Whatever Happened to HEVC?

It's being used as a sneaky DRM tool so files downloaded from torrent sites won't play. Most players (hard or software based) don't recognise it.
I hope it disappears forever.

"Say it with flowers . . . give her a Triffid."

No such luck. Not long after I posted that, I saw an article in a trade magazine talking about how the latest UHD HDR (high dynamic range) implementations specifically will be linked to HEVC. Color gamut and frame rate improvements too. What's worse, I saw an ad in my browser for a security camera system boasting HEVC recording.

One of the nice things about AVC (H.264) is that we knew that we could take the file right from the camera and play it most anywhere without any processing. But with HEVC it seems that the standard is never going to firm up as the industry adds one more thing to the mix. As a producer of content, it keeps me shy of going to 4K/UHD gear for fear that it'll be obsolete before I get it. As a consumer of content, it's more or less the same thing. Why buy that new $5000 TV when next years model will make it a relic?

I was going to dip my toes in the waters of streaming UHD content, but I already have several generations of OTT boxes that only make incremental changes every year. And besides, the bit rate of my "fast" Comcast cable modem service ain't as fast as they claim. I think I'll wait them out.

There'll always be something new on the horizon and people young enough to fall for it.
I drew the line after Blu-ray and then only for 3D movies. By the time the next big thing is affordable I'll be too old to care.

"Say it with flowers . . . give her a Triffid."

Thanks for the info, Speed. After reading that, I think I'm gonna wait it out too.

As always, data encryption security and anti-piracy are always a concern with Hollywood and their movies. Makes sense. They invest big bucks. They want to recoup bigger bucks.

Hi Mike, yeah I was all set to get a big new 4K set for my new home, and fortunately the new models weren't out for a couple weeks, so I let it slide. I knew that some of the latest ones supported HDR and read some vague talk about a better color gamut than R.2020 gives. Now that the new sets are being sold, it looks like the industry is getting serious about standardizing HDR, WCG and other things beside resolution that should make UHD better.

There's also a fair number of monitors coming out that support full 4K resolution, something that I thought the MPAA had gotten nixed. I've seen attempts at wider screens before, and it seems that a certain type of buyer goes for the ribbon look. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that's the next big thing for next year.

Meanwhile I got a part-time gig shooting in SD for the web.  Looks like I can put off buying a 4K camera for a while too.