IP Issues Not Slowing Down 4K Codec, Patent Pool CEO Responds to 8K Association

codec's HEVC Advance patent pool. H.265, for 4K video and the adopted standard for ATSC 3.0, “can support the efficient encoding of 8K content today, but a next generation codec is expected to increase encoding efficiency by up to 2X,” said the 8KA in a Wednesday email about its seminar at NAB's show on April 10 in Las Vegas. Versatile Video Coding (VVC), a candidate standard vying to become H.265's successor, is “going through the standardization process now,” said the 8K group. “Complex” patent and royalty issues have hampered the wide adoption of H.265, and the industry “is working to avoid a repeat,” it said. Moller responded to us that “we consider desires by a few to exert control over video compression technology as a larger factor impacting that market segment.” Virtually every “new major technology implementation has issues that take time to get worked out by the marketplace, including often IP issues, but the issues do get resolved,” emailed Moller. The IP problems with H.265 “are largely behind us,” and adoption is “rapidly accelerating,” he said. HEVC Advance is “working hard to facilitate” additional “consolidation” of H.265 patent owners, “which I expect will accelerate over the next 12 to 18 months,” said Moller. “We are already working to create the solutions and processes that will allow us to offer a highly efficient and seamless singular licensing program” for H.265 and VVC “essential patents,” he said. H.265 adoption “appears to be similar to that” of other codecs the MPEG LA patent pool has “experienced,” emailed spokesperson Tom O’Reilly. “Royalties are just one of many factors and often not the principal one that users take into consideration when choosing a video technology.”