White Paper 4Kp60 H.265/HEVC Glass-to-Glass Real-Time Encoder Reference Design By Dr. Greg Mirsky, VP Product Development and Valery Gordeev, Director, Application Development January 12, 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. 974 Commercial Street, Suite 200 Palo Alto, CA 94303 (650) 961-3098 (voice) (650) 292-2340 (fax) ask@vanguardvideo.com http://www.vanguardvideo.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction...3 System Architecture...3 Video Playback Subsystem... 3 Encoding and Streaming Subsystem... 5 Display Subsystem... 8 Implementation...9 Conclusion...9 2 Copyright 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION The purpose of this whitepaper is to provide a detailed description and a verifiable reference for the development of a 4K H.265/HEVC glass-to-glass encoder utilizing Vanguard Video s V.265 codec SDK. Vanguard Video s 4K realtime encoder was designed as a software package with a verified hardware platform to perform 4Kp60 H.265/HEVC encoding, video/audio multiplexing and live streaming. This reference design includes a set of reference hardware and software required to achieve this goal. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE The system architecture includes three major subsystems (Figure 1): 1. Video playback subsystem (4K HD-SDI player) 2. Encoding and streaming subsystem 3. Display subsystem Figure 1: 4K HEVC glass-to-glass real time encoder system architecture VIDEO PLAYBACK SUBSYSTEM The video playback subsystem is designed to provide a stable playout of the prerecorded video source material at a required resolution and frame rate. It is implemented using a commercial server-grade PC with a HD-SDI video playout card to support the required throughput of UHD (3840 x 2160) or 4K (4096x 2160) resolution at 60 fps. A professional reference 4K video monitor is used for source quality control. Tested and verified hardware configuration includes: Software configuration includes: Dell Precision 7600 with: Village Island software video player o Dual Intel Xeon CPU E5-2680 @2.7 GHz Vanguard Video s V.265 decoder SDK 3 Copyright 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. All rights reserved.
o 64 GB RAM Matrox DSX SDK o MATROX DSX-LE3 4K graphic board with 4 HD-SDI outputs Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate o LSI Logic MegaRAID SAS 9271-8i 8 port 6 GB/sec RAID controller o NVIDIA EVGA GeForce GTX780 TI graphic card o 1 TB Intel SSD (4x 256 GB) in RAID-0 configuration o Monitor, keyboard and mouse (for command and control) Professional Reference 4K Video Monitor: Sony BVM- X300 The video player functionality is implemented using software from Village Island Co. LTD, specifically their VillageStudio 4K playout server, which supports reading of 4K video files in various formats including MXF, MP4, XAVC, and TS formats with 48 khz MPEG-2 AAC, MPEG-4 AAC audio. It performs video and audio playout to the quad HD-SDI outputs of MATROX DSX-LE3 4K graphic board (Figure 2). Figure 2: Software Architecture of Video Playback subsystem NOTES: 1. An alternative option to the Village Island VillageStudio 4K playout server can be the Video Clarity ClearView 4K Player. This option is not yet verified or tested, but according to its specifications it should be a viable alternative. 4 Copyright 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. All rights reserved.
2. If a live 4K feed is required instead of playout of prerecorded video clips, Sony, Red, AJA, or BlackMagic 4K video cameras or other reputable vendors can be recommended, as long as they support quad HD-SDI live output for required resolution and frame rate. ENCODING AND STREAMING SUBSYSTEM The encoding and streaming subsystem is responsible for capturing 4K quad HD-SDI signal as well as encoding and multiplexing it using H.265/HEVC and AAC codecs. Verified hardware configuration includes: Software configuration includes: SuperMicro SuperServer with Quad Intel Xeon CPU E5-4680 @2.6 GHz Vanguard Video 4K reference software package 64 GB RAM Vanguard Video Media Framework AJA KONA 4K Capture board Vanguard Video s V.265 codec SDK LSI Logic MegaRAID SAS 9271-8i 8 port 6 GB/sec RAID controller Matrox DSX SDK NVIDIA EVGA GeForce GTX780 TI graphic card Apache Web Server 1 TB Intel SSD (4x 256 GB) in RAID-0 configuration Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate Monitor, keyboard and mouse (for command and control) The encoding and streaming subsystem has three main parts (Figure 3): 1. Real-time encoder service provides main functionality of the subsystem : a. capture/read source material b. encoding and streaming c. support functionality i. load configuration ii. prepare preview iii. collect statistics iv. command and control 2. Configuration store provides persistent storage of configuration data. 5 Copyright 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. All rights reserved.
