VVC

Versatile Video Coding (VVC) is a video compression standard specified as ITU-T H.266 and ISO/IEC 23090-3. Developed by the Joint Video Experts Team (JVET) of ITU-T and MPEG, it was finalized in 2020 as the successor to HEVC (H.265). VVC is designed to deliver improved coding efficiency across a wide range of content and applications, including ultra high definition, high dynamic range, wide color gamut, 360-degree video, and screen content.

VVC introduces a more flexible and capable coding framework, with a block-partitioning scheme called quad-tree with binary tree (QTBT) and advanced motion prediction, transforms, and in-loop filtering. It includes extensions for screen content coding and 360-degree video, and supports high bit depths and various chroma formats up to 4:4:4 in some profiles. The standard emphasizes versatility for different use cases, from consumer video delivery to professional workflows.

In terms of performance, VVC generally achieves roughly a 40–50 percent reduction in bitrate for comparable perceptual quality relative to HEVC, though gains vary by content, resolution, and encoding settings. Adoption has been gradual, with hardware decoders and encoders beginning to appear in the early 2020s and continued growth driven by streaming, broadcast, and archival applications. Licensing considerations and the increased computational complexity of the encoder influence rollout timelines, particularly compared with alternatives such as AV1.

See also: H.266, MPEG, ITU-T, AV1.