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High performance video coding technology is another indispensable element to
realize UHD video. At present, the main standards for video coding are MPEG-2
and MPEG-4 AVC (Advanced Video Coding)/H.264 (AVC/H.264). However, the
development of a new video coding technology is necessary for UHD video appli-
cations since the video must be compressed further to be transmitted within cur-
rent systems, while still keeping the high quality of the original source as much as
possible. In response to such environmental conditions and demands, the stan-
dardization activity of a next generation video coding for UHD video is getting
underway.
In this chapter, the history and international standardization of video coding
technology are described. Then, the fundamental constituent factors of video cod-
ing are introduced. Next, the requirements for the video coding technology
towards the realization of UHD video are described, and the progress of the sup-
porting UHD video technologies is surveyed. Finally, the challenges toward the
technical development of a next generation video coding and the view of future
video coding technology are discussed.
2 Progress of Digital Video Technique
Looking back upon the history of video technology, it is evident that video coding
is one of the most important elements when considering the progress of digital
video technology. During these two decades, MPEG (Moving Picture Experts
Group) has occupied a central position in the international standardization of
video coding technology. In this section, the results of MPEG standardization and
current activities are surveyed.
2.1 History of Video Coding
2.1.1 Before AVC/H.264
Television broadcasting first started as analog in the 1940s and spread generally
and widely. In the telecommunications area, video transmission was realized as
TV phone service at the beginning, which was sending semi-video in addition to
voice through the telephone line. However, it was not practical at that time to allo-
cate wide range of the bandwidth of the communication line for video transmis-
sion. Although research and development for efficient video transmission were
conducted during the 1950s and 1960s, most of them were video transmission sys-
tems made use of analog technology.
In the 1970s, since the digital signal processing began to evolve into practical
and more matured technology, the hierarchy of the digital telecommunications net-
work was specified in the communications field. In the beginning of 1980s, the
practical development on high efficiency digital video compression had come ac-
celerated. As a result, innovative video coding technology was introduced into the
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