IEEE Will Present 2027 Video Analytics Awards
Benjamin Bross, Jens-Rainer Ohm, and Gary J. Sullivan will be honored for their work on the HEVC standard.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Tech — General
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The IEEE will present its 2027 Arun N. Netravali Video Analytics, Technology, and Systems Award to three key developers of the HEVC international standard. The honor recognizes leadership in the creation of a compression technology that now enables efficient streaming for billions of devices.
Why it matters
The development of HEVC addressed critical global needs for higher video resolution and the rise of parallel processing architectures in modern digital systems. This technology now supports the vast majority of consumer video playback, accounting for the delivery of most network data.
The HEVC standard, or H.265, provides a 50% bit rate reduction compared to its predecessor, AVC. It currently powers playback in 2.3 billion annual consumer video products and handles a significant portion of the 80% of total network traffic attributed to video data.
The players
Benjamin Bross
He serves as the Head of Video Coding Systems at Fraunhofer HHI in Germany.
Jens-Rainer Ohm
He is a Professor emeritus at RWTH Aachen University in Aachen.
Gary J. Sullivan
He works as the Director of Video Research and Standards at Dolby Laboratories.
IEEE
This professional organization operates as a public charity and grants technical field awards.
JCT-VC
This collaborative group developed the HEVC standard through the consensus of approximately one thousand experts.
The details
The Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) analyzed thousands of technical documents from approximately one thousand experts to refine HEVC by consensus. This work, completed in 2013, created the infrastructure now used by services like NASA+ for high-fidelity streaming.
Timeline
The JCT-VC was formed in 2010.
The first version of the HEVC standard was completed in 2013.
The JCT-VC received a Primetime Engineering Emmy Award in 2017.
NASA announced in March 2026 that its streaming service uses HEVC.
The IEEE awards will be presented in 2027.
The Tech Race
The award marks a continuation of industry recognition for the JCT-VC, building on the precedent set by their 2017 Primetime Engineering Emmy Award. This acknowledges the transition from early compression methods to the universal standard that currently anchors global video infrastructure.
The widespread adoption of HEVC means users experience higher-quality video streaming on their TVs and smartphones without requiring higher bandwidth. This efficiency allows modern consumers to access high-resolution content like Artemis II footage on NASA+ reliably.
The takeaway
The HEVC standard remains the backbone of modern digital media, effectively managing the massive volume of video data moving across global networks. Consistent industry standards like these are essential for maintaining playback compatibility across billions of different consumer devices.
Further reading
For more on the latest developments in digital infrastructure, visit Tech — General.
More information
Review the full IEEE 2027 technical award announcement for additional details.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Informationdienst Wissenschaft e.V. - idw.
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