Highlighting the increasing importance of broadband distribution for broadcasters, the EBU is to demonstrate a new combination of two emerging formats, DVB-DASH and HEVC, the H.265 codec.
One element of the demo shows how content providers can upgrade their on demand services to UHD frame sizes using H.265 (HEVC) codec in a full open source workflow. The maximum quality shown end-to-end is 3840×2160 pixel frame size at a speed of 25 full frames per seconds.
According to the EBU, the biggest advantage of H.265 or HEVC is its efficiency, as less bandwidth is needed to deliver the same quality as the most common used codec H.264. This has a positive impact on both the storage and streaming cost of the content provider and allows users to enjoy a better quality video using less internet traffic.
Another available solution is the encoding and end-to-end playout on a connected TV of a live feed using HEVC and DVB-DASH. With both requiring real time encoding the EBU demo shows how this can be done through a software based (fast) generic server.
