Brazilian broadcaster Globo has launched what’s described as the world’s first broadcast of a MPEG-5 LCEVC-enhanced channel during the FIFA World Cup.
MPEG-5 part 2 LCEVC (Low Complexity Enhancement Video Coding) specifies an enhancement layer which can boost the compression efficiency of any existing or future video codec, enabling higher quality at up to 40 per cent lower bitrates.
The Globo trial includes a live broadcast channel that leverages the enhancement layer of LCEVC to convert an existing TV 2.0 signal into a High-Dynamic Range (HDR) 10-bit channel for enabled receivers. Transmission takes place over the existing ISDB-Tb system.
The showcase also features the first end-to-end trial over DASH streaming of an LCEVC-enhanced VVC video, as an example of the capabilities that are developing to support the upcoming TV 3.0 standard, Brazil’s next-generation DTT system that is due to be deployed in 2025.
According to V-Nova, it is the first time these technologies have been used in a complete end-to-end production to provide 4K HDR video with immersive and personalised audio. The system also facilitates the distribution of current and future formats, including 8K resolution, HDR and Next-Generation Audio (NGA) to over-the-air broadcast (OTA) and over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms, added the company.
Carlos Cosme, innovation specialist at Globo, said: “It is amazing how fast this ecosystem is being formed, with various implementations based on software and hardware. Globo, at the technological forefront, is experimenting for the first time in Brazil the joint operation of the MPEG-5 LCEVC codec with the H.264 codec, all of this is associated with an immersive and personalized acoustic experience.
“In this showcase, the base layer is a 1080i, 8-bit, SDR, BT.709 signal targeting current Brazilian TV sets. Using the information present in the enhancement layer, the LCEVC codec enhances the quality of the base layer and provides a video signal with improved quality, i.e., 1080p, 10-bit, HDR10, and BT.2020,” added Cosme.
“In the second showcase, using the 4K production signal from the World Cup, we demonstrated the joint use of LCEVC with VVC, both technologies chosen by the SBTVD Forum to make up the technology stack of the future 3.0 TV in Brazil. We are very proud to be able to experience first-hand all these technologies operating together.”
The LCEVC live showcase runs during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 from 20th November to 18th December 2022.
