New MPEG standard cuts video bandwidth requirements in half

Shawn Knight

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A new MPEG video standard called High Efficiency Video Coding claims to be twice as efficient as current standards which essentially means that we can expect to download movies twice as fast as before. The format will be able to maintain the same level of quality that we are accustomed to while only requiring half of the bandwidth.

Visual Technology manager Per Fröjdh from Ericsson Research says that video accounts for the majority of data sent over networks today. In fact, Fröjdh believes that 90 percent of all network traffic will be video-related by 2015.

internet video standard --fast movie downloads internet video

The idea of consuming half the amount of bandwidth that current standards use is great news for those that watch videos on the go using a wireless data plan, especially given the fact that most wireless providers have gotten away from unlimited plans. HEVC videos are said to be more stable as well, yet another boon for streaming watchers.

But if you already have a speedy net connection and data usage isn’t a concern, HEVC can also allow for double the quality of current HD video. Streaming HD video already looks pretty nice so one can only imagine what doubling that quality would look like.

The Visual Technology manager feels that we could see this new standard show up in commercial products as soon as 2013. Any bets as to which phone we will see adopt the new standard first?

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Streaming HD video already looks pretty nice so one can only imagine what doubling that quality would look like.

Lol... You don't have to imagine, look at any high quality HD video source that isn't streaming...

That's really incredible news... but also means I have to reconvert all my discs for the media server... :(

You certainly don't have to, but you could make more efficient use of your storage space if you did.
 
Great news! Another step forward in getting rid of outdated media providers.
Now when google's fiber become wide-spread...well power is shifting.
So long NewsCorp!
 
very interesting news. This gives cable companies another reason to lower data caps to keep everyone in check so they continue using their services rather than a streaming service. Gotta kill competition you know! ;)
 
very interesting news. This gives cable companies another reason to lower data caps to keep everyone in check so they continue using their services rather than a streaming service. Gotta kill competition you know! ;)

I don't believe any cable company who has instituted caps has lowered them.
 
very interesting news. This gives cable companies another reason to lower data caps to keep everyone in check so they continue using their services rather than a streaming service. Gotta kill competition you know! ;)

I don't believe any cable company who has instituted caps has lowered them.

His point was that since this new codec lowers the required bandwidth for streaming, cable companies might lower the bandwidth caps in order to kill their competition in the on-demand video rental/sale business. While I suspect he was somewhat joking, I actually don't doubt for a second that this will in fact happen if the new format catches on.
 
His point was that since this new codec lowers the required bandwidth for streaming, cable companies might lower the bandwidth caps in order to kill their competition in the on-demand video rental/sale business. While I suspect he was somewhat joking, I actually don't doubt for a second that this will in fact happen if the new format catches on.

Caps will never, ever go down. While it may take ages for them to go UP, the FCC and FTC would be all over them if they lowered existing caps. (I'm excluding the ISPs who go from unlimited to a usage-based model.)
 
very interesting news. This gives cable companies another reason to lower data caps to keep everyone in check so they continue using their services rather than a streaming service. Gotta kill competition you know! ;)

I don't believe any cable company who has instituted caps has lowered them.


His point was that since this new codec lowers the required bandwidth for streaming, cable companies might lower the bandwidth caps in order to kill their competition in the on-demand video rental/sale business. While I suspect he was somewhat joking, I actually don't doubt for a second that this will in fact happen if the new format catches on.

I was somewhat joking, but the wireless phone companies are/have already done this as a " benefit" to the consumer. You know, to keep the incredible low percent of people who abuse it from somehow slowing down the network thus hurting performance on the average end users devices...now that was sarcasm, somewhat ;-)
 
Now that I have an HTPC, halving the disk space taken by a movie means something to me.
 
Caps will never, ever go down. While it may take ages for them to go UP, the FCC and FTC would be all over them if they lowered existing caps. (I'm excluding the ISPs who go from unlimited to a usage-based model.)

I hope you're right, but I think you greatly under estimate the power of big Corp.
 
I hope you're right, but I think you greatly under estimate the power of big Corp?
Methinks you have a cork leg matey!
 
/facepalm to anyone stupid enough to think the "big isp's" will not try to twist anything to make them more $$$$$

If you think the 250gb+ cap from comcast was bad (and they are notorious for f'ing their customers).. check out the BS in Canada...

Thankfully I'm one of those smart enough to have kicked all of those greedy bastards to the curb years ago.
 
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