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Hollywood presents Emmy Award to ITU, ISO and IEC

2008-08-25

Revolutionary video standard — H.264 | MPEG-4 AVC — recognized by US TV Academy

The US Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded the prestigious Emmy Award for Excellence to ITU, ISO and IEC — global leaders in making standards — for their work in producing an advanced video coding standard, formally known as Recommendation ITU-T H.264 | ISO/IEC Standard 14496-10 on Advanced Video Coding (AVC).

The Joint Video Team (JVT), made up of experts from the three international standards organizations, received industry recognition for its landmark achievement in developing a “high profile” that extends the reach of high quality video from mobile telephones right through to High Definition Television (HDTV). The JVT was formed in 2001 by the ITU Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG).

H.264 | MPEG-4 AVC is a highly efficient video compression method that substantially reduces the bandwidth needed to deliver high quality video and the space required to store it. Seven sets of capabilities, referred to as “profiles”, have been created for use in specific applications. It is a combination of the great efficiency of the codec as well as its scalability in delivering excellent quality across the entire bandwidth spectrum — from high definition television to videoconferencing and 3G-mobile multimedia — that has led to its increasing popularity.

The award was given at a ceremony in Hollywood, Los Angeles this weekend and received by Malcolm Johnson, Director of ITU’s standardization bureau, and Scott Jameson, Chair of the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee on Information Technology (ISO/IEC JTC 1) together with representatives of the JVT management team. In his acceptance speech on behalf of the three organizations, Malcolm Johnson said, “H.264 | MPEG-4 AVC is a jewel in the crown of international standards collaboration. This standard’s versatility has been recognized and applauded across an amazing spectrum of industry. Its widespread adoption is testament to the flexibility and efficiency that has been engineered by a group of people that have dedicated themselves to achieving this goal. It also demonstrates a sincere and strong belief in the power of international standards.”

ISO Secretary-General Alan Bryden said, “This second Emmy Award in 12 years for multimedia standards developed by ISO and its partners is living proof of the market relevance of international standardization as practised by ISO, IEC and ITU, while illustrating the role played by international standards in translating innovation into useable technology.”

Commenting on the award, the IEC General Secretary & CEO Ronnie Amit said, “I would like to pay tribute to the experts from the industry who have made the work of the JVT so relevant and timely. Their leadership, energy and inspiration to bring video and audio coding standards to fruition shows what truly international standards can bring in terms of interoperability and benefits, and how they can touch the lives of billions of people around the world.”

The Engineering Emmy awards are presented “for developments in engineering that are either so extensive an improvement on existing methods or so innovative in nature that they materially affect the transmission, recording or reception of television.”

H.264 | MPEG-4 AVC is now being deployed in products and services from companies such as Adobe, Apple, BBC, BT, France Telecom, Intel, Motorola, Nokia, Polycom, Samsung, Sony, Tandberg and Toshiba to deliver high definition video images over broadcast television, cable TV and a variety of direct-broadcast satellite-based television services as well as Blu-Ray disc formats, mobile phones and Internet Protocol television (IPTV).

About ITU

ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services. For more than 140 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. ITU also organizes worldwide and regional exhibitions and forums bringing together the most influential representatives of government and the telecommunications industry to exchange ideas, knowledge and technology for the benefit of the global community, and in particular the developing world. From broadband Internet to latest-generation wireless technologies, from aeronautical and maritime navigation to radio astronomy and satellite-based meteorology, from phone and fax services to TV broadcasting and next-generation networks, ITU is committed to connecting the world.

About ISO

ISO is a global network of national standards institutes from 157 countries. It has a current portfolio of more than 17 000 standards for business, government and society. ISO's standards make up a complete offering for all three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, environmental and social. ISO standards provide solutions and achieve benefits for almost all sectors of activity, including agriculture, construction, mechanical engineering, manufacturing, distribution, transport, medical devices, information and communication technologies, the environment, energy, quality management, conformity assessment and services.

About IEC

The IEC, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world’s leading organization that prepares and publishes International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies — collectively known as “electrotechnology”. IEC standards cover a vast range of technologies from power generation, transmission and distribution to home appliances and office equipment, semiconductors, fibre optics, batteries, flat panel displays and solar energy, to mention just a few. Wherever you find electricity and electronics, you find the IEC supporting safety and performance, the environment, electrical energy efficiency and renewable energies.

About the WSC
The World Standards Cooperation (WSC) is the high-level entity formed by IEC, ISO and ITU to provide a strategic focus for their cooperation on international standardization.