Google has extended its licence with Fraunhofer IIS, primary developer of the xHE-AAC audio codec, to continue using the technology in its video services.
Fraunhofer’s AAC encoder software supports the AAC-LC, HE-AAC, and xHE-AAC flavours of the open international standard used by Google to deliver content to consumers worldwide.
The latest version of the AAC family, xHE-AAC, offers maximum coding efficiency with a usable bit rate range that spans from 12 kbit/s to 500 kbit/s and above for stereo services, said Fraunhofer.
This efficiency is particularly crucial in emerging markets where 2G/3G networks still exist in significant numbers and wherever 4G/5G networks are congested, adde the organisation.
Audio bandwidth saved due to the increased coding efficiency can be used to improve video quality.
“We greatly value our close collaboration with the YouTube team,” says Marc Gayer, head of business department and deputy division director audio and media technologies at Fraunhofer IIS. “We are looking forward to continuing this success story and helping even further improve the quality and user experience of the service.”
