Fraunhofer HHI and Contributing Companies and Institutes of MPEG Receive Technology and Engineering Emmy

Berlin, Germany – January 29, 2014 – The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), today announced the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has recognized the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) with a Technology and Engineering Emmy® Award for the development of the MPEG-2 Transport Stream standard.  As part of MPEG, Fraunhofer HHI, a leader in the development of mobile and fixed broadband communication networks, multimedia systems, image processing and 3D, played a leading role in the evolution of the standard.  This includes the integration of new video coding formats such as multiview video coding  (MVC) and High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC).

MPEG-2 first came into use as a video and transport standard for digital TV in the 1990s. Even though the MPEG-2 video standard in HDTV and the Internet is now largely superseded by AVC, MPEG-2 is still an enduring success. Most of the world’s digital receivers, from televisions and Blu-ray players to smartphones and tablets, now come equipped with the MPEG-2 transport stream format for video reception. The contributions made by Fraunhofer HHI to the standardization of the format enabled MPEG-2 to keep pace with the rapidly growing market for end-user digital devices.

Thomas Schierl, an editor of the MPEG-2 transport stream standard’s amendments, and his team from Fraunhofer HHI’s Image Processing department have been dedicated to developing the standards and solutions needed for the integration of current video codecs since 2007.  This includes the integration of MVC, scalable video coding (SVC) and the latest standard, HEVC. Fraunhofer HHI made significant contributions reduces the data rate of the previous video coding standard, AVC High Profile, by half with no corresponding loss of picture quality. The new standard makes Ultra High Definition TV, or 4K video transmission, feasible at roughly double the bitrate of HDTV with AVC High Profile.

“We have always paid close attention to the whole digital media workflow from coding and transport to the end device,” said Thomas Schierl, head of the multimedia communications group, Fraunhofer HHI. “This Emmy is a very special honor for the people working on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream. The recognition our work received through this internationally famous television award showcases how important standardization formats are for the film and television industry.”

Fraunhofer HHI is part of the Fraunhofer Digital Cinema Alliance. The Alliance provides a network of deep expertise and intelligence for the development of scalable technologies and international standards that allow customers to stay ahead the market.

The Technology & Engineering Emmy
Established in 1948 by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Technology Emmy Award honors outstanding developments and innovations in the field of broadcasting. The Award recognizes companies, organizations and individuals who have made technological breakthroughs or have had a significant influence in shaping the future of television technology.

The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute
The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute is a world leader in the development of image coding and transmission systems, mobile and fixed broadband communication networks, and multimedia systems. From photonic components and systems to fiber optic sensors and high-speed hardware architectures, the Heinrich Hertz Institute works together with its international partners from research and industry on building the infrastructure for the future Gigabit Society. Fraunhofer HHI is your competent partner for UHD TV, 3D TV, 3D displays, HDTV, gesture controlled man-machine interaction, image coding, image processing and transmission, and use of interactive media.