JVET-AM0001 JVET AHG report: Project Management (AHG1) [J.-R. Ohm (chair), G. J. Sullivan (vice chair)]

The reflector used for discussions by the JVET and all of its AHGs is the JVET reflector:
jvet@lists.rwth-aachen.de. For subscription to this list, see
https://lists.rwth-aachen.de/postorius/lists/jvet.lists.rwth-aachen.de/.

The number of subscribers (on the day before the beginning of the current meeting) was 1315 (compared to 1292 by the time of the previous meeting). Furthermore, the previous lists of joint teams (which were still kept open as archives) had the following number of subscribers:

• JCT-VC – 1158 subscribers
• JCT-3V – 679 subscribers
• JVT-experts – 2073 subscribers

It is likely that many subscriptions of these latter three reflectors would have become obsolete, as no emails are being sent over them any more, and therefore automatic removal of addresses causing permanent bounces by being invalid (as it happens with the main JVET reflector) cannot be executed by the reflector management system.

The work of the JVET overall had proceeded well in the interim period with similar number of input documents (as compared to the previous meeting) submitted to the current meeting. Intense discussion had been carried out on the group email reflector, and most output documents from the preceding meeting had been produced as planned.

Output documents from the preceding meeting had been made initially available at the JVET web site (https://jvet-experts.org/) or the ITU-based JVET ftp site (http://wftp3.itu.int/av-arch/jvet-site/2025_03_AL_Virtual/). It is noted that the previous document sites http://phenix.int-evry.fr/jvet/, http://phenix.int-evry.fr/jct/, and http://phenix.int-evry.fr/jct3v/ were shut down, but JCT-VC and JCT-3V documents can be accessed directly via the JVET site. All documents of JCT-VC, JCT-3V and JVET are also available from the ITU-based ftp site, where sub-folders ‘./documents/’ were created in the folders of the respective meetings (it is noted that, for practicality reasons, for JVET this is only done after all meeting documents including output documents are completely available in all versions). All those files come with the original time stamps by which the original versions of documents were uploaded.

The list of output documents produced since the last meeting included the following:

• JVET-AL1004 Errata report items for VVC, VSEI, HEVC, AVC, and Video CICP [Posted 2025-05-31]
• JVET-AL1006 HEVC additional profiles and SEI messages, also issued as WG 5 CDAM N 336 [Posted 2025-04-14]
• JVET-AL1017 Support for additional VSEI messages in AVC (draft 2) [Posted 2025-04-16]
• JVET-AL1018 HEVC with extensions and corrections (draft 1) [Posted 2025-05-31]
• JVET-AL2005 Additions and corrections for VVC version 4 (Draft 12), also issued as WG 5 DAM N 351 [Posted 2025-04-26]
• JVET-AL2006 Additional SEI messages for VSEI version 4 (Draft 6), also issued as WG 5 DAM N 347 [Posted 2025-04-11, last update 2025-04-23]
• JVET-AL2010 VTM and HM common test conditions and software reference configurations for SDR 4:2:0 10 bit video [Posted 2025-06-23]
• JVET-AL2019 Description of algorithms version 11 and software version 13 in neural network-based video coding (NNVC) [Posted 2025-06-26, after beginning of meeting]
• JVET-AL2020 Film grain synthesis technology for video applications ed. 2 (Draft 3) [not available yet by the time of releasing the report]
• JVET-AL2023 Exploration experiment on neural network-based video coding (EE1) [Posted 2025-04-04, last update 2025-04-21]
• JVET-AL2024 Exploration experiment on enhanced compression beyond VVC capability (EE2) [Posted 2025-04-04, last update 2025-05-05]
• JVET-AL2025 Algorithm description of Enhanced Compression Model 17 (ECM 17) [Posted 2025-06-20]
• JVET-AL2026 Draft Joint Call for Evidence on video compression with capability beyond VVC [Posted 2025-04-15, last update 2025-04-30]
• JVET-AL2028 Additions and corrections for VVC conformance (draft 1) [Posted 2025-05-02]
• JVET-AL2030 Optimization of encoders and receiving systems for machine analysis of coded video content (draft 9, also issued as WG 5 DTR N 354) [Posted 2025-04-30]
• JVET-AL2032 Technologies under consideration for future extensions of VSEI (version 8) [Posted 2025-05-16]

The eighteen ad hoc groups had made progress, and reports from those activities had been submitted. Various teleconferences had been held by AHGs. Furthermore, two exploration experiments (EE) on neural network-based video coding and on enhanced compression beyond VVC capability were conducted.

The arrangements for the 39^th meeting had been announced in the JVET reflector, in the JVET logistics document (https://www.itu.int/wftp3/av-arch/jvet-site/2025_06_AM_Daejeon/JVET-AM_Logistics.docx), and in the WG 5 calling notice (N 358) and agenda (N 359) for the 20^th WG 5 meeting.

Software integration was finalized approximately according to the plan.

Various problem reports relating to asserted bugs in the software, draft specification text, and reference encoder description had been submitted to an informal "bug tracking" system. That system is not intended as a replacement of our ordinary contribution submission process. However, the bug tracking system was considered to have been helpful to the software coordinators and text editors. The bug tracker reports had been automatically forwarded to the group email reflector, where the issues were discussed – and this is reported to have been helpful.

Roughly 200 input contributions (not counting the AHG reports, summary reports and crosschecks) had been registered for consideration at the current meeting.

It is further noted that, starting from the twentieth JVET meeting, work items which had originally been conducted by the Joint Collaborative Team on Video Coding (JCT-VC) were continued to be conducted in JVET as a single joint team, as negotiated by the parent bodies. This particularly consists of work on

• High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) and its extensions, the development of associated conformance test sets, reference software, verification testing, maintenance, and non-normative guidance information,
• Specification of Coding-independent Code Points (Video) (CICP), and associated technical report(s),
• Maintenance and enhancement work on the Advanced Video Coding (AVC) standard, associated conformance test sets and reference software.

To retain a consistent numbering scheme, the number range of output documents starting from 1001 was reserved for the previous JCT-VC and JCT-3V topic items listed above, whereas the number range starting from 2001 was retained for VVC, VSEI and exploration activities.

A preliminary basis for the document subject allocation and meeting notes for the 38^h meeting had been made publicly available on the ITU-hosted ftp site as http://wftp3.itu.int/av-arch/jvet-site/2025_06_AM_DaejeonJVET-AM_notes_d0.docx.

Discussion has been conducted with the parent bodies how the expected need for more parallelism during JVET meetings in future standardization activities can be better managed, beyond the current practice of appointing BoGs. In this context, the JVET chair has proposed to establish a permanent subgroup structure, as foreseen in the JVET terms of reference, but never implemented so far.

Recommendations

• The AHG recommended its continuation.

The AHG recommended establishment of a subgroup structure in JVET, such that the necessary parallelization of activities during meetings can be conducted in a more formalized fashion.