The VC-1 Video Coding Standard

VC-1 is a new video coding standard developed by Microsoft and standardized by the SMPTE. VC-1 is one of the three video compression algorithms standardized for high definition DVD. With high definition DVD players expecting to support MPEG-2, H.264, and VC-1, end users do not have to be concerned about the coding formats. The VC-1 standard offers a competitive quality-complexity tradeoff compared to H.264, especially for high-definition services. With a diverse digital video market, we can expect to see VC-1 co-existing with H.264 in the next generation of broadband and broadcast video services.

Editor's Note

Achieving high-quality online video services requires improved video coding capabilities. The video compression standard VC-1 was developed mainly for online video services and has been adopted by the DVD forum for high-definition DVDs. We can expect to see VC-1 applied to satellite TV, IP set-top boxes, and high-definition DVD recorders. -John R. Smith