H.264/AVC
Codec Package
H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) - also known as MPEG-4 Part 10 - is a widely adopted video standard used for a wide range of content delivery including Web, mobile and Blu-ray delivery.
Rovi's MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec Package offers fast encoding and decoding speeds in all profiles and levels. It encodes and decodes H.264/AVC video, making it easy to add support for this exciting new format to existing applications. The encoder also includes pre-configured templates for Blu-ray, Sony PSP, Apple iPod, AVCHD, Adobe Flash, Silverlight and other standards. The Broadcast version of the Codec Package even offers AVC-Intra Class 50 and Class 100 support.
New features in Codec SDK include an H.264/AVC encoder wrapper (available separately) - supporting the latest hardware encoders through a single API - and H.264/AVC Smart Rendering for editing, cutting and smart copy at any frame position. Smart Rendering enables H.264/AVC stream editing, concatenation (or stitching), trimming, and copying at any frame position without re-encoding the entire stream. With Smart Rendering developers can create H.264/AVC editing solutions that are capable of editing and trimming at any point in the video file, avoiding the need to re-render the stream, dramatically increasing the speed of editing systems that support H.264/AVC.
The H.264/AVC Decoder offers real-time decoding speeds in various profiles and levels supported by the standard. In addition, it features an extraordinary quality improvement over other similar solutions. The H.264/AVC Decoder enables the user to decode every DVB-S2 channel which broadcasts H.264/AVC.
| H.264/AVC Encoder Pro | H.264/AVC Encoder Broadcast | |
|---|---|---|
| Instances | Multiple instances at the time | Multiple instances at the time |
| CPU Usage | Multiple CPU support | Multiple CPU support |
| Bit Rate Control | CBR, VBR, ConstQ, multipass encoding is enabled | CBR, VBR, ConstQ, multipass encoding is enabled |
| Available Bit Rates | Up to Level 5.1 restriction | Up to Level 5.1 restriction |
| Special Formats Support | AVC-Intra Class 50 and 100 | |
| 8-/10-bit Support | 8-bit support | 10-bit support |
| H.264/AVC Decoder Pro | H.264/AVC Decoder Broadcast | |
|---|---|---|
| Supported Streams | 4:2:0 chroma format as well as 8-bit stream support | Also support for AVC-Intra and H.264/ AVC 4:2:2 as well as 10-bit streams |
For Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, the codec package consists of a Low Level API (in the C programming language). Under Windows, it additionally includes DirectShow filters for decoding and encoding. The decoder filter can be used by any DirectShow® application (e.g. Windows® Media Player).
The Codec Package is available as 32-bit as well as 64-bit version for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
The H.264 Codec Package is available as a Professional and Broadcast version. The standard version of the AVC/H.264 encoder has limited functionalities in comparison with the Pro and Broadcast version. Please refer to the table above for a comparison of these three versions.
With MainConcept Reference, the professional transcoder application by MainConcept, H.264 is also available for seamless codec conversion from and to various formats. Click here for details.
The above codec is also available within MainConcept ShowCase, providing simple and seamless decoder access via DirectShow filters (for Microsoft operating systems). MainConcept ShowCase frees developers from integrating MainConcept Codec SDK decoding components into their own development for just testing the features, performance and quality. Click here to switch to MainConcept ShowCase details. MainConcept ShowCase is currently available for Windows (32-bit/64-bit) only.
- Fully compliant with ISO/IEC 14496-10 specification.
- AVC-Intra Class 50 and Class 100 support
- H.264/AVC Smart Rendering
- Support for Panasonc P2 AVC-Intra – Specialized Operational Pattern “Atom” SMPTE 390M.
- Strict HRD compliance.
- Advanced compression algorithms - high rate-distortion efficiency.
- Platform independent - can be ported to various platforms and devices.
- Profile-driven configuration - numerous pre-defined Profiles for a wide variety of applications ranging from video telephony to high-end broadcasting and storage.
- Options for HD DVD and Blu-ray compliance.
- Options for Apple iPod, Sony PSP and mobile phone compliance.
- Configurable encoding complexity.
- Full control over encoding parameters from application level.
- Parameter compatibility validation features.
- Optimized for SMP and multi core.
- Fragmented MP4 support (fMP4) in muxer
- Support multiplexing of RP 2027 AVC-Intra 50 and 100 into OP-1a.
- Baseline, Main and High Profile, all levels.
- H.264/AVC Encoder now also features Level 1b for some specific mobile devices.
- Interlaced (MBAFF) and progressive coding.
- 10-bit support
- Support for Pulldown 2:2 and Pulldown 3:3.
- Target Quality Mode (TQM) support.
- CBR and VBR, single pass and dual pass rate control.
- Quarter pel motion estimation.
- Weighted prediction.
- Low Delay flag (no latency).
- Multiple reference pictures.
- Pyramid GOP coding.
- Adaptive picture type selection.
- Adaptive variable-sized transform (High profile only).
- Adaptive intra mode selection.
- Adaptive macroblock partitioning.
- Loop filter.
- Rate-distortion optimization.
- Baseline, Main, High support
- AVC-Intra Class 50 and Class 100 support
- Optimized for the most efficient CPU usage
- Various speed improvements for the H.264/AVC Decoder, e.g. C code and SSE2/SSE3 optimizations
- Multicore/SMP/Hyper Threading support
- CABAC/CAVLC
- 10-bit support
- I, P and B slices
- Weighted prediction
- Low Delay flag (no latency)
- Field pictures
- Symmetric multiprocessing (optimized for Hyper Threading processors and multi-CPU platforms)
- Color space converting (UYUY, YUY2, YV12, RGB32, RGB24, RGB565, RGB555)
- Deinterlacing (two software mode and deinterlacing by means of VMR)
- Chroma upsampling
- Double rate (generating a progressive frame from every field)
- Fields reordering
- MMX, SSE, SSE2 and SS3 optimizations
- DXVA 1.0 and 2.0 GPU Hardware acceleration for DirectShow and Low Level.
- Elementary Audio and Video Stream
- Program Stream/Transport Stream
- MP4
- 3GP
- MXF (AVC-Intra)
- H.264/AVC Video Encoder (Broadcast/Pro)
- H.264/AVC Video Decoder (Broadcast/Pro)
- H.264/AVC Smart Render Wrapper
- Media File Importer (LL)
- AAC Encoder
- AAC Decoder
- MP4 Muxer
- MP4 Demuxer
- MPEG Demultiplexer
- MPEG Multiplexer
- MXF Muxer
- MXF Demuxer
- Sink Filter (DS)
- AVC/H.264 Video Decoder Broadcast
- AAC Decoder
- MP4 Demultiplexer
- MPEG Demultiplexer
- MXF Demuxer (Broadcast version only)
- Windows XP or Vista, Windows 7 32-/64-bit, SSE2 and higher
- Apple Mac OS X 10.5 or higher (Mac/Intel), 32-/64-bit
- Linux 32-/64-bit - Ubuntu 10.04 LTS