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The High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard (ITU-T H.265 and ISO/IEC 23008-2) has been developed with the main goal of providing significantly improved video compression compared to its predecessors. In order to evaluate this goal, verification tests were conducted by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) of ITU-T SG 16 WP 3 and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 29. This paper presents the subjective and objective results of a verification test where the performance of the new standard is compared with its most successful predecessor, the AVC video compression standard (ITU-T H.264 and ISO/IEC 14496-10). The test used video sequences with resolutions ranging from 480p up to Ultra High Definition (UHD), encoded at various quality levels using the HEVC Main profile and the AVC High profile. In order to provide a clear evaluation, this paper also discusses various aspects for analysis of the test results.The tests showed that bit rate savings of 59 % on average can be achieved by HEVC for the same perceived video quality, which is higher than the bit rate savings of 44 % demonstrated with the objective quality metric. However, it has been shown that the bit rates required to achieve good quality of compressed content, as well as the bit rate savings relative to AVC, are highly dependent on the characteristics of the tested content.

Intra prediction is an effective method for reducing the coded information of an image or an intra frame within a video sequence. The conventional method today is to create a sample predictor block by extrapolating the reconstructed pixels surrounding the target block to be coded. The sample predictor block is subtracted from the target block and the resulting residual coded using transformation, quantization and entropy coding. This is an effective method for sample predictor block creation in most sequences. However the extrapolation method is not able to represent sample prediction blocks with complex texture. Furthermore, pixels that are far from the surrounding pixels are usually badly predicted. In this paper, a new method for sample predictor creation by template matching in a region of reconstructed pixels is presented. Improvements in coding efficiency by more than 11 % in bitrate were achieved.

The increasing proportion of video traffic in telecommunication networks puts an emphasis on efficient video compression technology. High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) is the forthcoming video coding standard that provides substantial bit rate reductions compared to its predecessors. In the HEVC standardization process, technologies such as picture partitioning, reference picture management and parameter sets are categorized as "high-level syntax". The design of the high-level syntax impacts the interface to systems, error resilience, and provides new functionalities. This paper presents an overview of the HEVC high-level syntax, including NAL unit headers, parameter sets, picture partitioning schemes, reference picture management, and SEI messages.Index Terms-High efficiency video coding (HEVC), JCT-VC, parameter set, reference picture list, reference picture set, video coding.

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