3. Web UI service Web-based HTTP front end service based on Apache Web Server and Web UI Application (based on AJAX). Real-Time Encoder Service Vanguard Video Media Framework AJA Capture Board (KONA-3/4) DirectShow source YUV/RGB file AJA DX RAW Source provider V.265 Encoder VV AAC Encoder Writer/Streamer TS RTP ES File Network ES file Configuration module Control/Preview/ Statistics WebUI API Configuration store WEB UI HTTP Service (Powered by Apache Web Server) Figure 3: Encoding and streaming subsystem: Software Architecture Diagram The real-time encoder service is a console application that can also run as a service. This application is based on Vanguard Video s Media Framework. The framework is a set of different components, which are designed to process media and also have standardized interfaces. There are three major groups of the components of the framework: source providers, encoders, and streamers/writers. These components can be connected into a single chain for the complex media processing/workflow. The encoding and streaming subsystem supports variety of inputs including: YUV/RGB uncompressed video file, DirectShow source, and AJA Kona 3 or AJA KONA 4 capture board. The deployed hardware configuration uses AJA KONA 4 capture board. The output of the encoding and streaming subsystem can be one of the following options: H.265/HEVC elementary stream file, MPEG-2 transport stream over UDP, or RTP stream with elementary stream payload. 6 Copyright 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. All rights reserved.
In the hardware configuration including VIXs Golden Reference Decoder (see section Display Subsystem for details) we are using MPEG 2 TS over UDP option. The real-time encoder service has three major functions: 1. Create a source-encoder-streamer/writer chain for the encoding media content. 2. Load configuration from the configuration store, configure the chain and maintenance in the running state (getting source material, encoding and streaming/writing). NOTE: video encoder settings depend on the source resolution, the encoder service monitors it and applies appropriate settings to the video encoder on the fly. 3. Respond on command from the Web UI application. The persistent configuration store is a set of configuration files. There are the following types of files: encoderbox.cfg main configuration file that contains major settings related to the encoder service and reference to other configuration files. source.cfg contains information about a selected source provider and settings related to the source provider itself. video. <resolution_name>.cfg several files that contain settings for the video encoder. They depend on the source resolution (one file per resolution). output.cfg contains settings about streamer/writer to use and settings for the provider itself. In order to easily configure the encoding and streaming subsystem, the Web UI Application provides the following functionality: Real time configuration of the encoder service Shows preview and statistics Restarts the encoder service Error notification The Web UI Application has the following UI elements: Header contains logo, status, statistics and error notification area. Menu contains five items: source, video, audio, output, and misc. Each menu item has an appropriate content page. Content contains a content page, which depends on selected menu item. Footer contains action buttons: save settings and restart encoder service. Advanced Settings editor popup window that allows editing appropriate configuration file directly. 7 Copyright 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. All rights reserved.
Figure 4: Encoding and streaming subsystem: Web UI one of the screens. DISPLAY SUBSYSTEM The display subsystem is responsible for decoding and rendering the incoming video and audio. It should be implemented using a consumer 4K TV with HDMI 2.0 input and a set-top-box with a H.265/HEVC decoder capable of decoding a 4K signal up to 60 fps. The tested and verified hardware configuration includes the Samsung UHD TV Model UN40HU6950 with HDMI 2.0 interface. HDMI 2.0 interface is critical to achieve support for UHD (3840 x 2160) @60 fps ViXS UHD Golden Reference Decoder o Based on ViXS' XCode 6400 series System-on-Chip (SoC). o UHD (3840 x 2160) @60Hz. o Gigabit Ethernet connection o HDMI 2.0 8 Copyright 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. All rights reserved.
UHD 4K Golden Reference decoder allows for easy decoding and displays files from storage or from IP networks up to 4Kp60 HEVC 10-bit. The Golden Reference Decoder also enables users to verify stream compliance, encoder quality parameters, etc. IMPLEMENTATION The reference design described in this white paper was successfully implemented by Vanguard Video and demonstrated during multiple industry forums and trade shows (NAB 2014, IBC 2014, etc.). Vanguard Video s implementation of this reference design was able to achieve stable 4Kp60 playout and UDP streaming using the set of hardware and software described above. A number of companies/customers used this reference design and confirmed/verified specifications for development of their own products with similar functionality. Some of these products were already announced as commercially available. Please contact sales@vanguardvideo.com for more information. CONCLUSION The 4K H.265/HEVC glass-to-glass real time encoder reference design is a verified and confirmed example of real world encoding and streaming applications using Vanguard Video s V.265 codec SDK. It demonstrates not only the industry leading performance of V.265, but also the integration capabilities and flexibility of its professional, robust API. It uses midrange commercial hardware components to achieve a 4Kp60 performance target with good video and audio quality. Scaling up the hardware platform of this reference design has the potential to increase performance or channel density as required by a customer application. 9 Copyright 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. All rights reserved.
About Vanguard Video Founded in 1995, Vanguard Video is a supplier of professional, broadcast quality H.265/HEVC and H.264 codec SDKs to top tier customers around the world. With deep codec expertise, unparalleled performance and quality, and world class support, Vanguard Video has helped its customers capitalize on many first to market opportunities by pioneering top tier encoding solutions including the release of the world s first commercially deployed H.265/HEVC service. Vanguard Video codecs support a wide range of platforms including software implementations for x86 and ARM microprocessors as well as OpenCL acceleration for GPUs. For more information about our technologies please visit our website www.vanguardvideo.com Corporate Headquarters 974 Commercial Street, Suite 200 Palo Alto, CA, 94303 USA Phone: +1 (650) 961-3098 Fax: +1 (650) 230-4904 www.vanguardvideo.com 10 Copyright 2015 Vanguard Video, LLC. All rights reserved.