Globo and V-Nova test MPEG-5 LCEVC encoding at Brazilian carnivals

The compression solutions provider V-Nova has collaborated with Globo Mediatech Lab in the coverage of the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro carnivals an improved flow with LCEVC AVC/H.264 in live broadcast applications.

These tests are especially relevant due to the limitations imposed by the coding of real-time events in which very detailed and complex content prevails, such as the Brazilian Carnival parades.

The streaming test used a MainConcept LCEVC-enhanced H.264 live encoder that created a 6-profile ladder with a maximum 1080p29.97 @ 4500kbps. This signal was compared to the 8-profile AVC/H.264 encoder, where the top profile was 1080p29.97 @ 5500kbps.

Streaming used HLS in 6 second TS segments and was delivered through AWS CloudFront. Playback was available on a demo website using Shaka Player v4.3, which natively included an LCEVC decoding option.

LCEVC-enhanced H.264 produced higher quality output with a bandwidth savings of ~40% compared to the existing flow only in H.264. This significant reduction promises to free millions of people on congested networks and, at the same time, reduce distribution costs for the video service provider. The test was carried out live, distributing content around the world using LCEVC-compatible encoding and playback solutions already available on the market.

Guido Meardi, CEO of V-Nova, stated that "Carnival is as beautiful to see as it is difficult to compress in high quality. We are proud of our collaboration with Globo, which
demonstrates the tangible benefits of LCEVC for improving resolution and image quality at large-scale live events, while improving efficiency on both the CDN and the backend. More importantly, these real-world tests demonstrate that this new technology can be implemented today with broad encoder and decoder support.”

Deacon Johnson, SVP and CEO of MainConcept, was delighted to “continue the work we started in 2022 with V-Nova and Globo. MainConcept values ​​our partnerships
with industry leaders, such as V-Nova and Globo, who share our commitment to the quality, reliability and performance that we demand in our products.”