46 Focus | Video encoding compression efficiency by more than 100%. Released at a similar time as VVC, Essential Video Coding (EVC) is an MPEG standard positioned as a competitor to AV1, with a workable licencing model. For the baseline profile, only tools guaranteed to be royalty-free are being integrated. EVC provides a 20-25% efficiency gain over HEVC. Hybrid AI encoding Conventional video encoders are also adding AI-based preprocessing in software to improve the quality and bitrate efficiency of conventional encoders. Some require a postprocessing component, but with others it is optional. This allows developers to combine existing hardware encoders with AI on the platform and the ground station to improve the quality of the video link without having to re-qualify the system. The developers say the changes to details in the video feed are not visible but reduce the bitrate that the encoder has to work on, reducing the time taken and thus improving the latency. This can also be combined with embedded AI accelerator chips that are being integrated into the next generation of uncrewed system designs. The chips are dedicated AI acceleration engines with a focus on lower power consumption, initially aiming at onboard video processing for automotive ADAS safety systems and driverless car systems. These low-power AI chips however can also be used to run AI algorithms for pre-processing the video feed to reduce the bandwidth required in the uncrewed system and also for the wireless link. Conclusion AI algorithms are a major area of research for video compression, the uncrewed systems benefiting from the focus on reducing the bandwidth required to carry high-resolution video in many different ways. AI-only implementations still have some way to go before they are more efficient than traditional H.265 HEVC compression technology. However, AI pre-processing algorithms combined with the more configurable block encoding of H.266 VVC opens up major advantages for reducing the bandwidth required for video compression for all kinds of uncrewed systems. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank Guido Meardi at V-Nova and Florian Maurer at Aachen University for their help with researching this article. CHINA Amimon +86 1760 250 9305 www.amimon.com FRANCE Vitec +33 1 46 73 06 06 www.vitec.com ISRAEL Commtact +972 89 43 36 02 www.commtact.co.il Controp +972 97 44 06 61 www.controp.com GetSat +972 76 53 00 70 www.getsat.com JAPAN Thine Electronics +81 3 52176661 www.thine.co.jp THE NETHERLANDS NXP +31 40 27 29 999 www.nxp.com UK Antrica +44 1628 626098 www. antrica.com Delta Digital +44 333 321 4617 www.deltadigital.co.uk USA Ascent Vision +1 406 388 2092 www.ascentvision.com Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions +1 661 257 4430 www.curtisswrightds.com Delta Digital Video +1 215 657 5270 www.deltadigitalvideo.com Nvidia +1 408 486 2000 www.nvidia.com Qualcomm Technologies +1 858 587 1121 www.qualcomm.com Sightline Applications +1 541 716 5137 www.sightlineapplications.com Versalogic +1 503 747 2261 www.versalogic.com Z3 Technology +1 402 323 0702 www.z3technology.com Some examples of video encoder system manufacturers and suppliers October/November 2023 | Uncrewed Systems Technology
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