The Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC), a joint effort of the MPEG and VCEG standardisation committees, is developing a new video coding standard known as High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC). HEVC is expected to be published as an International Standard in 2013.
The HEVC "Test Model" is a working prototype that includes the tools or algorithms that are under consideration for the proposed HEVC standard. Version HM3 of the test model (March 2011) defines two groups of tools or "configurations", High Efficiency and Low Complexity.
Both High Efficiency and Low Complexity configurations include the following coding tools:
Coding Unit tree structure (8x8 up to 64x64 luma samples)
Prediction Units
Transform unit tree structure (3 level max.)
Transform block size of 4x4 to 32x32 samples
Mode-dependent Transform for 4x4 block
Spatial Intra Prediction (34 angular directions and Planar)
Adaptive Intra Smoothing
Intra Chroma Prediction using Luma samples
DCT-based interpolation filter for luma samples (1/4-sample, 8-tap)
DCT-based interpolation filter for luma samples (1/8-sample, 4-tap)
Coding Unit based Skip & Prediction Unit based merging
Advanced motion vector prediction
Deblocking filter
The Low Complexity configuration includes Context Adaptive Variable Length Coding (CAVLC).
The High Efficiency configuration uses Context Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coding (CABAC) and supports increased bit precision for internal operations and an adaptive loop filter.
Download the HM3 Test Model description document.
Keep up to date with the HEVC contributions and documents via the JCT-VC working site:
http://phenix.int-evry.fr/jct/index.php
