The BBC DIRAC codec intro
Here's a great video from the BBC highlighting their 'new' DIRAC codec - from 1.5Gbps to 8Mbps:
Here are some advantages as claimed by them:
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Re: The BBC DIRAC codec intro
Thanks for the video. I never knew this thing existed and even now why it's not widely adopted.
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Re: The BBC DIRAC codec intro
I suspect one reason is that current codecs are earning money rather nicely for their commercial owners through license payments. Also, consumers can be extremely brand loyal and unless their favoured brand uses it, they won't.
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Re: The BBC DIRAC codec intro
And I suspect that there is a lot of 'not invented here' both inside and outside the UK.
The primary consumer video compression standards have always been set by Hollywood approved distribution standards, e.g. MPEG1 for VCD, MPEG2 for DVD and DVB, and now the bandwagon has rolled on to give us MPEG4 and all its derivatives, H264, AVCHD, etc. for the various HD channels. With Sony and Panasonic having feet in both media distribution and equipment camps, it is inevitable that Blu-Ray and camcorders would go that way. DIRAC has been around a few years now, and as the video says, the BBC have more than recouped their development costs. Its a shame that it isn't accepted much elsewhere unlike Sound-in-Sync, NICAM, teletext, and many other creations. |
Re: The BBC DIRAC codec intro
Pretty cool stuff and thanks for posting, I've never heard of it before.
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Re: The BBC DIRAC codec intro
Very interesting. However it looks like this video is probably about 4 years old. I googled and read where the BBC did use it internally for the 2008 Olympics and that it did indeed get approved as VC-2 format.
However after that there just does not seem to be much of anything about it. I am rather surprised. |
Re: The BBC DIRAC codec intro
Quote:
The BBC intentionally did not patent Dirac. It is plausible that the existence of patent free codecs such as Dirac, Theora and VP8 are the main reasons H264 licensing for internet use is still so liberal. Therefore, even if Dirac doesn't catch on, it has already served a very useful purpose. |
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