The UHD standard introduces improvements in video quality across several dimensions. Although the first to be adopted commercially was the increase in resolution, features such as high framerate and dynamic range, wide color gamut and increased bit-depth offer important gains in the quality of experience of the end user. Nevertheless, each of these improvements comes with an associated cost in terms of storage, bandwidth and energy consumption.

Abstract

In this paper, we first present key studies for evaluating the energy impact of streaming video as well associated models. We then aim to quantify this cost for each UHD dimension, considering the distinct elements of an example streaming video chain. Through the use of concrete scenarios combining different UHD features, an end-to-end model is employed to provide a comparative analysis, allowing us to evaluate the impact of each characteristic of the UHD format and aid in guiding workflow choices for UHD content production and distribution.

Introduction

The Ultra High Definition (UHD) format, today in its second phase of deployment, brings about many improvements to video quality relative to HD. Starting with the spatial resolution of images, the most recognized feature of the new format, UHD also includes improvements in the framerate, bitdepth, color gamut and dynamic range. Nevertheless, these additions come at the cost of increased storage, bandwidth and energy requirements. For instance, moving from 1080p to 2160p means a 4x increase in the number of pixels, and therefore storage in an uncompressed form…

Downloads

Topics