H.267: A Codec for (One Possible) Future
16 days ago
- #video-compression
- #AI-codecs
- #H.267
- H.267 is expected to be finalized between July and October 2028, with meaningful deployment likely by 2034–2036.
- The codec aims for a 40% bitrate reduction compared to VVC (Main 10) for 4K and higher resolutions while maintaining similar subjective quality.
- Enhanced Compression Model (ECM) v13 has shown over 25% bitrate savings in random access configurations and up to 40% gains for screen content.
- H.267 targets diverse applications including mobile streaming, live broadcasting, VR/AR, cloud gaming, and AI-generated content.
- The codec supports resolutions up to 8Kx4K, frame rates up to 240 fps, and emphasizes stereoscopic 3D, multi-view content, wide color gamut, and HDR.
- Despite technical goals, H.267 risks becoming obsolete due to slow deployment and competition from AI-native codecs like those from Deep Render.
- Environmental sustainability is a growing concern, with video accounting for over 80% of internet energy consumption.
- H.267 faces IP risks due to legacy block-based architectures, which come with complex patent landscapes and licensing challenges.
- The article questions whether block-based architectures should be abandoned in favor of AI-driven approaches for future codecs.
- Key advice for H.267 includes focusing on NPU compatibility, environmental sustainability, reducing complexity, solving licensing issues, and questioning the need for the codec in an AI-driven future.