1 High Definition Video Is Coming To H.323-Based Videoconferencing Larry Amiot Northwestern University

2 Broadcast High Definition TV Breathtaking video quality on home monitors Breathtaking video quality on home monitors –Plasma –LCD and projection LCD –Projection DLP Several carriers Several carriers –Through the air –Cable –Satellite dish

3 Broadcast High Definition TV High Definition is here to stay! High Definition is here to stay! High definition is fast replacing standard definition TV! High definition is fast replacing standard definition TV! Standard definition Standard definition –704x480 –4x3 aspect ratio Two high definition standard formats Two high definition standard formats –720p (1280x720) –1080i (1920x1280) –Both 16x9 aspect ratio

4 H.323-based Videoconferencing Compression/decompression architectures Compression/decompression architectures –Initially blurred and murky H.261 codecs –Major use today is H.263 –Beginning to see H.264 (MPEG4) Bandwidth requirements have been low (typically 1 Mbps or less) Bandwidth requirements have been low (typically 1 Mbps or less)

5 H.323-based Videoconferencing Resolutions have been limited Resolutions have been limited –Typically CIF (352x288) –Recent use of 4CIF (704x576 )- e.g. the Gigaconference requiring bandwidths of 1 to 4 Mbps Aspect ratio of 4x3 Aspect ratio of 4x3 Several audio algorithms, but typically low quality at 64 Kbps Several audio algorithms, but typically low quality at 64 Kbps

6 High Definition H.323-based Videoconferencing High definition videoconferencing is on the horizon High definition videoconferencing is on the horizon H.323-based high definition video and audio provides the quality necessary for media rich collaboration H.323-based high definition video and audio provides the quality necessary for media rich collaboration Being standards-based, it offers Being standards-based, it offers –User simplicity –Promise of interoperability with other non- high definition H.323 systems

7 LifeSize H.323-Based Room Unit Produces 720p high definition video Produces 720p high definition video Utilizing H.264 codec Utilizing H.264 codec 16x9 aspect ratio 16x9 aspect ratio 9CIF quality 9CIF quality 1 Mbps bandwidth (can go at 2 Mbps point to point) 1 Mbps bandwidth (can go at 2 Mbps point to point)

8 LifeSize H.323-Based Room Unit Built-in 4 port MCU Built-in 4 port MCU Good acoustical quality Good acoustical quality –omni-directional architecture –circular array of 16 microphones –100 Hz up to 22 kHz bandwidth High definition camera with 70 degree field of view High definition camera with 70 degree field of view

9 Other High Quality Video Options MPEG2 MPEG2 –VBrick, StarValley, etc –High quality video in the 7 to 16 Mbps range –Used at Northwestern for remote venues DVTS DVTS –Lot of work being done in the Big Video project –Transports digital video over IP at 30 Mbps

10 Other High Quality Video Options HDV HDV –MPEG2 compressed High definition video –20 Mbps transfer rates Uncompressed high definition video Uncompressed high definition video –Highest quality video of all –1080i requires transmission rate of 165 Mpixels per second –Requires special equipment to handle streams Access Grid high definition experiments Access Grid high definition experiments

11 What Are The Driving Forces? Do you need high definition resolution? Do you need high definition resolution? How important is audio quality? How important is audio quality? Is aspect ratio important Is aspect ratio important Do you have sufficient bandwidth? Do you have sufficient bandwidth? Do you need two way interaction (conferencing)? Do you need two way interaction (conferencing)? Is H.323 interoperability important? Is H.323 interoperability important? What can you afford? What can you afford?