Overview
ISO/IEC 23090-16:2025 - "Information technology - Coded representation of immersive media - Part 16: Reference software for versatile video coding" - provides the official reference software package for Rec. ITU‑T H.266 | ISO/IEC 23090-3 (Versatile Video Coding, VVC). The document includes both a reference encoder and decoder (referred to as the VTM software package) and is intended as an aid for study, implementation, conformance testing and interoperability verification. The software and accompanying specification are available from the ISO standards portal.
Key Topics
- Reference implementation: A packaged encoder and decoder (VTM) illustrating the decoding and encoding processes defined in Rec. ITU‑T H.266 / ISO/IEC 23090‑3.
- Supported profiles: Main 10, Main 10 Still Picture, Main 10 4:4:4, various multilayer and Main 12/Main 16 profiles and still-picture variants (profiles listed in the standard).
- Supplemental enhancement information (SEI): Support for SEI messages specified in Rec. ITU‑T H.266 and Rec. ITU‑T H.274 / ISO/IEC 23002‑7, including encoding/parsing and export of associated data.
- Conformance and interoperability: Tools and behavior intended to help test bitstream conformance and decoder conformity to H.266 decoding processes.
- Software updates: The 2025 second edition updates include additional SEI implementations, bug fixes, runtime improvements and modified encoder configurations for improved compression performance.
- Limitations & legal: The standard notes that reference software is illustrative; conformance requirements in the base VVC specification take precedence. Standard includes warranty disclaimers for the provided software.
Applications
- Codec implementers and integrators: Use the reference encoder/decoder as a starting point for development or to validate implementation behavior against VVC/H.266.
- Quality assurance and interoperability labs: Generate and decode test bitstreams to verify conformance and interoperability across devices and software.
- Researchers and educators: Study algorithms, SEI handling and encoder options to understand VVC features and behavior.
- Content providers and device manufacturers: Evaluate encoding quality and bitstream features supported by VVC profiles supported in the reference software.
Related standards
- Rec. ITU‑T H.266 (2023) / ISO/IEC 23090‑3:2024 - Versatile Video Coding (VVC) - normative basis for this reference software.
- Rec. ITU‑T H.274 / ISO/IEC 23002‑7 - Versatile supplemental enhancement information messages - referenced for SEI support.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 23090-16:2025, reference software, VVC, H.266, VTM, encoder, decoder, conformance testing, interoperability, SEI messages.
Open preview (PDF)Information technology — Coded representation of immersive media — Part 16: Reference software for versatile video coding
