NEXT-GENERATION VIDEO CODECS: HEVC VS AV1 FOR 8K UHD VIDEO PERFORMANCE AND COMPATIBILITY

Abstract

8K UHD video, with its remarkable resolution and quality, has found applications in diverse domains, including entertainment, education, healthcare, security, and sports. Nevertheless, the demands it imposes on data, computation, and video coding quality are substantial. Video coding, the process of compressing and decompressing video data for efficient storage and transmission, faces formidable challenges due to the massive data size, complexity, and quality requirements inherent in 8K UHD video. This paper delves into the intricacies of video coding for 8K UHD video, focusing on two prominent standards: HEVC and AV1. HEVC, an international standard introduced in 2013, has doubled video data compression efficiency compared to its predecessor. In contrast, AV1, an open-source standard developed in 2018, surpasses HEVC by achieving a 30% higher compression rate. This research aims to address the following question: How do HEVC and AV1 measure up in terms of performance, complexity, and compatibility for 8K UHD video coding? The paper's thesis contends that AV1 outperforms HEVC in terms of performance and compatibility, but HEVC remains more accessible and user-friendly for 8K UHD video coding.