Multimedia Standards Introduction——标准发布之ITU H.26x

【前面说过了 ITU发布的标准更具有专业性，其中H系列是可视音视频的主要标准部分，算是Mulitmedia领域的权威吧】

  H Series: Audiovisual and multimedia systems General purpose signals

ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG)

ITU standards

H.261是1988年获得批准的第一个视频编码标准，属于视频编解码器

设计的目的是能够在带宽为64kbps的倍数的综合业务数字网（ISDN for Integrated Services Digital Network）上传输质量可接受的视频信号。编码程序设计的码率是能够在40kbps到2Mbps之间工作，能够对CIF和QCIF分辨率的视频进行编码，即亮度分辨率分别是352x288和176x144，色度采用4:2:0采样，分辨率分别是176x144和88x72。

H.261是第一个实用的数字视频编码标准。H.261的设计相当成功，之后的视频编码国际标准基本上都是基于H.261相同的设计框架，包括MPEG-1，MPEG-2／H.262，H.263，甚至 H.264。同样，H.261开发委员会（由Sakae Okubo领导，他的日文姓名是大久保榮）的基本的运作方式也被之后的视频编码标准开发组织所继承。H.261使用了混合编码框架，包括了基于运动补偿的帧间预测，基于离散余弦变换的空域变换编码，量化，zig-zag扫描和熵编码。

H.261编码时基本的操作单位称为宏块。H.261使用YCbCr颜色空间，并采用4:2:0色度抽样，每个宏块包括16x16的亮度抽样值和两个相应的8x8的色度抽样值。H.261使用帧间预测来消除空域冗余，并使用了运动矢量来进行运动补偿。变换编码部分使用了一个8x8的离散余弦变换来消除空域的冗余，然后对变换后的系数进行阶梯量化（这一步是有损压缩），之后对量化后的变换系数进行Zig-zag扫描，并进行熵编码（使用Run-Level变长编码）来消除统计冗余。

实际上H.261标准仅仅规定了如何进行视频的解码（后继的各个视频编码标准也继承了这种做法）。这样的话，实际上开发者在编码器的设计上拥有相当的自由来设计编码算法，只要他们的编码器产生的码流能够被所有按照H.261规范制造的解码器解码就可以了。编码器可以按照自己的需要对输入的视频进行任何预处理，解码器也有自由对输出的视频在显示之前进行任何后处理。去块效应滤波器是一个有效的后处理技术，它能明显的减轻因为使用分块运动补偿编码造成的块效应（马赛克）--在观看低码率视频（例如网站上的视频新闻）的时候我们都会注意到这种讨厌的效应。因此，在之后的视频编码标准如H.264中就把去块效应滤波器加为标准的一部分（即使在使用H.264的时候，再完成解码后再增加一个标准外的去块效应滤波器也能提高主观视频质量）。

后来的视频编码标准都可以说是在H.261的基础上进行逐步改进，引入新功能得到的。现在的视频编码标准比起H.261来在各性能方面都有了很大的提高，这使得H.261成为了过时的标准，除了在一些视频会议系统和网络视频中为了向后兼容还支持H.261，已经基本上看不到使用H.261的产品了。但是这并不妨碍H.261成为视频编码领域一个重要的里程碑式的标准。

H.262 or MPEG-2 Part 2

(formally known as ISO/IEC 13818-2,[2] also known as MPEG-2 Video) is a digital video compression and encoding standard developed and maintained jointly by ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). It is the second part of the ISO/IEC MPEG-2 standard. The ITU-T Recommendation H.262 and ISO/IEC 13818-2 documents areidentical. The standard is available for a fee from the ITU-T[1] and ISO.

    History

      The ISO/IEC approval process was completed in November1994.[4] The first edition was approved in July 1995[5] and published by ITU-T[1] and ISO/IEC in 1996.[6] In 1996 it was extended by two amendments by preetham to include the Registration of Copyright Identifiers and the 4:2:2 Profile.[1][7] ITU-T published these amendments in 1996 and ISO in 1997.[6]
      There are also other amendments published later by ITU-T and ISO.[1][2][8]

H.263


H.263 is a video compression standard originally designed as a low-bitrate compressed format for videoconferencing. It was developed by the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group(VCEG) in a project ending in1995/1996 as one member of the H.26x family of video coding standards in the domain of the ITU-T.

H.263 has since found many applications on the internet: much Flash Video content (as used on sites such as YouTube, Google Video, MySpace, etc.) used to be encoded inSorenson Spark format (an incomplete implementation of H.263[1][2][3]), though many sites now use VP6 or H.264 encoding. The original version of the RealVideo codec was based on H.263 up until the release of RealVideo 8.[4]
• H.263 is a required video codec in ETSI 3GPP technical specifications for IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and Transparent end-to-end Packet-switched Streaming Service (PSS).[5][6][7] In 3GPP specifications, H.263 video is usually used in 3GP container format.

The codec was first designed to be utilized in H.324 based systems (PSTN and other circuit-switched network videoconferencing and videotelephony), but has since also found use in H.323 (RTP/IP-based videoconferencing), H.320 (ISDN-based videoconferencing), RTSP (streaming media) and SIP (IP-based videoconferencing) solutions.

