Fraunhofer HHI is excited to have received a very special prize from California. On October 25^th, the Berlin-based institute, together with its partners from the Joint Collaborative Team for Video Coding (JCTVC), was presented with the Primetime Emmy Award in Hollywood. The prize was awarded for the development of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. HEVC allows efficient transmission of videos in Ultra High Definition (UHD).

This standard has become the primary transmission format for 10-bit UHD videos and it supports the relevant high dynamic ranges and extended color spaces. The new standard is used for almost all UHD television transmission channels, including antenna, satellite, cable, fiberglass, and cable-free television. To this end, HEVC is supported by almost all UHD TV-capable devices, including television sets, tablets, and cellular phones. HEVC balances a high level of compression, HDR processability, low complexity and power consumption, and is thus suitable for a very wide range of applications.

The Primetime Emmy Engineering Award is presented for ideas, solutions, and applications within the area of engineering. The jury’s criterion is that existing processes be enhanced or that the processes significantly improve television transmission, recording, or reception.