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Tech giants are lined up behind the 'royalty-free' 4K codec AV1
Usually, when a new video compression scheme arrives it takes so long before there's a combination of compatible hardware and content that its arrival is anticlimactic. Google, Apple, Netflix, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon and a host of other companies have taken steps to make sure AOMedia Video Codec 1.0 (AV1) moves a bit faster, and for several good reasons. Today they're teaming up to announce the release of a 1.0 specification for AV1, and get the ball rolling on support for video creation, distribution and playback with the new format. With AV1, the group promises it can deliver 4K UHD video using 30 percent less data. That's great for high-res streams and should provide plenty of savings even for those on older hardware -- expect faster video startup time, less buffering and better picture quality.
Vimeo can stream videos in 8K and HDR
A few streaming services have supported colorful high dynamic range video and ultra-high resolutions for a while, but Vimeo is making up for lost time in grand style. The company has added support for both HDR videos and resolutions as high as 8K. You're going to need a very rare 8K display to see footage in its full glory. However, HDR support is considerably broader: you 'only' need a device that can play HEVC video using HDR10. Some of Apple's newer devices (including the Apple TV 4K, iPhone X and 2017 iPad Pros) already do, and Vimeo is quick to point out that it's currently the only video hosting service to play HDR on Apple gear.
iOS 11's Photos app uses AI to make your shots better
Apple's iOS 11 promises to be a big upgrade for shutterbugs. It's improving both the Camera and Photos apps to take some of the headaches out of snapshots and photos. For instance, the Photos app's Memories section can make use of machine learning to automatically reorient images when you change your phone's orientation -- it knows what to focus on. Live Photos also make use of this AI-like technology for effects. And Live Photos should be decidedly lively with new visual tricks, including a long exposure blur effect, the ability to pick a key photo, video looping and a Boomerang-style "bounce" effect.
Layer3 vows to fix cable TV, not replace it
The prevailing wisdom among the internet literati is that old-school TV is on the way out. When even the incumbents are catering to cord-cutters, surely internet-only video will be the way of the future, isn't it? Don't tell that to Layer3 TV. It's revealing plans for an upcoming cable TV service that, theoretically, tackles some of the biggest problems you run into with conventional providers like Comcast or Time Warner Cable. For a start, Layer3 wants to avoid the overly compressed video that you typically endure -- it's using efficient HEVC (H.265) encoding and a fiber optic backbone to keep bandwidth use in check and maintain the highest quality possible. You're also promised very precise service appointment windows (within one hour) and set-top box installation so simple that you'll eventually get to do it yourself.
Video license deal protects the future of 4K
The future of 4K video has been in doubt as of late. You see, the HEVC Advance group that's licensing the H.265/HEVC video format (crucial to stuffing 4K into modern data pipes) wanted steep royalties seemingly everywhere, with no cap -- even free services faced a small outlay. It was so pricey that tech giants started work on their own royalty-free format to avoid being on the hook. At last, though, HEVC Advance has seen the light: it's offering a revamped licensing scheme. While it could still be costly for some, it's inexpensive enough that it might safeguard the future of 4K content.
Google is working to make 4K video less of a data hog
Ultra HD 4K video is still in its infancy, but there's no doubt the format will become increasingly popular in the next year or two. Huge players like YouTube and Netflix already support it, but delivering such high bandwidth video content remains a challenge. Google's trying to do its part to solve that problem by developing a more efficient video compression codec called VP10. The new codec has been in the works for nearly a year, but the company gave some details about how effective it can be over the VP9 format it'll eventually replace. In an interview with CNET, Google product manager James Bankoski said that VP9 uses half the bandwidth needed to deliver the same quality video as the popular H.264 format -- and with VP10, the company is trying to cut it in half again.
Test run paves the way for over-the-air 4K TV
You may not have to pony up for a streaming video service (or any service, for that matter) to get 4K video on your TV in the future. GatesAir, LG and Zenith have started field-testing Futurecast, a system that promises to drag over-the-air TV into the modern era. Thanks to HEVC video compression as well as boosts to overall throughput, the technology can stuff both 4K and two mobile broadcasts into a relatively small 6MHz frequency range. With enough bandwidth, you'd only need a set of rabbit ears to watch at least a few basic channels in Ultra HD.
