IEC, ISO and ITU awarded Emmy for work on high-definition MPEG-4

(c) Copyright Printroom, Inc. 2008

The US Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded a prestigious Emmy Award for engineering excellence to the IEC, ITU (International Telecommunication Union) and ISO (International Organization of Standardization) for their work in producing the advanced video coding standard known as ITU-T H.264 or ISO/IEC 14496-10 Advanced Video Coding (AVC).

The JVT (Joint Video Team), composed of experts from the three organizations, was recognized for its landmark achievement in developing the High Profile (HiP) that extends the reach of high-quality video in mobile telephones right through to HDTV (High Definition Television). HiP is also adopted into HD DVD and Blue-ray Disc. The JVT was formed in 2001 by the ITU’s VCEG (Video Coding Experts Group) and the ISO/IEC’s MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group).

The AVC format defined by Recommendation ITU-T H.264, or the International Standard ISO/IEC 14496 MPEG-4 Part 10, is a highly efficient video compression method that substantially reduces the bandwidth needed to deliver high-quality video and the space required to store it. Seven sets of capabilities, referred to as "profiles", have been created for use in specific applications. It is a combination of the great efficiency of the codec as well as its scalability in delivering excellent quality across the entire bandwidth spectrum — from HDTV to videoconferencing and 3G-mobile multimedia — that has led to its increasing popularity.

Malcolm Johnson, Director of the ITU’s standardization bureau, and Scott Jameson, Chair of ISO/IEC JTC 1: Information Technology Standards, and Director of Standards Strategy at Hewlett-Packard, received the award on behalf of the three organizations at a ceremony in Hollywood on 23 August 2008.

"AVC is a jewel in the crown of International Standards collaboration," said Johnson. "This standard’s versatility has been recognized and applauded across an amazing spectrum of industry. Its widespread adoption is testament to the flexibility and efficiency that has been engineered by a group of people that have dedicated themselves to achieving this goal. It also demonstrates a sincere and strong belief in the power of International Standards."

Also attending the ceremony were JVT co-Chairs Gary Sullivan of Microsoft, Ajay Luthra of Motorola and Thomas Wiegand of the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, as well as representatives of Thomson, Panasonic, DOCOMO and Dolby.

Said IEC General Secretary Aharon Amit, "I would like to pay tribute to the experts from the industry who have made the work of the JVT so relevant and timely. Their leadership, energy and inspiration to bring the likes of MPEG-4 to fruition shows what truly International Standards can bring in terms of interoperability and benefits, and how they can touch the lives of billions of people around the world."

The Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards are presented annually "for developments in engineering that are either so extensive an improvement on existing methods or so innovative in nature that they materially affect the transmission, recording or reception of television."