Spin Digital showcases latest advancements in live VVC encoding at NAB 2024

Las Vegas, April 14th 2024. Spin Digital will present the latest developments in high quality and real-time VVC encoding at the NAB 2024 tradeshow in Las Vegas.

An onsite demonstration will be presented from April 14 to 17 at the 8K Association booth in the West Hall, Booth W4002, Futures Park at Las Vegas Convention Center.

The demonstration highlights the latest developments in video coding for ultra-high-definition and live streaming using VVC/H.266 combined with Content-Aware Encoding (CAE) and Perceptually Optimized Encoding (POE).

Spin Digital VVC Encoder

Spin Digital has developed an ultra efficient implementation of VVC, that makes VVC a practical codec for live and low-latency streaming and broadcasting applications while providing significant compression and quality gains.

Spin Digital VVC encoder, Spin Enc Live, is a CPU-based software solution that has been extensively optimized for performance on Intel Xeon processors. As a result the encoder achieves 8K 10-bit HDR 60 fps live encoding on a single server, or multiple 4K UHD channels on a single server with the lowest CPU requirements.

Latest developments in VVC (and HEVC encoding)

Our engineering team has been very busy in the last months working on improvements and new features for the VVC and HEVC encoders that will be part of the upcoming SDK and encoder releases. The main new features are:

• Improvements to POE mode and CAE algorithms: for a more consistent and higher perceived quality and lower bitrates.
• Low-latency encoding. Improved low latency encoding mode with more stable CBR rate control and encoding latencies as low as 100 ms.
• Improved compression efficiency: More VVC coding tools, better block partitioning, and enhanced QP cascading algorithm.
• Dynamic bitrate adjustment: Allowing to change the bitrate and main quality parameters at run time in a seamless and transparent way.
• Statistical multiplexer – statmux: based on a new design for reducing bitrate across multiple channels while ensuring perceptual quality.
• A new window-based rate control: for more stable rate control for HLS and DASH chunk-based encoding.
• Real-time boost: dynamically boost performance to maintain real-time performance under content complexity variations.
• Support for ST-2110: IP-based capture with real-time performance up to 8K 120 Hz.

Content Aware encoding and Perceptual Coding

POE and CAE are video encoding techniques designed to reduce the bitrate needed for streaming by analyzing the properties of each individual content and determining the optimal bitrate for a desired perceptual quality.

Spin Digital’s CAE and POE algorithms have been extensively optimized for  quality and real-time operation at large resolutions and frame rates, making possible to use it for live 4K and 8K up 120 fps.

Based on feedback from our customers and validation using many new video sequences, the CAE and POE algorithms have been improved to deliver more consistent quality and bitrate saving across a wide range of content.

Demo at NAB

The demo will showcase VVC encoding with POE and CAE in action. Spin Digital live VVC encoder using CAE and POE has been used to encode several 8K videos. Results show significant bit rate reductions at the same perceived quality compared to constant bitrate encoding.

The content is played using the professional media player developed by Spin Digital – Spin Player-, that includes a highly optimized CPU-based VVC decoder and a GPU-based video rendering engine. The media player runs on a compact PC that incorporates an Intel Core i9-13900K CPU and an Intel ARC A770 GPU.

The PC can be connected directly to the 8K TV using an HDMI 2.1 interface to help enable a full 8K 60 fps 10-bit HDR experience. A Samsung 85″ QN900C Neo QLED 8K HDR Smart TV will be showcased. Content from 8K Association partners, NHK, Intel, and Ilmenau University of Technology will be displayed.

The demo also includes immersive audio encoding using MPEG-H 3D audio. Spin Digital live encoder and media player support live encoding, streaming and playback of MPEG-H 3D audio for immersive and personalized audio experiences.

Panel: 8K Technology and its Impact on the Production Process

Learn from leading experts from across the industry about the key factors related to 8K technology – including the latest developments in capturing, encoding and content delivery – and their growing impact on the production community.

The panel, which will be moderated by Juan Reyes, Director of Operations at the 8K Association, features Abdul Rehman, Chief Product Officer, IMAX Corp; Ravi Velhal, Technology Policy and Standards, Intel Research; Uday Mathur, CTO, RED Digital Cinema; and Mauricio Alvarez-Mesa, CEO & co-founder, Spin Digital. The session will be held on Monday, April 15 from 12:15 to 12:45pm at the ConnectZone Theater located in the West Hall near Futures Park.

More information at the NAB program.

Visit us, contact and more information

Meet us at the 8K Association booth: West Hall – W4002 – Futures Park at Las Vegas Convention Center

Arrange a meeting with Mauricio Alvarez Mesa, Spin Digital’s CEO. Send an email to mauricio@spin-digital.com

More information

• Spin Digital. https://spin-digital.com/
• Spin Digital 8K Live Encoder: https://spin-digital.com/products/spin_enc_live
• 8K Association, the cross-industry group dedicated to promoting the growth of the 8K ecosystem