You can now stream Xbox One games to Win 10 PCs
Microsoft announced that, starting today, Xbox One users running Windows 10 and who are members of the preview program will be able to try the company's new Game Streaming feature. It does exactly what it sounds like, allowing users to stream their console games to a remote computer. In fact, the feature actually mirrors the full console so you can also access the home screen and apps however you won't be able to stream movies, music or other protected content. What you will have access to is virtually every Xbox One title -- save for the ones that require a Kinect or other specialized hardware. Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
BBC to test 4K broadcasts of World Cup matches, but you can't watch them
UHD TVs are starting to make more sense now compatible content's slowly appearing. Traditional broadcasters can't react as quickly as streaming services to adopt the new format, but some are showing little interest in being left behind. Korean companies, especially, and now the BBC, which has announced it'll be conducting 4K broadcast trials this summer. Furthermore, it'll apparently be the "first time" 4K video will be sent initially by satellite (from Brazil to the UK), and then forwarded on to TVs via the internet (kind of like Sky's centralized receiver model).
VLC gets one-touch playback controls and a fresh new interface on iOS 7
VLC for iOS just got a much-needed coat of fresh paint. The media player's version 2.2 update has introduced an iOS 7-native interface with its own set of multi-touch playback gestures: you can tap with two fingers to pause a video, and swipes control the brightness, playback position and volume. This is more than just a skin-deep upgrade, though. VLC is now more cloud-savvy with support for Dropbox streaming, HTTP Live Streaming and downloads from Google Drive. The new app handles both lock screen privacy and TV show organization more elegantly than its predecessor, and it plays clips encoded in the more advanced HEVC (H.265) and VP9 formats. All told, there are plenty of reasons for video lovers to swing by the App Store for the upgrade.
KT Skylife plans to trial 4K satellite TV service in 2014
Satellite TV in Ultra HD quality is no longer just a dream: following a successful test broadcast this week, KT Skylife has unveiled a roadmap for offering 4K TV to its subscribers. The Korean provider plans to trial one channel of UHD content in the efficient H.265 (HEVC) video format next year, with a full commercial launch due in 2015. Widespread availability will depend on KT Skylife's ability to clear regulatory hurdles, CEO Jae-chul Moon says. The real challenge, however, may be finding customers with Ultra HD TVs. While prices are falling quickly, there's no guarantee that 4K sets will be commonplace in two years' time.
NHK and Mitsubishi develop the first H.265 encoder for 8K video
NHK's 8K Super Hi-Vision is an extremely bandwidth-heavy format -- so much so that earlier tests used gigabit-class internet links rather than traditional TV broadcasting methods. Thankfully, both the broadcaster and Mitsubishi have developed an encoder that could keep data rates down to Earth. The unassuming metal box (above) is the first to squeeze 8K video into the extra-dense H.265 (HEVC) format, cutting the bandwidth usage in half versus H.264. Its parallel processing is quick enough to encode video in real time, too, which should please NHK and other networks producing live TV. We'll still need faster-than-usual connections (and gigantic TVs) to make 8K an everyday reality, but that goal should now be more realistic.
SES demos first Ultra HD transmission in more efficient HEVC standard
We're still a bit away from Ultra HD becoming the standard for television. One of the things standing in the way is just how much bandwidth pushing that many pixels demands. SES recently demonstrated an Ultra HD transmission that uses the up and coming HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard, as opposed to the more established H.264. It's demonstrated 4K broadcasts before, as seen above at its IBC booth last year, but those were using older codecs. The 3,840 x 2,160 image was broadcast at a data rate of 20 Mbps, roughly a 50-percent improvement in encoding efficiency over H.264-based MPEG-4. The demonstration was performed with support from SES's partners, Harmonic and Broadcom, the latter of which provided the BCM7445-based decoding box used for pulling in the video. The tech still isn't quite ready for prime time, but we'd say a 4K House of Cards stream is probably closer than any of us realized.
