JVET-AO0001 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 1384 (compared to 1348 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 – 680 subscribers
• JVT-experts – 2078 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.

Goals and activity

The work of the JVET overall had proceeded well in the interim period with increased 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 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_10_AO_Geneva/). JCT-VC and JCT-3V documents can also be accessed directly via the JVET site. Previous meeting documents of JVT, JCT-VC, JCT-3V and JVET are also available from the ITU-based ftp site, where sub-folders of the different groups can be found under https://www.itu.int/wftp3/av-arch/, and 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, such that there may be some delay in availability). 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-AN1005 Future CICP extensions (Draft 2) [Posted 2025-11-03]
• JVET-AN1016 AVC with extensions and corrections (Draft 4) [Posted 2026-01-14]
• JVET-AN1017 Support for additional VSEI messages in AVC (Draft 4 [Posted 2025-10-26]
• JVET-AN1018 HEVC with extensions and corrections (Draft 3), also forwarded for consent as SG21-TD210/PLEN ITU-T H.265 (V11) "High efficiency video coding" (Rev.) [Posted 2025-10-17, last update 2025-12-13]
• JVET-AN1019 VSEI with extensions and corrections (Draft 1), also forwarded for consent as SG21-TD212/PLEN ITU-T H.274 (V4) "Versatile supplemental enhancement information messages for coded video bitstreams" (Rev.) [Posted 2025-10-17]
• JVET-AN2001 VVC with extensions and corrections (Draft 1), also forwarded for consent as SG21-TD211/PLEN ITU-T H.266 (V4) "Versatile video coding" (Rev.) [Posted 2025-10-17, last update 2025-12-15]
• JVET-AN2008 Conformance testing for versatile video coding (Draft 8), also forwarded for consent as SG21-TD214/PLEN ITU-T H.266.1 (V3) " Conformance specification for ITU-T H.266 versatile video coding" (Rev.) [Posted 2026-01-01]
• JVET-AN2019 Description of algorithms version 13 and software version 15 in neural network-based video coding (NNVC) [Posted 2025-12-13]
• JVET-AN2020 Film grain synthesis technology for video applications ed. 2 (Draft 4) [Posted 2026-01-14]
• JVET-AN2021 Verification test plan for VVC multilayer coding (update 7) [Posted 2026-01-08]
• JVET-AN2023 Exploration experiment on neural network-based video coding (EE1) [Posted 2025-10-11, last update 2025-10-26]
• JVET-AN2024 Exploration experiment on enhanced compression beyond VVC capability (EE2) [Posted 2025-10-12]
• JVET-AN2025 Algorithm description of Enhanced Compression Model 19 (ECM 19) [Posted 2025-12-15]
• JVET-AN2026 Edits on top of the Joint Call for Evidence on video compression with capability beyond VVC [Posted 2025-10-13]
• JVET-AN2029 Results of the Joint Call for Evidence on video compression with capability beyond VVC [Posted 2025-12-20]
• JVET-AN2032 Technologies under consideration for future extensions of VSEI (version 10) [Posted 2025-11-19, last update 2026-01-06]
• JVET-AN2039 Common test conditions for technology targeting ultra low latency and packet loss resilience [Posted 2025-11-01, last update 2025-12-24]
• JVET-AN2040 Draft of complexity reporting template for coding algorithms and tools [Posted 2025-12-02]
• JVET-AN2041 Preliminary Announcement of JVET AHG17 Meeting in Aachen, DE, during 23-27 February 2026 [Posted 2025-10-23]

The nineteen ad hoc groups had made progress, and reports from those activities had been submitted. Numerous 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, and 5 submissions were received as responses to the Joint Call for Evidence on video compression with capability beyond VVC.

The arrangements for the 41^st meeting had been announced in the JVET reflector, in the JVET logistics document (https://www.itu.int/wftp3/av-arch/jvet-site/2026_01_AO_Virtual/JVET-AO_Logistics.docx), and in the WG 5 calling notice (N 380) and agenda (N 381) for the 22^nd 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.

More than 180 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 41^st meeting had been made publicly available on the ITU-hosted ftp site as http://wftp3.itu.int/av-arch/jvet-site/2026_01_AO_Virtual/JVET-AO_notes_d0.docx.

Further discussion needs to be conducted with the parent bodies about future JVET management structures, considering that substantially higher workload could be expected in upcoming standardization activities.

Recommendations

• The AHG recommended its continuation.