V-Nova and Hitachi to Halve the Bandwidth for Live UHD Contribution and Distribution

Eric Achtmann and Guido Meardi present PERSEUS: Business case for scalable UHD delivery enabled

V-Nova Ltd., a leading provider of video compression solutions, and Hitachi Data Systems, will unveil an end-to-end solution for the acquisition and delivery of live UHD content to consumers at the Hitachi booth (SL3910) during NAB Show 2015 (Las Vegas, April 13-16).  Visitors will see a complete, deployment-ready UHD ecosystem, combining the latest Hitachi Kokusai 4K camera (SK-UHD4000), Hitachi Data Systems servers and the recently launched PERSEUS® video compression technology.

The new solution reduces UHD distribution bandwidth by more than 50% vs. those promised by HEVC, delivering previously unachievable performance: ca. 6–7 Mbps for UHD movies and 10-13 Mbps for UHD p60 sports.  As such, the solution is suitable for today’s ADSL, as well as satellite and cable delivery.

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"Together with V-Nova we are shifting the paradigm for UHD contribution and distribution with a robust, fully-integrated solution that reduces bandwidth, increases workflow efficiency and redefines UHD business models," says Dr. Shane Archiquette, Global CTO for Communications, Media & Entertainment, Hitachi Data Systems. “Hitachi is proud to bring to market a solution that contributes to social innovation by increasing the reach of video services around the world."

The end-to-end UHD ecosystem is being shown live at the Hitachi booth (SL3910), where live content from Hitachi Kokusai cameras is delivered over low-latency contribution links. The content is encoded and packaged in real-time for distribution, and decoded by a standard Intel-based PC as well as mobile devices running the popular VisualOn multimedia player with a PERSEUS decoder software plug-in.

For contribution, PERSEUS-powered Hitachi servers provide a 50-70% bandwidth reduction vs. existing JPEG 2000-based systems, while simultaneously guaranteeing the same single-frame latency. PERSEUS provides the additional benefit that it operates on a full UHD frame, eliminating the need to split the picture into individual HD quadrants, as is currently the case.

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The service is then processed by PERSEUS-enabled Hitachi servers for UHD distribution to consumers. The Hitachi system is used to generate streams for OTT delivery to connected devices, such as smart phones and tablets, providing live encoding and delivery of the same feed in HD quality at SD bitrates, and SD quality at audio bitrates. This performance shift massively increases OTT reach for operators, enabling them to deliver higher quality video to consumers over 4G, 3G, and even 2G networks. The ability to distribute quality video over 2G networks means people in emerging markets will be able to receive OTT video for the first time.

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The workflow is fully compatible with today’s MPEG encapsulation and HLS, DASH or SmoothStreaming delivery, making it transparent to ad-insertion, subtitling, CDNs, etc.

“As V-Nova’s global fulfilment partner for enterprise-grade broadcasting servers, we are impressed by the robustness of the PERSEUS™ solution and the key role it plays in broadcasting, social innovation and cloud services," says Kevin Eggleston, SVP Social Innovation & Global Industries, Hitachi Data Systems.

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"The combination of V-Nova’s ground-breaking PERSEUS compression performance with Hitachi Data System’s highly robust, enterprise-grade hardware and renowned global support, provides a highly compelling offering,” states Guido Meardi, V-Nova CEO & co-Founder. “The fact that PERSEUS integrates seamlessly with existing hardware and infrastructure, and using existing workflows, means that our partners and customers can rapidly deploy scalable UHD, or upgraded HD/SD services, within their existing infrastructures and bandwidth capacity."

“This unique end-to-end solution demonstrates the great benefits and broad applicability of both the PERSEUS technology and the coalition which has been built around it,” remarked Eric Achtmann, V-Nova Executive Chairman & co-Founder.  “Together with Hitachi, Hitachi Kokusai, and other partners, we are solving unsolved challenges that currently face the industry.  We are making ‘The Impossible’ possible, and ‘The Possible’ more profitable."

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About V-Nova
V-Nova™ is a London-headquartered company providing advanced video and imaging processing hardware, software and embedded solutions. Its novel compression technology, PERSEUS® is based on principles underlying human vision.
V-Nova was founded in 2011 by an experienced team, including experts involved in the development of first generation codecs (e.g., MPEG/JPEG), as well as business leaders, technology finance veterans, product development and intellectual property experts. A strong global consortium comprising leading partners from multiple industries including media & broadcasting, telecommunications, hardware and consulting supports V-Nova.
V-Nova serves numerous sectors, including media & broadcasting, telecommunications, aerospace, defence, security, video conferencing, digital signage, medical imaging, telematics and video games.