Apparently not fully content with the new AV1 video codec, Samsung, Huawei and Qualcomm will back MPEG-5 EVC, saying that "it is the next generation video codec".

Another one
Just as the royalty-free AV1 video codec had started to gain traction for 4K and 8K video streaming, three major players in the industry have announced a plan to "promote (MPEG-5 EVC) in the multimedia industry".

- "By delivering 4K UHD video with greater compression and efficiency over the previous standard codec, MPEG-5 EVC will enable more screens to display 4K, 8K, VR, AR and HDR content and offer the level of services that consumers have come to expect," the companies said in a joint statement.

New 8K TVs from Samsung already support the royalty-free AV1, which is required to stream 8K videos from YouTube. Samsung is also a member of AOMedia, which has developed AV1. It is unclear if Samsung's plans for AV1 will be affected by its commitment to MPEG-5 EVC.



MPEG-5 EVC is designed to be an alternative, not a successor, to HEVC. The MPEG group is developing its next-generation video codec under the name VVC (Versatile Video Coding), also referred to as FVC (Future Video Coding) or H.266.

MPEG-5 EVC was released at the end of April 2020. The base layer will be royalty-free whereas the enhanced layer will be subject to patent royalties. All three parties hold patents relating to MPEG-5 EVC and have committed to offer them on so-called FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) terms.

As a consumer how should you view this new development? For now, AV1 looks like a strong contender given its support from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Intel, LG, Microsoft, and Netflix. However, don't be surprised if MPEG-5 EVC emerges as an alternative. 

- Source: Samsung, Qualcomm, Huawei