In HDTV, increased resolution and picture clarity brings with it an increased volume of data so the tiniest disruptions could mean a distortion in the picture or a loss in signal entirely.

An extension of the H.264/AVC format called SVC (scalable video coding) claims to fix that.

Protecting data packets so they are not at risk during transmission poses a serious problem for developers of video coding techniques. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI in Berlin are therefore working to improve standardized video coding techniques such as the H.264/AVC format, which is used by the YouTube video portal and Apple's QuickTime player, for example. If an Internet node is overloaded, for instance, data packets are randomly discarded during transmission. This causes a jerky picture.

"Our extension of the H.264/AVC coding format protects the most important parts of the data packets so that they can be broadcast without error," says Dr. Thomas Wiegand, head of department at the HHI and a professor at the Berlin Institute of Technology. The data packets in question are precisely those required for a disruption-free video. The researchers use additional data to protect them.

"If, say, two video packets need to be transmitted, we equip an additional data packet with the result of the sum of the bytes in the two video data packets. If any of these three data packets gets lost, we can deduce the content of the original two," explains Wiegand. The new coding format makes it possible to restrict these additional data packets to the most important part of the video. In this way, if anything does get lost, only the quality will fluctuate.

The SVC extension of the H.264/AVC format runs on all H.264/AVC-compatible devices, so customers do not need to buy new ones. Moreover, it works independently of the overall data volume and can ensure fault-free reception even for high-resolution TV. SVC standardization has now been completed and will come into use in various applications: for HDTV, the Internet, video conferences, surveillance technology or mobile radio.

The researchers will present the new extended format at the IBC conference in Amsterdam (Hall 8, Stand 381) on September 12 through 16.