New Image Compression Standard JPEG XS Focuses On VR And AR

One of the main causes of users feeling nauseous when using virtual reality (VR) is the latency in the image being displayed on the headset unable to keep up with the movement of the users head. The Joint Photographic Experts Groupd (JPEG) have now revealed a new image compression standard that could resolve this problem and allow for better image compression for VR, drones and self-driving cars.

Touradj Ebrahimi

Headed by Touradj Ebrahimi, a professor in EPFL’s School of Engineering (STI) the new format is titled JPEG XS. This new format will see the image-compression process using less energy, with higher-quality images being sent with low latency over broadband networks like 5G. The applications for JPEG XS are within the VR, augmented reality (AR) sector along with space imagery, self-driving cars and professional movie editing.

“For the first time in the history of image coding, we are compressing less in order to better preserve quality, and we are making the process faster while using less energy,” says Professor Ebrahimi, who runs EPFL’s Multimedia Signal Processing Group. “We want to be smarter in how we do things. The idea is to use less resources, and use them more wisely. This is a real paradigm shift.”

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With JPEG XS, images and videos will be able to maintain an extremely high level of detail thanks to the compression process while being more energy efficient. Though the compressed files end up being a larger size, that is not a problem thanks to networks such as Wi-Fi and 5G able to steam the files rather than store them locally in the smartphone or other device, which is the end goal for JPEG XS.

JPEG compression typically reduces the image file sizes by a factor of ten and has been popular over the past 25 years. The compression process was developed to allow for images to be stored on cameras and devices with limited internal storage, along with easy sharing over communication networks. As developments in networks are rapidly bringing new opportunities to the field, JPEG XS is a response to this, aiming to tackle low image quality when streaming content without the need to store any of the files locally. It is not meant to release JPEG, and only compressed files by n more than a factor of six but is a solution to low latency.

VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on JPEG XS in the future, so stay tuned for more.

Group Behind JPEG Unveils New ‘visually lossless’ Compression Standard for VR/AR and More

This week at NAB Show in Las Vegas, the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), the international committee behind the titular image compression standard, unveiled JPEG XS, a new format that is touted as a lower energy compression solution that provides higher quality images at low latency over broadband networks such as 5G.

Considering the current state of livestreaming VR video, including 360 & 180-degree video and the burgeoning field of light field-based captures, a new compression standard could mean higher resolutions and frame rates, making better quality streaming VR video a real possibility. 5G networks, which in recent tests have provided users 442 Mbps download speeds, are poised to address some of the underlying issues of streaming VR video quality, but compression, the JPEG XS creators say, is key.

Fraunhofer IIS, one of the co-developers behind JPEX XS, says the new ISO mezzanine codec standard offers “visually lossless quality.” The new standard supports to 8K and features a frame rate from 24 to 120fps. Compression ratios range up to 6:1.

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“For the first time in the history of image coding, we are compressing less in order to better preserve quality, and we are making the process faster while using less energy,” says working group head Professor Touradj Ebrahimi in a prepared statement. “We want to be smarter in how we do things. The idea is to use less resources, and use them more wisely. This is a real paradigm shift.”

working group head Touradj Ebrahimi – image courtesy École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

While JPEX XS looks to supplant JPEG, it isn’t going to do so overnight though:

“In the immediate future, JPEG XS will be put to use in professional applications like movie editing, space imagery and professional-grade cameras. Consumer electronics will come next, including self-driving cars, virtual reality, augmented reality, and wireless connections between multimedia devices and TV monitors or projectors,” says Professor Ebrahimi. “To be able to use JPEG XS, consumers will need to own the next generation of devices. In terms of software, they will probably just need to run an update, like they do from time to time on their computers and smartphones anyway.”

The multimedia industry is currently awaiting final approval by the member states of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Once that is obtained, JPEG XS-based products and services can be launched.

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