[opendtv] Domestic rival to WMV-9 and MPEG-4 nears standardization
- From: Mark Aitken <maitken@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 13:48:58 -0500
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180204086&printable=true
<http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180204086&printable=true>
Chinese A/V codec rises
Domestic rival to WMV-9 and MPEG-4 nears standardization
Mike Clendenin <mailto:mclendenin@xxxxxxx>
(02/20/2006 9:00 AM EST)
URL: http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180204086
<http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180204086>
Taipei, Taiwan -- A Chinese audio/video codec is on the verge of
becoming a national standard--a domestic rival to MPEG-4/H.264 and WMV-9
that backers say will save China-based manufacturers and consumers at
least tens of millions of dollars in fees and royalties during the next
few years.
Since mid-2002, the Audio Video Coding Standard (AVS) has been inching
its way through a relatively open technical-development process. China's
Ministry of Information Industry recently completed a one-year review
and quietly approved AVS in December as a candidate for a national
compression standard, passing it to the Standards Administration of
China, which should formally OK it in the coming months.
That would mark a small victory for Chinese standards setters because
the effort to craft the codec was largely transparent, with more than
130 domestic and foreign companies, as well as universities, taking part
in the AVS Working Group.
"In some other [standards] working groups, they didn't deal with IPR
[intellectual-property rights] very well. It was very closed. Some
members didn't have the right to own the patents; others didn't have a
chance to propose their technology, so they would have no chance to have
their own patents in that area," said Gao Wen, chairman of the AVS
Working Group. "We've learned a lot about playing the game when it comes
to making standards."
If all goes well, systems using AVS will be ready for market
introduction by the third or fourth quarter, with potential applications
ranging from satellite and cable set-top boxes to mobile phones and
high- definition optical-disk players. The next step for backers will be
to take the spec to the International Organization for
Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission with the hope
of making AVS an internationally accepted codec, Gao said.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences has been working on compression
technologies for several years, but no concerted move for
commercialization was made until 2002, at the height of acrimony between
Chinese manufacturers and various DVD licensing agencies. Tensions arose
from licensing fees that the Chinese thought excessive, given the
plummeting prices of DVD players at the time.
The AVS initiative was part of a wider Chinese effort to lessen reliance
on foreign IP. Increasingly frustrated over clashes with licensing
groups like MPEG LA, China is striving to wean itself from foreign
standards and the royalty payments linked to them. That has led to
standards development in several areas during the past few years,
including 3G communications spec TD-SCDMA, a wireless-LAN initiative
called WAPI, the EVD optical-disk format and a forthcoming spec for
digital TV. To date, none have been a huge success, although some
analysts believe TD-SCDMA may outdistance CDMA in China.
Although commercialization of AVS is probable, a few challenges remain,
and the next few months will show whether backers can tidy up those
loose ends so the spec can launch on schedule.
For instance, a few companies that likely hold essential patents for AVS
are not members of the AVS Working Group and have not agreed to license
IP on a reasonable and nondiscriminatory basis. Another potential
sticking point lies with some members of the AVS Working Group that hold
significant IP in the rival MPEG-4/H.264 standard. They are not thrilled
with the prospect of licensing their IP for a lower price to the AVS
camp so it can meet the flat-rate licensing target of 12 cents per decoder.
"Not having exclusive control over the price is a big, big problem for
all of these companies. That's not something they have faced before, and
it is not something they can easily accept," said Cliff Reader, a
consultant to the AVS Working Group who is in charge of building the
patent pool and negotiating licensing with patent owners. "I'm sure they
are concerned about a precedent being set."
Although there have been claims that AVS will save Chinese manufacturers
and consumers hundreds of millions of dollars, it's not clear yet
whether the total will range that high. Initially, some of those claims
were based on comparisons with MPEG-2. If a comparison is made between
decoder royalties for AVS and MPEG-4/H.264, then the cost is roughly the
same. Unlike MPEG-4/H.264, however, the AVS group probably won't charge
"participation fees" for using the codec for subscription-based
services, over-the-air free broadcast or duplication of content on a
title-by-title basis. That could be a source of savings.
Another key goal is forging a simpler approach than the multiple
licensing agencies that are needed for a device maker to be covered
under MPEG-4/H.264. "That is a critical area. We need to have a clear
document and clear commercial guidance on licensing and payment," said
Daniel Fu, chairman and chief technology officer of Celestial
Semiconductor, a Beijing design house that was the first company to
develop silicon for AVS, through close cooperation with the government.
*Early movers*
Despite the uncertainty over the patent pool, a handful of Chinese
fabless companies have already moved ahead in developing AVS-compliant
chips. The best-known is probably Celestial. With its eye on the Chinese
satellite set-top-box market, the startup has developed a system-on-chip
that includes a hardwired accelerator for AVS video. Vimicro Corp., a
maker of multimedia mobile-phone chips, is also supporting AVS, through
a software decoder running on an embedded CPU.
There is growing interest among Chinese system makers, too. Seventeen
companies, including Haier, Huawei, Lenovo, SinoSat and Skyworth, have
set up the AVS Industry Alliance, which is tasked with commercializing
the specification.
Some international corporations are showing interest as well but are
holding back at the moment as they try to determine whether AVS will be
a fringe standard in China or something that emerges as mainstream. "In
terms of commitment, it will happen, but it won't happen as fast as some
people thought," said Bob Krysiak, corporate vice president of Greater
China for STMicroelectronics. Krysiak said ST is ready to support AVS in
its satellite platform, but he noted that the government isn't sure
whether the countryside is ready for high-definition TV. He sees AVS in
Chinese satellite systems rolling out sometime in 2007, when more
infrastructure is in place in rural areas.
So far, satellite seems to be the best bet for AVS. Because of its
closed system, operators need only support one codec, and a low-cost one
like AVS would be attractive to operators serving extremely
cost-conscious consumers.
Many other chip companies are waiting as well. Broadcom Corp. said it
would eventually develop technology for AVS, but it remains cautious at
this point. LSI Logic Corp., an early mover in supporting China's
optical-disk standard, is holding off. And SigmaTel Inc., a member of
the AVS Working Group, is evaluating the codec but doesn't yet have
plans to support a hardwired implementation of AVS, as it has for
MPEG-4, a spokesperson said.
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