Demystifying the Use of Compression in Virtual Production

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Publisher: SMPTE
Doc Type: Journal Article
Content Type: Original Research
Abbreviated Title: SMPTE Motion Imaging Jour.
Volume: 134, No. 3, pp. 44–54
Abstract: Virtual Production (VP) technologies enhance on-set filming and live concerts through high-resolution, high-brightness LED panels. Due to technical challenges like synchronization and color balancing, the industry prefers resource-intensive lossless compression for displays. Modern lossy standards (AV1, H.265) could maintain quality while reducing resource demands, yet no agreed methodology exists for assessing their in-camera impact. We present a method comparing lossless and lossy compressed footage displayed through VP screens and recorded in-camera. Our assessment compares HAP/NotchLC/Daniel2 intermediate codecs with hardware Nvidia Encoders (NVENC) using AV1/HEVC/H.264 compression at bitrates from 2–2000 Mbit/s with various GOP sizes using different perceptual quality metrics. Results demonstrate hybrid codecs achieve equivalent quality to intermediate encoders at significantly lower bitrates and storage requirements.
Publication Date: 2025-05-01
DOI: 10.5594/JMI.2025/MJPY7062
ISSN: Print: 1545-0279 | Electronic: 2160-2492
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/MJPY7062
Author(s): Vibhoothi Vibhoothi
Julien Zouein
Francois Pitie
Christopher Nash
James Bentley
Philip Coulam-Jones
Anil Kokaram
Keyword(s): Virtual Production, Compression, HEVC, H.264, AV1, HAP, NotchLC, Daniel2
Copyright: © 2025 SMPTE

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Vibhoothi Vibhoothi, Julien Zouein, Francois Pitie, Christopher Nash, James Bentley, Philip Coulam-Jones, and Anil Kokaram; Demystifying the Use of Compression in Virtual Production, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 3 (pp. 44 to 54); SMPTE, 2025. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/MJPY7062

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Vibhoothi Vibhoothi, Julien Zouein, Francois Pitie, Christopher Nash, James Bentley, Philip Coulam-Jones, and Anil Kokaram; Demystifying the Use of Compression in Virtual Production, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 3 (pp. 44 to 54); SMPTE, 2025. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/MJPY7062

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<span class="citation">Vibhoothi Vibhoothi, Julien Zouein, Francois Pitie, Christopher Nash, James Bentley, Philip Coulam-Jones, and Anil Kokaram; <cite>Demystifying the Use of Compression in Virtual Production</cite>, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 3 (pp. 44 to 54); SMPTE, 2025. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/MJPY7062" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/MJPY7062</a></span>

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Vibhoothi Vibhoothi, Julien Zouein, Francois Pitie, Christopher Nash, James Bentley, Philip Coulam-Jones, and Anil Kokaram; Demystifying the Use of Compression in Virtual Production, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 3 (pp. 44 to 54); SMPTE, 2025
doi: 10.5594/JMI.2025/MJPY7062
url: https://doi.org/10.5594/JMI.2025/MJPY7062

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<li>
Vibhoothi Vibhoothi, Julien Zouein, Francois Pitie, Christopher Nash, James Bentley, Philip Coulam-Jones, and Anil Kokaram; <cite id="bib-10-5594-jmi-2025-mjpy7062">Demystifying the Use of Compression in Virtual Production</cite>, MIJ 2025, Volume 134, Number 3 (pp. 44 to 54); SMPTE, 2025
<span class="doi">10.5594/JMI.2025/MJPY7062</span>
</li>