'Perseus' Compression Can Carry 4K Video in 7-Mbps Stream

Compression software that can pack a 4K Ultra High-Definition video stream into 7-to-8 Mbps connections -- about one-third the capacity required in most of today's applications -- will be introduced at the 2015 National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas. V-Nova Ltd., a four-year old British technology company, unveiled its "Perseus" codec in London, calling it a "scalable end-to-end solution for mass-market adoption of live UHD."

The company said the picture quality of Perseus compression equals that of current UHD streaming systems. Broadcom, Intel, the European Broadcasting Union, Hitachi Data Systems, Sky Italia and Sky Germany are among the 20 organizations in an "Open Innovation" consortium that is backing the project, which is currently being tested on Sky Italia. Perseus shifts "the entire bitrate-quality curve," said V-Nova CEO and founder Guido Meardi, explaining that the compression software enables transmission of UHD video at High-Definition bitrates, HD at Standard -bitrates and SD video at audio bitrates. "Perseus makes 4K commercially viable at scale and enables HD over 3G/4G mobile networks," Meardi said.