Film and television production is generating larger and larger volumes of data. Fortunately, the JPEG XS compression standard – developed in large part by Fraunhofer IIS – makes it possible to transfer even huge amounts of data over a network. License holder nablet GmbH is now launching a plug-in that allows users to import data compressed with JPEG XS into their software.
Digitalization is not always easy; in film and TV production, for instance, it leads to a few snags. Most cameras have already been converted to digital models, but their serial digital interfaces (SDI) have yet to be converted to normal IP network links. However, switching the entire infrastructure over to the normal network can result in overload. Another issue is that the picture quality is constantly increasing: 4k has become virtually the order of the day, and even 8k is not uncommon. All this raises the question: How can the huge amounts of data involved be transported over the normal network?
The JPEG XS compression standard offers a solution by enabling compression ratios of up to 10:1. In other words, the data volumes are compressed down to one-tenth their original size, making it possible to transport even huge amounts over the normal network. This offers film and television producers new ways of working: for example, employees can access a cloud to do film editing from home. What’s more, the “XS” in JPEG XS stands for “extra speed”: compression takes place in real time, i.e. without any perceptible delay. Compression and decompression don’t noticeably affect the quality.
“Recently, we were able to bring nablet GmbH in Aachen, Germany on board as a license holder,” says Michael Tretter, Business Development Manager for Audio and Media Technologies at Fraunhofer IIS. “They are now launching a plug-in that allows film producers and editors to quickly and easily import data transferred via JPEG XS into their software.”
nablet will add value to the JPEG XS codec in several ways, making it easy to implement in any workflow. For example, by incorporating JPEG XS into the nablet API, it will make JPEG XS available as an SDK for Windows, Linux and (later) macOS. Furthermore, nablet will develop a JPEG XS enabled MXF Muxer/Demuxer SDK as well as adding JPEG XS support as a plugin for nablet’s powerful mediaEngine transcoder. Last but not least, JPEG XS will be added as a plugin to nablet’s popular line of plugins for Avid Media Composer. All of nablet’s implementations will be optimized to fully utilize the JPEG XS codec’s high-performance, high-quality, low-latency attributes.
The JPEG XS standard was developed by members of the JPEG Committee, which comprises various institutes and companies, and to which Fraunhofer IIS is a major contributor.
About nablet
nablet is a leading provider of codec, streaming, AI, media processing, and MXF technologies which are used widely in entertainment, broadcasting, OTT and related industries. In addition, nablet is the official developer of the Sony format plugins for Avid Media Composer. Based in Aachen, Germany, the company was founded in 2011 by industry veterans who developed many of the most widely used codecs in use today. nablet develops all of its codecs and related components in-house. The company recently opened its USA headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Additional information is available at www.nablet.com.
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