ITU approves the H.265 video format, takes us closer to high-quality mobile video
Any smartphone owner who's ever watched a streaming HD video buffer... and buffer... and buffer on even LTE connections will appreciate the ITU's speediness today. Just months after MPEG proposed the extra-miserly H.265 video codec, the ITU has approved it as an official standard. As it's greenlit so far, the format (also known as High Efficiency Video Coding) includes 8-bit, 10-bit and photo-oriented profiles that should cover most 2D capture and playback. Pros are promised 12-bit and chroma profiles in the future, while there's work on 3D for all of us. We'll have to wait for both software support and hardware acceleration to reap the rewards, but there should be many: the halved bandwidth requirements have obvious benefits for cellular devices as well as 4K media delivery for that rash of giant TVs about to hit the market. Let's hope that camera and mobile device makers are just as impatient as we are.
Ultra HD TVs stole the show at CES 2013, but they're just part of the puzzle
Even before this year's CES kicked off, we knew Ultra High-Definition was going to dominate the show. Then from the first press conference to the last, 3,840 × 2,160 resolution displays were a center piece of almost every major manufacturer's announcements. Leading up to the show, the CEA's board decided against using "4K" to market these 8-megapixel (1080p is two megapixels) displays, instead choosing Ultra High-Definition or Ultra HD. Of course not everyone followed along, in fact Sony was first to market in the US, late last year, with its "4K Ultra HD TV." The display is only one piece of the puzzle and plenty of questions remain, however. Like, "Where's the content?" and "Will I have to replace all my other home theater gear?" Questions aside, Ultra HD TVs are here and more are coming, so click through for these answers and to discover the slate of new Ultra HD TVs for 2013.
Samsung 2013 LCDs and plasmas revealed: quad core CPU, new menus and more
As a leading manufacturer of HDTVs, Samsung has predictably returned to CES with a heaping armful of new displays of both the plasma and LCD variety. There are many common factors across the higher end models, including new A15 quad-core 1.35GHz CPUs that claim a 3.6x speed boost over last year's dual cores. That extra horsepower isn't being wasted either, as this year's sets are the first to decode HEVC video, and also feature improved voice control with natural voice commands, better recognition of gestures with support for two-handed gestures, pinch to zoom and more. All are due during the first half of 2013 and include Samsung's AllShare DLNA client, as well as the S-Recommendation lists to help you find things to watch. The F8500 series plasma features brighter whites and blacker blacks as well as other picture quality enhancements compared to years past and is available in three sizes; 51, 60 and 64 inches. The flagship F7500 LED 3D TV is available in 46, 55 and 60-inches, while its bigger brother, the F8000 series, does what it can do and adds a built-in camera and mic; and is available in five sizes ranging up to 75-inches. Like the higher end 2012 Samsung HDTVs, the new models also feature a Smart Evolution slot for future expansion. Owners of last year's sets will be able to pick up a Smart Evolution Kit and add the new features of this years models without replacing their TV.
MPEG drafts twice-as-efficient H.265 video standard, sees use in phones as soon as 2013
All of that squabbling over H.264 may be rendered moot in the near future. The Motion Picture Experts Group (better known as MPEG) has just let us know that it was quietly drafting a new video standard while everyone was on summer vacation last month: H.265, also called High Efficiency Video Coding, promises to squeeze video sizes with double the efficiency of H.264. As you might imagine, this could lead either to a much smaller video footprint for bandwidth-starved mobile users or a hike to image quality with the same size as before. Imagine fast-loading HD streaming on 4G, or cable TV without all the excess compression, and you've got the idea. Ericsson Research visual technology lead Per Fröjdh anticipates H.265 coming as soon as 2013, when our smartphones and tablets are most likely to play it first. TV and other areas might have to wait, although Fröjdh is offering a consolation prize -- he's teasing a separate MPEG project that could give us glasses-free, compressed 3D video as a standard by 2014.
