On2 lance son codec vidéo VP6

On2 Technologies a lancé hier son nouveau codec vidéo "VP6". Pour rappel, l'ancienne version "VP5" est déjà utilisée avec d'autres technologies comme Real Video 9.

Selon On2 cette nouvelle version du codec destinée à concurrencer DivX 5.05 et Windows Media Video 9 offre une image 40% plus détaillée, tout en consommant 50% de ressources processeur de moins que "VP5".

VP6 supporte également l'encodage haute définition et permet d'encoder de la vidéo en temps réel au format 720x576.

AOL devrait utiliser ce nouveau codec pour diffuser tout son contenu vidéo.

On2 proposera deux licences pour VP6 : une version simple adaptée aux Processeurs d'entrée de gamme et une version avancée "haute qualité" avec des bitrates peu élevés.

Les premières vidéos VP6 peuvent être vues sur cette page, vous trouverez également sur cette page le nouveau lecteur "TrueCast" pour voir ces vidéos.

Source : Clubic, le 14 mai 2003 par Vincent

    

On2 Launches VP6, World's Most Powerful Video Codec

NEW YORK, and CAMBRIDGE, England, May 12, 2003 -- On2 Technologies, Inc., The Duck Corporation (AMEX: ONT), a world leader in video compression for 12 years, today debuted its new flagship codec, VP6.

The new codec supports high definition without any compressor restrictions and supports real time encoding at D1 resolutions. The codec produces up to 40% better image quality than the company's previous flagship, VP5. It also uses up to 50% less CPU than VP5, creating faster playback on semiconductors.

VP6 will run on inexpensive digital signal processors without the expensive sub-processors than many standards-based codecs (JVT and MPEG-4) require. VP6 is a strictly software-based solution.

VP6 will encode and decode at any datarate while automatically adjusting quantization levels or adjust encoded frame dimensions.

The new codec will be available in two versions, Simple Profile for faster playback on inexpensive processors, and Advanced Profile for high quality at extremely low bitrates.

On PSNR tests, VP6 substantially outperforms JVT / H.26L, Windows Media 9, and DIVX 5.05.

"This new codec from On2 simply does a number of things substantially better than any other codec available at an price. It does not just outperform the competition in one or two arenas, it outperforms the competition, period," said Douglas A. McIntyre, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

"With VP6 we've addressed our customer's needs and exceeded their expectations. The benefit of VP6 is simple and tangible: VP6 video looks sharper, it plays faster and it runs better on their platforms," said Eric Ameres, Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President Engineering of the Company.

"VP6 is a significant advance in the science of video compression. In just 5 months time we've managed to research, develop and bring to production six separate major inventions. I'm proud of my team and our accomplishment," said Paul Wilkins, the Company's Senior Vice President, Research and Development. "To date no one has provided the digital television industry a strong enough case for abandoning MPEG-2. Now we can: VP6 looks better than MPEG-2 at less than 1/2 the datarate without requiring more processor power," said Jim Bankoski, Senior Vice President, Engineering of the Company.

Please visit www.on2.com for more information about VP6 and to view test clips of VP6 encoded content.

About On2 Technologies, The Duck Corporation : On2 Technologies (AMEX: ONT - News) is a leading technology firm at the forefront of video compression. The Company revolutionized video encoding with the creation of its advanced full-motion, full-screen, video compression and streaming technology (TrueMotion® VP4/VP5/VP6). On2 licenses its high quality video codecs for use in set-top boxes, consumer electronics devices and wireless applications. In addition, On2 offers a suite of products and services, including high-level video encoding, customized technical support, and consulting/integration services. Located in New York City, the Company has an office in Clifton Park, NY, and operations in Cambridge, UK. On2 may be reached at 21 Corporate Drive, Suite 103, Clifton Park, NY 12065.



Video Comparison - Downloads

To prove our confidence in VP6, we compressed identical AVI clips with VP6 and three other codecs—Windows Media 9, DivX 5.0.3, and QuickTime MPEG-4—and put them here for the public to compare.

The comparison samples are MPEG-2 test clips. These are the raw AVI clips that professionals use for rating codec quality and performance. They are short, complex throughout, and extremely difficult to compress. A compressor cannot play datarate tricks on these clips (for example, increasing the rate to five times the average on difficult sections) to improve image quality.

To play the other vendor's formats, you must have the appropriate player software: Windows Media Player 9, DivX Player 2.1, or QuickTime Player 6.

Note: These are not streaming files. They are intended to be played from your local hard drive. To play a file, right click the link and select Save Target As to save the file to your hard disk. Then, in the appropriate player application click File > Open, browse to and select the file you saved, and click OK.

In the following tables, "PSNR" refers to the "Peak Signal-Noise Ratio." The PSNR is a common measurement for comparing an original image and an encoded/decoded image. A higher PSNR indicates better quality compressed images. The actual datarate is also shown because some codecs had to exceed the target datarate to prevent dropping frames.

Extensive technical analysis of these tests can be found in the VP6 White Paper. (PDF).

Source : On2 Technologies, le 13 mai 2003 par Vincent

Livre blanc VP6 : (cliquez sur la miniature ci-dessous - le document est au format PDF)


Vidéo de démonstration proposées par ON2 :
Toutes les vidéos ont une durée de 10,01 seceondes et sont à 30 images par secondes. Leur taille est d'axproximativement 1 Mo.

"Cheerleaders" - 352x240 - Target Datarate 400 Kbps

- On2 VP6 - PSNR 27.55 - 390 Kbps
- Windows Media 9 - PSNR 27.12 - 408 Kbps
- DivX 5 - PSNR 26.37 - 411 Kbps
- QuickTime MPEG-4 - PSNR  n/a - 600 Kbps

"Football" - 704 x 480 - Target Datarate 600 Kbps

- On2 VP6 - PSNR 36.33 - 571 Kbps
- Windows Media 9 - PSNR 34.83 - 571 Kbps
- DivX 5 - PSNR 33.27 - 746 Kbps
- QuickTime MPEG-4 - PSNR n/a - 888 Kbps

"Cheerleaders" - 352x240 - Target Datarate 650 Kbps

- On2 VP6 - PSNR 29.93 - 644 Kbps
- Windows Media 9 - PSNR 29.25 - 644 Kbps
- DivX 5 - PSNR 28.78 - 700 Kbps
- QuickTime MPEG-4 - PSNR n/a - 638 Kbps

"Football" - 704 x 480 - Target Datarate 850 Kbps

- On2 VP6 - PSNR 38.22 - 829 Kbps
- Windows Media 9 - PSNR 37.11 - 883 Kbps
- DivX 5 - PSNR 34.09 - 902 Kbps
- QuickTime MPEG-4 - PSNR n/a - 936 Kbps