    Version

     Original Version

Since the original ratification of H.263 in March 1996[12] (approving a document that was produced in November 1995), there have been two subsequent additions which improved on the original codec by additional optional annexes (extensions). For example, the H.263v2 added a deblocking filter via Annex J.
The original H.263 specified the following annexes:
• Annex A – Inverse transform accuracy specification
• Annex B – Hypothetical Reference Decoder
• Annex C – Considerations for Multipoint
• Annex D – Unrestricted Motion Vector mode
• Annex E – Syntax-based Arithmetic Coding mode
• Annex F – Advanced Prediction mode
• Annex G – PB-frames mode
• Annex H – Forward Error Correction for coded video signal

In March 1997, an informative Annex I describing Error Tracking — an encoding technique for providing improved robustness to data losses and errors, was approved to provide information for the aid of implementers having an interest in such techniques.
H.263 supports for a limited set of picture sizes:
• 128x96
• 176x144
• 352x288
• 704x576
• 1408x1152

     H.263v2

(H.263+)[edit]H.263v2 (also known as H.263+, or as the 1998 version of H.263) is the informal name of the second edition of the ITU-T H.263 international video coding standard. It retained the entire technical content of the original version of the standard, but enhanced H.263 capabilities by adding several annexes which can substantially improve encoding efficiency and provide other capabilities (such as enhanced robustness against data loss in the transmission channel). The H.263+ project was ratified by the ITU in February 1998. It added the following Annexes:
• Annex I – Advanced INTRA Coding mode
• Annex J – Deblocking Filter mode
• Annex K – Slice Structured mode
• Annex L – Supplemental Enhancement Information Specification
• Annex M – Improved PB-frames mode
• Annex N – Reference Picture Selection mode
• Annex O – Temporal, SNR, and Spatial Scalability mode
• Annex P – Reference picture resampling
• Annex Q – Reduced-Resolution Update mode (see implementors' guide correction as noted below)
• Annex R – Independent Segment Decoding mode
• Annex S – Alternative INTER VLC mode
• Annex T – Modified Quantization mode
• Annex X – Profiles and levels definition
H.263v2 also added support for flexible customized picture formats and custom picture clock frequencies. Previously the only picture formats supported in H.263 had been Sub-QCIF, QCIF, CIF, 4CIF, and 16CIF, and the only picture clock frequency had been 30000/1001 (approximately 29.97) clock ticks per second.
H.263v2 specified a set of recommended modes in an informative appendix (Appendix II, since deprecated):

	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Advanced INTRA Coding	Yes	Yes	Yes
Deblocking Filter	Yes	Yes	Yes
Supplemental Enhancement Information (Full-Frame Freeze Only)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Modified Quantization	Yes	Yes	Yes
Unrestricted Motion Vectors	No	Yes	Yes
Slice Structured Mode	No	Yes	Yes
Reference Picture Resampling (Implicit Factor-of-4 Mode Only)	No	Yes	Yes
Advanced Prediction	No	No	Yes
Improved PB-frames	No	No	Yes
Independent Segment Decoding	No	No	Yes
Alternate INTER VLC	No	No	Yes
	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3

H.263v3 (H.263++) and Annex X[edit]The definition of H.263v3 (also known as H.263++ or as the 2000 version of H.263) added three annexes. These annexes and an additional annex that specified profiles (approved the following year) were originally published as separate documents from the main body of the standard itself. The additional annexes specified are:
• Annex U – Enhanced reference picture selection mode
• Annex V – Data-partitioned slice mode
• Annex W – Additional supplemental enhancement information specification
• Annex X (originally specified in 2001) – Profiles and levels definition
The prior informative Appendix II (recommended optional enhancement) was obsoleted by the creation of the normative Annex X.
In June 2001, another informative appendix (Appendix III, Examples for H.263 encoder/decoder implementations) was approved. It describes techniques for encoding and for error/loss concealment by decoders.
In January 2005, a unified H.263 specification document was produced (with the exception of Appendix III, which remains as a separately-published document).
In August 2005, an implementors guide was approved to correct a small error in the seldom-used Annex Q reduced-resolution update mode.

H.264/MPEG-4 AVC

H.264/MPEG-4 Part 10 or AVC (Advanced Video Coding) is a standard for video compression, and is currently one of the most commonly used formats for the recording, compression, and distribution of high definition video. The final drafting work on the first version of the standard was completed in May 2003.

H.264/MPEG-4 AVC is a block-oriented motion-compensation-based codec standard developed by the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) together with the ISO/IEC JTC1Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). The project partnership effort is known as the Joint Video Team (JVT). The ITU-T H.264 standard and the ISO/IEC MPEG-4 AVC standard (formally, ISO/IEC 14496-10 – MPEG-4 Part 10, Advanced Video Coding) are jointly maintained so that they have identical technical content.

H.264 is perhaps best known as being one of the codec standards for Blu-ray Discs; all Blu-ray Disc players must be able to decode H.264. It is also widely used by streaming internet sources, such as videos from Vimeo, YouTube, and the iTunes Store, web software such as the Adobe Flash Player and Microsoft Silverlight, and also various HDTV broadcasts over terrestrial (ATSC, ISDB-T, DVB-T or DVB-T2), cable (DVB-C) and satellite (DVB-S and DVB-S2).