FAU-developed Video Compression Technology Receives Industry Recognition
Newswise — Video compression technology enables streaming video applications from YouTube to Netflix to transmit high quality video. As video accounts for about 80 percent of all Internet traffic, better video compression is a prominent issue worldwide.
Technology developed by researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, in partnership with research sponsor OP Solutions, LLC, promises to improve the process of streaming media. FAU and OP Solutions have announced that industry groups within the field have accepted university-developed intellectual property (IP) as part of the next generation video codec Versatile Video Coding (VVC).
This IP results from the strategic partnership between OP Solutions, which provides research sponsorship and direction, patent portfolio development and technology monetization, and FAU, which provides cutting-edge technical expertise and technical resources.
“OP Solutions and Florida Atlantic University have developed an innovative and strategic university/industry partnership that will propel a new generation of video coding,” said Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D., FAU’s vice president for research.
To promote deployment of the standard, OP Solutions has committed its VVC intellectual property, developed with FAU, to the leading VVC patent pool organized by independent licensing administrator Access Advance LLC. Access Advance offers VVC implementers an innovative and efficient licensing program, which includes worldwide rights to essential patents owned by dozens of companies in exchange for a fair, reasonable and transparent royalty.
The FAU-developed technology in seven United States patents, owned by OP Solutions, is now part of the VVC codec, and these patents will be included in an Access Advance pool license. In addition to OP Solutions, Access Advance’s VVC pool currently represents 32 licensors, including Alibaba, Dolby, General Electric, Mitsubishi, Mediatek, Panasonic, and Toshiba, and the number of companies participating in the VVC pool is expected to grow significantly.
“OP Solutions shares our commitment to providing transparent and efficient means for implementers of Versatile Video Coding to obtain the patent rights they need. We believe this commitment will pave the way for widespread adoption of the standard, which compresses video up to 50 percent better than its predecessor HEVC,” said Peter Moller, CEO of Access Advance. “The OP Solutions-FAU collaboration was one of the few U.S.-based universities that participated in the VVC standard-setting process, and the FAU research team is well distinguished in the field of video compression. We are excited to offer VVC implementers rights to OP Solutions’ valuable, standard-essential technology as part of a license to our VVC patent pool.”
VVC, finalized in 2020, was jointly developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the ITU Telecommunications Standardization Sector, which assembles experts from around the world to develop standards applicable to the global infrastructure of information and communication technologies.
“Application areas especially targeted for the use of VVC include augmented and virtual reality, informally known as the metaverse, ultra-high definition 4K and 8K video, and video with a high dynamic range and wide color gamut,” said Hari Kalva, Ph.D., member of the FAU research team and associate chair and professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Kalva was elected in 2022 to the rank of National Academy of Inventors® Fellow for his cutting-edge research and innovation in the field of video compression and communication, including his work related to VVC. In addition to Kalva, the FAU research team includes Borko Furht, Ph.D., professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and director of the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Advanced Knowledge Enablement (CAKE). Kalva and Furht collaborate on the project with Robert J.L. Moore, president of OP Solutions; and Velibor Adzic, Ph.D., an FAU graduate and director of product development at Videopura, LLC.
“Professors Kalva and Furht are at the forefront of video compression technology, and together with our research partner OP Solutions and Access Advance, we have achieved a major milestone to provide industry patent rights for this FAU-developed technology,” said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Beginning in a few years, we expect this technology to be available on nearly all devices with screens or cameras sold worldwide – from smartphones to tablets to autonomous vehicles.”
Expertise in FAU’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science includes data analytics, artificial intelligence, robotics, cyber physical systems, cybersecurity, cryptographic engineering, micro and nanotechnology in medicine, bioinformatics, sensors and Internet of Things, signal processing, machine learning, vehicular networks and video communications.
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About FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science:
The FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science is internationally recognized for cutting edge research and education in the areas of computer science and artificial intelligence (AI), computer engineering, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, civil, environmental and geomatics engineering, mechanical engineering, and ocean engineering. Research conducted by the faculty and their teams expose students to technology innovations that push the current state-of-the art of the disciplines. The College research efforts are supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Education (DOEd), the State of Florida, and industry. The FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science offers degrees with a modern twist that bear specializations in areas of national priority such as AI, cybersecurity, internet-of-things, transportation and supply chain management, and data science. New degree programs include Master of Science in AI (first in Florida), Master of Science and Bachelor in Data Science and Analytics, and the new Professional Master of Science and Ph.D. in computer science for working professionals. For more information about the College, please visit eng.fau.edu.
About Florida Atlantic University: Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
