State of HEVC Bitrates in 2014: Comparing HEVC, H.264, and MPEG-2

Metadata

Publisher: SMPTE — White Plains, NY, USA
Doc Type: Journal Article
Content Type: Original Research
Abbreviated Title: SMPTE Mot. Imag J.
Volume: 124, No. 7, pp. 31–42
Abstract: This paper presents the results of empirical testing of high-efficiency video coding (HEVC) for standard-definition (SD), high-definition (HD), and ultra-high-definition (UHD), including data from hundreds of encoding tests across a variety of bitrates. The paper then compares HEVC quality results with the quality achieved by common Motion Picture Experts Group 2 (MPEG-2) and advanced video coding (AVC) distribution profiles to determine HEVC bitrate recommendations for SD, HD, and UHD distribution. The paper presents the following recommended bitrates for HEVC encoding: SD at 860 kbits/sec, HD at 2703 kbits/sec, and UHD at 23,922 kbits/sec. These represent a 45% bitrate savings, compared to AVC. HEVC encoding was done using x265 version 1.2, and all quality measurements were done using the peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity index. The paper uses the HEVC Main (8-bit) profile to allow quality matching with H.264 and MPEG-2 8-bit encoding.
Publication Date: 2015-10-01
DOI: 10.5594/j18612
ISSN: Print: 1545-0279 | Electronic: 2160-2492
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/j18612
Author(s): John Pallett
bio
John Pallett, Telestream, Inc., has more than 15 years of experience developing and managing computer graphics and digital media software applications for entertainment, CAD/CAM, and 3D design applications. At Telestream, Pallett has managed hardware and software video products for more than ten years, with a focus upon media essence processing and workflow automation. Pallett is a frequent speaker at NAB Technical Presentations, HPA, SMPTE meetings, CCW, and Streaming Media events. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, and a bachelor in computer science from the University of Waterloo, Canada.
Keyword(s): HEVC, MPEG-2, H.264, Encoding
Copyright: © 2015 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Inc.

Bibliographic Reference(s)

BrainFarm/Red Bull Media House. EXTERNAL
MulticoreWare, “x265 Evaluator’s Guide,” http://www.x265.orghttp://www.x265.org. EXTERNAL
VideoLAN Organization, “x264,” http://www.videolan.org/developers/x264.html. EXTERNAL
G. J. Sullivan, H. Schwarz, T. Keng Tan, and T. Wiegand, “Comparison of the Coding Efficiency of Video Coding Standards—Including High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC),” IEEE Trans. Circ. Syst. Video. Tech., 22(12):1669-1684, Dec. 2012. EXTERNAL
J. Pallett, “Bitrate Requirements for HEVC: Comparing H.265, H.264 and MPEG-2,” Proc. NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference, Las Vegas, Apr. 2014. EXTERNAL
Blender Foundation, Tears of Steel, http://tearsofsteel.org. EXTERNAL
Kai Zeng, Abdul Rehman, Jiheng Wang, and Wang Zhou, “From H.264 to HEVC: Coding Gain Predicted by Objective Video Quality Assessment Models,” Proc. Seventh International Workshop on Video Processing and Quality Metrics for Consumer Electronics, Scottsdale, AZ, Jan. 2013. EXTERNAL
ITU-T REC H.264 [Active]
ITU-T REC H.265 [Active]

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John Pallett; State of HEVC Bitrates in 2014: Comparing HEVC, H.264, and MPEG-2, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 124, Issue: 7, October 2015); SMPTE, 2015. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/j18612

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John Pallett; State of HEVC Bitrates in 2014: Comparing HEVC, H.264, and MPEG-2, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 124, Issue: 7, October 2015); SMPTE, 2015. Available at https://doi.org/10.5594/j18612

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<span class="citation">John Pallett; <cite>State of HEVC Bitrates in 2014: Comparing HEVC, H.264, and MPEG-2</cite>, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 124, Issue: 7, October 2015); SMPTE, 2015. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/j18612" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/j18612</a></span>

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John Pallett; State of HEVC Bitrates in 2014: Comparing HEVC, H.264, and MPEG-2, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 124, Issue: 7, October 2015); SMPTE, 2015
doi: 10.5594/j18612
url: https://doi.org/10.5594/j18612

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John Pallett; <cite id="bib-10-5594-j18612">State of HEVC Bitrates in 2014: Comparing HEVC, H.264, and MPEG-2</cite>, SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal ( Volume: 124, Issue: 7, October 2015); SMPTE, 2015
<span class="doi">10.5594/j18612</span>
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