year DLNA – Digital Living Network Alliance, developing interoperability guidelines for seamless home networks dates

Chips and DSPs dates

Professional Video Products VC-1 is also being used in professional video broadcast production and delivery. All of these leading industry companies currently have products on the market that support VC-1. The products range from encoders and decoders to professional video test equipment. dates

16-bit integer transforms VC-1 vs. H.264 - Features 8x8 and 4x4 adaptive block size Frequency-dependent dequantization matrix CABAC or VLC Long filters for MC Complex loop filter Spatial intra prediction Multi-picture arbitrary-order referencing Intra PCM 8x8, 4x8, 8x4, 4x4 adaptive block size Frequency-independent dequantization scaling VLC-based entropy coding 4 tap bicubic filters for MC Relatively-simple loop filter Overlap intra filtering Range reduction/expansion Resolution red./exp. Block motion 16-bit integer transforms Bit-exact spec Fading prediction Loop filter Now I would like to focus a bit on the details of the codec itself. As you can see from this slide, VC-1 shares some of the same features as H.264. In fact, this overlap in feature sets is a major reason why many companies are currently integrating both codecs into the same chip. You’ll also notice, though, that there are many differences in features. One reason is how the codecs were designed. The coding techniques used in H.264 were originally designed for low-resolution (e.g., CIF), low-rate video with HD support added later. 4x4 Transform, “strong” loop-filter, 6-tap motion compensation, etc. result is softer video with less detail On the other hand, the coding techniques in VC-1 were designed considering both low-resolution, low-rate video and HD, high rate video. 4x4, 4x8, 8x4, 8x8 Adaptive Block Transforms (ABT), “texture-adaptive” loop-filter, 4-tap motion compensation, etc. result is sharper video with more detail One example of where the techniques make a difference is the Adaptive block transform. Independent research studies have demonstrated that the Adaptive block transform used in VC-1 gives Better reproduction of textures and film grain Fewer ringing artifacts at edges when using 4x4 blocks Key factor in improved perceptual quality, especially for HD video (Gordon, JVT-H029, May 03; Wien, IEEE CSVT, July 03) Training set has a big impact on the end result H.264 VC-1 dates

VC-1 vs. H.264 - Quality Both codecs approximately 2-3x better than MPEG-2 2x better than MPEG-4 VC-1 achieved best quality in independent studies 2 rounds of DVD Forum tests for HD, Oct-Dec 02 C’T Magazine codec evaluation, May 03 DV Magazine evaluation for HD codecs, Oct 03 C’T Magazine HD codec evaluation, May 05 Most consistent quality in EBU tests, Oct 04 In all of these studies, many different codecs were tested including MPEG-2 various implementations of MPEG-4 various implementations of H.264 and Real video DV magazine - ProCoder MPEG-2, Sorenson MPEG-4, Real9, VC-1 (WMV-9) C’T Magazine - Dicas MPEG-4, DivX 5.0.4, VSS H.264/AVC, On2 VP3.1, QT 6.1, Real9, Sorenson 3.1 Pro, Sorenson MPEG-4, VC-1 (WMV-9), XVid MPEG-4 DVD Forum - 9 codecs total, including several RD optimized implementations of MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and H.264/AVC EBU - Real 9, VC-1 (WMV-9), Envivio MPEG-4, Apple MPEG-4 dates

VC-1 vs. H.264 - Complexity VC-1 decoding is > 2x faster than H.264 decoding H.264 ~ 3-4x slower than MPEG-2 MP / MPEG-4 SP Based on H.264’s own studies VC-1 ~ 1.5x slower than MPEG-2 MP / MPEG-4 SP Based on empirical data, e.g., testing VC-1 (WMV-9) vs. MPEG-4 SP in PCs 1080p VC-1 software decoding possible on today’s PCs DVD companion discs with 720/1080p Codec complexity is another important issue critical factor. In the hardware space, lower complexity means less silicon, lower cost and fewer heat issues. Complexity was taken into account during the design process for VC-1, with careful consideration given to various alternative designs. As a result, VC-1 decoding is more than 2x faster than H.264 decoding. And full 1080p decoding is possible on today’s off the shelf PCs. Biggest difference is seen with DSP implementations. Companies can do more on a single DSP with VC-1 because it’s easier to implement. For example, Equator has been able to support both SD and HD (up to 720p) on a single DSP. Equator BP-15 : VC-1 SD and HD (up to 720p) dates

Microsoft Tools Windows Media Encoder VC-1 Porting Kit RTM 5 speed settings: super real-time to best quality Free download VC-1 Porting Kit RTM Fully aligned with latest SMPTE VC-1 specification Comes with set of conformance test vectors Encoder and Decoder Porting Kit MPEG-2 Utility Package beta ASF  MPEG-2 Transport conversion utilities Encoder utility with direct encapsulation into MPEG-2 Transport RTM scheduled for mid-2005 to get PK, go to www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/licensing there is a nominal licensing fee dates

Conformance Testing Program Program available for licensees New tools to facilitate initial self-conformance Microsoft validates the submissions VC-1 Elementary Stream analyzer tool will be available soon dates

VC-1 Platform Support Windows Media platform includes VC-1 and enables integration of all A/V devices in networked home In terms of the complete Home Media Ecosystem, new emerging content delivery and distribution models enable the transfer of video content among devices on the home network. As mentioned earlier, the Digital Living Network Alliance is developing guidelines to ensure seamless interoperability in the home. A codec is only one of many necessary pieces. VC-1 (WMV-9) facilitates interoperability, being part of a platform that includes: Flexible Digital Rights Management adopted by all major Studios and Music Labels (e.g., MovieLink, CinemaNow, …) Flexible, scalable Server Popular Windows Media Player and MovieMaker 1000’s of 3rd-party SW/HW solutions supporting this platform, including chips, STBs, CE devices, etc. dates

Why VC-1? Requires less computational power and can be decoded at full 1080i/p resolution on today’s off-the-shelf PC Advanced Profile delivers compression efficiencies far superior to MPEG-2 Delivers HD content at bit rates as low as 6-8 Mbps Better visual quality demonstrated in independent tests In summary, VC-1 is a high quality codec. It is based on the compression efficiencies and scalability of the Window Media Video 9 codec so content creators and distributors can offer higher quality content with less bandwidth. (read bullets) dates

Why VC-1? SMPTE VC-1 is nearing standardization and widespread adoption is underway through the implementation of WMV9 VC-1 is fueling the coming wave of HD content everywhere – from next generation DVDs, set top boxes, PCs and more VC-1 is being adopted by industry leaders in the broadcast, content and wireless industries for new and innovative backend solutions and delivery services Momentum and growing ecosystem support... second bullet – In fact, Warner Bros. recently selected VC-1 for their upcoming HD-DVD titles. examples of backend solutions and delivery services IPTV – new infrastructure, less cost, less memory required broadband delivery of movies dates

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