Vcodex Limited
Experts in Video Coding

research - fully configurable video coding

My research team's work on Fully Configurable Video Coding is attracting a lot of attention. MPEG's Reconfigurable Video Coding initiative (RVC) is soon to be standardized, but this new concept goes further. The basic idea is that a complete video codec design, or a partial modification, is sent to a decoder as part of the video bitstream. This means that the decoder (now a Universal Video Decoder) can be dynamically re-configured to handle any video format, whether it's an existing standard or a new algorithm. This is a very powerful concept for a number of reasons:

• The Universal Video Decoder can decode any current or new standard video format without the need for a software or hardware change.
• The UVD can be programmed with only the functions that are needed (instead of supporting features of a standard that are not required for the application).
• New ideas and algorithms can be brought to market very quickly (instead of taking years to standardise them).
• The video coding algorithm can be adapted dynamically, during a coded sequence, to maximize compression efficiency.

To find out more:

Download my paper, presented at IEEE SOCC08. Full citation:

I. Richardson, M. Bystrom, S. Kannangara and M. de Frutos-Lopez, "Dynamic Configuration: Beyond Video Coding Standards", Plenary Presentation, IEEE System on Chip Conference (SOCC08), Newport Beach, CA, September 2008.

Visit our new site, openvideocoding.org, to learn about fully configurable video coding and to contribute to new developments.

Visit my research centre.