Question 6/16

Question 6/16 - Visual coding

(Continuation of Question 6/16)

Motivation

The goal of this Question is to produce Recommendations for visual signal coding methods appropriate for conversational (e.g. videoconferencing and video telephony) and non-conversational (e.g. multimedia streaming, broadcast TV, IPTV, file download, media storage/playback, or digital cinema) audio/visual services. Visual signal coding includes the coding of:

• video sequences;
• still images;
• graphics;
• stereoscopic, multi-view, depth maps, and free-viewpoint visual information;
• light fields and volumetric imagery;
• computer displays;
• medical imaging.

This Question will focus on the maintenance and extension of existing video and still-image coding Recommendations, and laying the ground for new Recommendations using advanced techniques to significantly improve the trade-offs between bit rate, quality, delay, and algorithm complexity. Video, still-image, and other visual coding standards will be developed with sufficient flexibility to accommodate a diverse number of transport types (Internet, LAN, mobile, ISDN, GSTN, H.222.0, NGN, etc.).

Study items

Study items to be considered include, but are not limited to:

• new coding methods in order to achieve the following objectives:
• improvements in compression efficiency;
• robust operation in error/loss-prone environments (e.g. non-guaranteed-bandwidth packet networks or mobile wireless communication);
• reduction of real-time delay, complexity, and of channel acquisition time and random access latency;
• organization of the compressed data format to support packetization and streaming;
• development of supplemental enhancement information to accompany video and image data for enabling enhanced functionality in application environments;
• study and specification of data for image/video annotation, indexing, and searching;
• methods to allow streams to be easily mixed by MCUs or terminals;
• techniques to permit networks or terminals to adjust the bit rate of video streams efficiently;
• techniques for object coding and multi-view operation;
• techniques for efficient compressed-digital to compressed-digital processing (including transcoding);
• the impact of colorimetry, video and image quality assessment, and quality control requirements on video and image codec development;
• computer graphics compression;
• security aspects that directly affect video and still-image coding including watermarking techniques;
• considerations on how to help measure and mitigate climate change.

Tasks

Tasks include, but are not limited to:

• complete specification for high efficiency video coding (HEVC);
• develop extensions to HEVC, including those for professional profiles, 3D/multiview video coding, and scalable coding;
• develop extensions to ITU T H.264, including those for scalable video coding and 3D/multiview video coding in particular;
• conformance and reference software development and maintenance for ITU-T H.264, including ITU T H.264.1 and H.264.2;
• development of supplemental enhancement information to accompany video and image data, including data for image/video annotation, indexing, and searching, including maintenance and extension of ITU T H.271;
• continued development of new image coding (T.83x-sub-series) specifications;
• maintenance of existing H-series video coding Recommendations, including ITU T H.120, H.261, H.262 | ISO/IEC 13818-2, H.263, H.264 | ISO/IEC 14496-10, H.264.1, H.264.2, and H.271;
• maintain and extend existing Recommendations and supplements regarding still image coding, including ITU T T.44, T.80, T.81, T.82, T.83, T.84, T.85, T.86, T.87, T.88, T.89, T.800, T.801, T.802, T.803, T.804, T.805, T.807, T.808, T.809, T.810, T.812, T.813, T.831, T.832, T.833, T.834, T.835, T.851, T.870, T.871, T.872 and T-series Sup. 2.

An up-to-date status of work under this Question is found in the SG 16 work programme (http://itu.int/ITU-T/workprog/wp_search.aspx?sp=15&q=6/16).

Relationships

• Recommendations
• ITU-T H.300 sub-series systems Recommendations
• ITU-T H.222.0, H.241, H.245 and H.248-series
• Questions
• 2/16, 3/16, 5/16, 7/16, 10/16, 13/16, 20/16, 28/16
• Study groups
• ITU T SGs 9, 11, 12, 13
• ITU R SG 6
• Other bodies
• ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29 WG 1 (JPEG, JBIG) and WG 11 (MPEG) on video and image coding
• IETF, DVB, ATSC, ARIB, 3GPP, 3GPP2, SMPTE, IMTC, OMA, W3C