Enhancing Video Quality and Compliance with the VEGA AV1 Analyzer

Author: Anupama Anantharaman, Vice President, Product Management

Introduction

Video compression is crucial in modern media streaming, affecting both the quality of content and the efficiency of data transmission. One of the latest advancements in this field is the AV1 video compression format. As content creators and distributors adopt AV1, the need for precise analysis has become more critical. This is where Interra Systems’ VEGA AV1 Analyzer comes into play. Part of the VEGA Media Analyzer (VMA) platform, it provides an essential solution for developers, engineers, and industry professionals to decode and understand AV1-encoded content.

The Evolution of Video Compression

Video compression has evolved significantly from the days of H.264 (Advanced Video Coding, AVC) to H.265 (High Efficiency Video Coding, HEVC), and now to AV1. Developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), AV1 aims to offer superior compression efficiency without compromising quality.

Benefits of AV1:

  • Compression Efficiency: AV1 offers better compression efficiency than H.264 and reduces file sizes compared to HEVC, while maintaining or improving video quality.
  • Royalty-Free and Open Source: Unlike HEVC and H.264, which require licensing fees, AV1 is royalty-free and open-source, promoting broader adoption and innovation.
  • Scalability and Adaptability: AV1 adapts to various devices and network conditions, making it ideal for streaming across different platforms.
  • Supports VMAF Scoring: AV1 supports Netflix’s Video Multi-method Assessment Fusion (VMAF) scoring algorithm, which captures video quality as perceived by the human eye.

Significance of the VEGA AV1 Analyzer

As media companies and encoder developers navigate AV1 encoding, a comprehensive solution for compliance and quality assessment is essential. The VEGA AV1 Analyzer simplifies this process, ensuring compliance with AV1 specifications and providing tools for in-depth analysis.

vega usage model

Features and Benefits of the VEGA AV1 Analyzer

Interra Systems’ VEGA AV1 Analyzer offers several key features:

  1. Stream Compliance Assurance:
    • Verification of AV1 Standards: Ensures encoded streams adhere to AV1 standards, preventing compliance issues and ensuring compatibility with AV1 decoders.
  2. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR):
    • Frame-Level Analysis: Allows developers to identify issues such as artifacts, frame drops, or quality degradation.
    • Bitstream Analysis: Helps identify specific issues related to encoding settings and configurations.
  3. Troubleshooting Support:
    • Error Localization: Pinpoints the exact location of errors, streamlining troubleshooting and reducing downtime.
    • Error Reporting: Provides detailed error reports, aiding in quick resolution and fostering collaboration across teams.
    • Problem Isolation: Helps isolate problems, whether they stem from encoder settings, network issues, or decoding challenges.
  4. Comprehensive Quality Assessment:
    • Visual and Audio Quality Metrics: Evaluates the quality of encoded streams to ensure they meet expected standards.
    • Perceptual Accuracy: Uses VMAF scoring to capture video quality as seen by the human eye.
    • Efficient Quality Control: Automates quality assessment for faster, consistent results.
    • Optimized Streaming Performance: Guides encoding and bitrate decisions to enhance streaming efficiency.
      Examine quality of pictures with VMAF scores at block level
      Examine quality of pictures with VMAF scores at block level
  5. Efficiency and Cost Savings:
    • Faster Issue Resolution: Reduces development and operational costs by swiftly detecting and resolving issues.
    • Optimized Encoding: Fine-tunes encoding parameters based on analyzer feedback for efficient resource and bandwidth use.
  6. Multi-Core Analysis:
    • Enhanced Performance: Supports multi-core analysis for 2-3x better performance, depending on the hardware used.

Stream Views for Faster Analysis

The VEGA AV1 Analyzer offers various stream views for detailed analysis:

  • Access Unit View: Examines parsing and decoding parameters at the block level, allowing users to debug frames and check encoder efficiency.
    access unit view
    Access Unit View
  • Player View: Provides video playback features for block partitioning, motion vectors, and frame decoding.
  • Graph View: Displays parameters like compression ratio and OBU size in graphical form for better visualization.
    graph view
    Graph View
  • Frame Buffer View: Shows frame buffer status before and after decoding, helping users understand the frame buffer management process.
    frame buffer view
    Frame Buffer View:
  • Motion Vector View: Displays motion vectors and reference pictures for detailed examination.
    motion vector view
    Motion Vector View
  • Coefficient View: Users can examine the picture reconstruction process through pixel values and decoding pictures at different stages of the decoding process, such as residues, scale residue, inverse transform, and predicted and final values.
    coefficient view
    Coefficient View
  • Filtering View: Allows users to examine the loop filter process for edge strength and pixel values after applying the horizontal and vertical loop filter process.
    filtering view
    Filtering View
  • Error Logs: A consolidated error log report is created after analyzing the file for future reference.
    Error Logs
    Error Logs