August 30, 2019
In September, the month of fairs, the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI presents its technologies and solutions to curious technology fans and interested expert audience at three exhibitions. The opening event is the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) from September 6 to 11 in Berlin. Afterwards the experts from Fraunhofer HHI will be joining the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) from September 9 to 13 in Amsterdam. At these two fairs, the Fraunhofer HHI presents the latest developments in video compression and video production. Finally, at this year's European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) from September 22 to 26 in Dublin, the Fraunhofer HHI shows its latest solutions in the area of Photonic Components and Photonic Networks and Systems.
IFA and IBC
At IFA and IBC, the researchers from the department Video Coding and Analytics present “Versatile Video Coding (VVC): Video compression 2020 with live decoding”. Compressed video data are growing at a faster rate than ever before. Already today, video data make up by far the highest percentage of bits on the Internet and in mobile traffic. This demonstrates the need for even more efficient compression that goes beyond the current state of the art High Efficiency Video Coding standard (HEVC). In order to master this demanding challenge, the ITU-T Video Coding Expert Group (VCEG) and the ISO/IEC Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) have already started working together in the Joint Video Experts Team (JVET). In April 2018, Fraunhofer HHI and other leading technology companies successfully proposed cutting edge coding technology with compression capability beyond HEVC. This marked the starting point of the Versatile Video Coding (VVC) standardization activity. The VVC standard is expected to provide 50% bit rate reduction over HEVC when finalized by 2020. At both fairs, Fraunhofer HHI will showcase the most recent version of the VVC reference codec. This version demonstrates significant bit rate reductions over HEVC for content ranging from standard High Definition (HD) to High Dynamic Range Ultra-HD content. Additionally, Fraunhofer HHI will be presenting a first prototype of its live software decoder for the upcoming VVC standard.
Furthermore, at IBC, the Vision and Imaging Technologies department will also present the exhibit “Volumetric Video Production and Workflow”. Fraunhofer HHI and VoluCap GmbH introduce a novel and innovative capture studio as well as a processing workflow for high quality volumetric video productions targeting future VR/AR media productions. In June 2018, the first volumetric video studio on the European mainland has been opened for commercial productions in the film park Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany. Real people are captured with multiple high-resolution cameras in a professional studio environment. A powerful processing suite automatically generates naturally moving dynamic 3D models, which can be integrated in AR/VR applications. The system supports diffuse or synchronized scenic lighting from any direction, automatic keying, and flexible multi-camera arrangement.
ECOC
At this year's 45th ECOC in Dublin, the researchers of the Institute present their latest solutions in Photonic Components and Photonic Networks and Systems. At the Fraunhofer joint booth, they present among others “Real-Time 100 Gb/s THz Wireless Transmission”. The demonstration comprises a single high-speed digital-coherent real-time THz modem and broadband THz transceiver frontends and shows a high-resolution video transmission.
Besides the “Generic InP Foundry Platform”, “PolyPhotonics Berlin e. V.”, “Indium-Phosphide Mach-Zehnder Modulator”, „100GHz Photodetector Modules”, “Hybrid Optical Wireless/60GHz Backhaul Link”, and “Coherent Receiver Frontend”, the researchers also show “Hybrid PICs”:
Fraunhofer HHI’s PolyBoard platform enables the hybrid integration of complex and highly functional photonic integrated circuits (PICs), including active and passive optical functionalities. Recently on-chip isolators with an isolation ratio of 30 dB over a bandwidth of 100 nm have been developed as new optical functionalities of the platform, utilizing on-chip free-space sections which also allow the integration of nonlinear optical crystals to target applications in Quantum Technology. Further developments include tunable lasers at 1064 nm and 785 nm for sensing and spectroscopy applications and low-loss vertical multi-mode interference couplers in combination with stacked waveguide layers, paving the way to 3D photonic integration. On September 22, there is the chance to visit the “Hybrid PICs workshop”, co-organized by Norbert Keil, Head of Hybrid PICs Group at Fraunhofer HHI.
On our website you will find further information on the exhibition booths of the Fraunhofer HHI at IFA, IBC, and ECOC as well as more information on the innovative technologies and solutions that will be presented.