Video Claritys ClearView Extreme 4K Analyzer Plays Key Role in EBUs Groundbreaking 4K Research

(30/08/2014) Video Clarity Inc., provider of market-leading audio and video quality measurement and analysis systems, today announced that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has adopted the companys ClearView Extreme 4K video quality analyzer. The EBU is using the analyzer in interactive research forums, standards projects, seminars, and working meetings to advance the use of 4K video format processing in next-generation television formats.

A state-of-the-art test and measurement analyzer for video quality, the ClearView Extreme 4K analyzer combines high-rate playback and side-by-side analysis with perceptual video quality measurements in a single solution. ClearView Extreme 4K is the only system that provides native, interactive visual comparison playback of two independent sequences that can be compared in multiple viewing modes such as side by side, A minus B, or split mirror on a single monitor.

As broadcasters and service providers investigate next-generation services such as UHDTV, a critical success factor will be testing and analysis tools that can support emerging formats such as 4K. Therefore, much of our research efforts are focused on the quality testing required for 4K broadcasting, especially as it relates to new encoding technologies such as HEVC, said Adi Kouadio, senior project manager, EBU. ClearView 4Ks ability to make visual comparisons and measure the quality of a source versus a processed version of any video type is essential to our research efforts and was of great use establishing the right contribution profiles for the FIFA World Cup 4K transmissions.

The ClearView Extreme 4K analyzers enable the EBU to perform visual and measured quality testing on new processing technologies and new IP infrastructure deployments for 4K resolution. The ClearView 4K logs and saves every test, enabling EBU engineers to recall every finding instantly for additional visual confirmation. The data also provides a historical record of the work that can be used in presentations at developer seminars and as background for study papers written by the EBU as it formulates technical standards.

One study paper example is titled Ultra-High Definition (UHD) TV Over IP Networks and authored by Kouadio along with Felix Poulin of the EBU and Thomas Kernen of Cisco. The paper shares facts and learnings from a UHDTV-over-IP demonstration developed for an EBU workshop that proved the feasibility of using existing IP network infrastructures to carry UHDTV video streams. The ClearView 4K analyzer provided side-by-side sequence playback of the video stream recordings to enable quality comparisons.

In addition, the ClearView 4K analyzer provided the basis for the EBUs demonstration of UHD HEVC software encodings at different bit rates at IBC 2013, and it will also play a role in a 4K playback system at IBC 2014.

As one of the worlds leading consortiums for the broadcasting and media industry, the EBU is doing groundbreaking research that will shape the next generation of television broadcasting and help ensure the best quality of experience for viewers, said Adam Schadle, vice president, Video Clarity. The EBUs selection of the ClearView 4K is tremendous validation for our testing and analysis technology and demonstrates the importance of state-of-the-art quality testing in this exciting new realm.

About Video Clarity Inc.

Video Clarity Inc. provides audio and video quality assessment and analysis systems for researchers, broadcasters, equipment vendors, and entertainment distribution engineers that must continually measure the quality of their products and services. Propelled by market-leading technology, Video Clarity solutions have been adopted the world over by major media networks such as NBC Universal and BSkyB; leading broadcast-product manufacturers such as Cisco and Harmonic ; and educational, government, and research organizations such as the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, the U.S. Army, and NASA. Video Clarity was founded in 2003, with headquarters in Campbell, California, and distribution worldwide.

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