MPEG greenlights development of next-generation video codec to surpass VVC
At its 152nd meeting, MPEG advanced several video coding and media format standards to their final stages, including VVC, HEVC, and VSEI, and finalized a low-overhead image file format and new CMAF structural brands. Critically, the organization found evidence of video compression technologies surpassing VVC through a Call for Evidence, signaling interest in a next-generation video compression standard, potentially incorporating AI. These developments contribute to ongoing progress in video coding and media format standards essential for streaming innovation.
Key Takeaways
- MPEG issued a Call for Proposals for a next-generation video codec after 16 companies demonstrated performance exceeding VVC in complexity-constrained environments.
- The fourth editions of VVC and VSEI, along with the seventh edition of HEVC, were promoted to Final Draft International Standard stage to support AI-based generative features.
- A new 'mif3' brand was introduced within the HEIF format to reduce metadata overhead for small images like icons and thumbnails.
- CMAF structural brand profiles were finalized, relaxing track restrictions to allow metadata inclusion from separate tracks for multi-bin streaming.
- MPEG-I Part 5 was advanced to include support for Video-based Dynamic Mesh Compression, expanding volumetric video interoperability.
Why It Matters
MPEG’s move to start work on a post-VVC standard just years after the latter's finalization highlights the pressure to integrate AI-driven efficiency gains into formal pipelines. By validating technologies that offer up to 20-50% bitrate reductions over VVC, MPEG is attempting to pre-empt proprietary AI compression solutions that threaten to fragment the market. For the ecosystem, this ensures that future hardware decoders will eventually support neural-network-based filters as a baseline rather than an optional add-on. Strategists should watch for the official Call for Proposals in July 2026, which will define the technical requirements for what many are already calling H.267.
Additional Context
The push for a post-VVC standard comes as the industry grapples with the slow adoption of current-generation codecs. Per Streaming Media (March 2026), while VVC was approved as an optional standard for ATSC 3.0 in July 2025, HEVC remains the 'practical baseline' for most global broadcast and 4K streaming deployments. Industry sentiment remains divided on the necessity of VVC; Rethink Research analysts noted in December 2025 that the surge in mobile bandwidth and legacy software-decoding performance has dampened the commercial pull for VVC's extreme compression efficiency. This sluggish transition has largely benefited AV1, which is projected to reach 57% market reach by the end of 2026 due to its royalty-free model and backing from the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia).
Despite the friction, major stakeholders are actively positioning themselves for an AI-native future. In October 2025, InterDigital acquired AI-compression startup Deep Render, signaling a strategic pivot toward neural-network-based coding. Simultaneously, the Media Coding Industry Forum (MC-IF) reported that system-on-a-chip (SoC) leading vendors like MediaTek and Qualcomm are finally integrating VVC into flagship mobile and TV platforms. Per MPEG’s updated roadmap from January 2026 (153rd meeting), the development of this next-generation standard will prioritize 'coding for machines'—optimizing video for AI analytics tasks rather than just human vision—with a target finalization date of late 2029. This dual-track focus on human and machine perception marks a fundamental shift in how standards bodies quantify compression success.
Read full article at mpeg.org
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