AVS3 faciliates Winter Olympics of Science and Technology, with a Promising 8K UHD Market

The just-concluded Beijing Winter Olympics used 8K ultra-high-definition technology to live broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies and broadcast important events for the first time, which allows people to gain the ultimate audio-visual experience through outdoor large screens and 8K TVs, becoming a highlight of the " Winter Olympics of Science and Technology". It plays a catalytic role in cultivating consumers' awareness of 8K TV and promoting brands to actively deploy the 8K TV market.

According to statistics, during the Winter Olympics, 35 live broadcasts of the opening and closing ceremonies and various events were completed for a total of 92 hours; As of the end of February 20, 50 rebroadcasts of the Winter Olympics have been prepared for a total of 38 hours; During this period, the 8K channel broadcasted the program list of the Winter Olympics for an average of 11.5 hours per day, accounting for about 72% of the daily broadcast time. 

Subsequently, the 8K UHD channel of China Media Group (CCTV-8K) and the 8K UHD test channel of Beijing Radio and Television's Winter Olympics documentary (BRTV 8K) will enter normal operation, and the IPTV platforms will further embrace 8K, which will inject vitality into China's 8K TV industry chain. Experts predict that the size of China's 8K TV market is expected to double in 2022.

Both CCTV-8K and BRTV-8K adopt the AVS3 video standard promulgated by the Zhongguancun Audio-Visual Industry Technology Innovation Alliance (AVS Industry Alliance). This is another application of the AVS3 standard in the field of ultra-high-definition video.

During the Winter Olympics 2022, Peking University, Migu, and Shanghai Jiaotong University applied the AVS3 coding standard to the live broadcast of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Users can enjoy the wonderful events of Winter Olympics anytime and anywhere through Migu video. This is the first application and implementation of the AVS3 standard in the mobile live broadcast scene, which provides strong support for further promoting the AVS ecological construction.

At the same time, CCTV-16, as the only communication platform in mainland China that has been authorized by the International Olympic Committee to use the Olympic name and the five-ring logo, and the first professional sports channel in the world that broadcasts 24 hours of 4K ultra-high-definition standard, adopts the AVS2 and AVS+ standards developed by the AVS Workgroup.

The AVS Workgroup is a standards organization approved by the former Ministry of Information Industry Science and Technology Department. The AVS Workgroup has been running for 20 years, and has completed the formulation of three generations of AVS standards, realizing the development from following and running to leading.

The first-generation AVS solved the problem of the lack of independent audio and video standards from the source, and drove the development of China's independent standards, self-developed coding equipment and terminal products.

The second-generation AVS has achieved the goal of running in parallel with international standards. Since AVS2 was originally designed with support for a large number of HD video streams as well as 4K content, the architecture of AVS2 can also be used for 8K images. The Main-10bit profile supports multiple levels of 4K and 8K contents from the typical 60fps to 120fps.

AVS3 video standard is the world's first audio and video source coding standard for 8K and 5G industrial applications that has been launched. It is of great significance for accelerating the integration of AVS3 and 5G new media and completing the deployment of China's AVS3+5G+8K industry leading the world. The intelligent video coding standards AVS3 can effectively solve the 8K compression problem. The AVS3 standards include video coding standards and audio decoding standards, and the coding efficiency is doubled compared to AVS2. It is mainly for the requirements of 8K video. Completed earlier than H.266, this is the first time that AVS has achieved international leadership and is the first to release a new generation of encoding standards for 8K ultra-high-definition video, achieving a leading layout in the industry.

The rapid development of 5G networks and the hosting of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 have created favorable external conditions for the continuous growth of China's 8K TV market. Driven by the Winter Olympics, in January 2022, the scale of China's 8K TV market increased by 38.2% month-on-month, of which the offline scale increased by 92.8% month-on-month (Source: All View Cloud).

It is understood that the current 8K market brands are dominated by Samsung and Changhong, which account for 76.6% of the retail sales in 2021. With the promotion of the Beijing Winter Olympics, brand manufacturers will further increase their investment in 8K. Hisense and Skyworth have accelerated their deployment in the 8K field. It is expected that in 2022, the brand competition in the 8K market will be further differentiated and the brand camp will expand.

It is reported that in 2022, Changhong, a member of the Alliance, will launch new 8K TV products, and launch themed activities such as "Buy 8K at One Go" and 8K Pixel Challenge to promote the popularization of 8K TVs nationwide.

Liu Xianrong, General Manager of the alliance member Hisense Laser Display Company, also said in an interview that in the second half of this year, Hisense would launch the world's first 8K laser TV.

The launch of multiple 8K channels, the landing of large screens in various places, and the application of 8K/4K in the broadcast of the Winter Olympics have played a good leading role in the application of the AVS standard in the industry, which has greatly boosted the ecological development of the ultra-high-definition video industry. The AVS Industry Alliance will jointly launch the AVS3 audio standard with industry organizations, gradually build an independent and innovative standard and a complete industry system, lead the AVS standard innovation, and drive the leapfrog development of the UHD audio and video industry.