Decode to Encode: Master Complex Concepts Faster, Bridge Gaps and Be the Expert in Video Coding

Video coding is complex. YouTube and Netflix use it to deliver great video even at extremely low data rates. Have you ever wondered how they optimize video for low bandwidths? Do technical terms like 'rate distortion optimization', 'predictive coding' or 'adaptive quantization' overwhelm you?

Decode To Encode is the only book that answers the hows and whys of elements in H.264, H.265 and VP9. It provides video engineers and students all the compression fundamentals they need to solve problems, conduct research and serve their customers better. Coming from an experienced video codec engineer and product enthusiast, the book is written in a clear language with numerous examples.

You will learn about:

digital video fundamentals and the evolution of codecs;

spatial and temporal aspects leveraged to achieve compression in block-based video architecture;

intra and inter coding, GOPs, block partitioning, prediction, transforms, quantization, CABAC, in-loop filtering, rate-distortion optimization and rate control;

bitrate modes, performance metrics and comparisons;

emerging topics like per-title encoding, AV1, 360 Video and VR, encoding with ML.

Why be left behind in today's evolving video landscape? Get the tools you need to understand technical specifications and design video algorithms. Learn the concepts in this book and become a compression expert today. Exude confidence as you walk into your next meeting or start a conversation about video compression.

Here's what people are saying about the book

This book is a useful guide for non-video experts to gain a quick understanding on existing implementations around digital video compression. It contains sufficient technical details for practitioners in the field to help anyone who wish to look beneath the covers of what happens when video is compressed.

- Indra Laksono, President of Pixelworks Canada

With this book, much of the vocabulary I'd hear around the office started to make sense and I got a better understanding of what encoders do and how they are designed

- Caleb Farrand, a design engineer from San Francisco

About the Author:

Avinash Ramachandran has been working in video compression for over 15 years experience as a serial startup technologist, innovator and speaker. His work on video coding has contributed to several patents in motion estimation, motion compensation and bitrate control algorithms. He is currently developing next-generation algorithms and products with H.265, VP9 and AV1 codecs at NGCodec Inc. A senior member of IEEE, he completed his Masters in Digital Signal Processing from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in India and holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business in Canada.