Google wants to stop sticking to Dolby Vision and Atmos and encourage royalty-free standards: this is Project Caviar

There are currently two HDR formats that take advantage of dynamic metadata: HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, advanced versions of which HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Vision IQ also take into account lighting outside the TV. However, unlike HDR10+, manufacturers have to pay a fee to Dolby If they want to integrate HDR solutions into their Smart TV.

It has long been known that Google has tried to promote the use of royalty-free standards on previous occasions. However, the market trend towards the use of the Dolby solution rendered their efforts futile. But the company does not give up and has a new plan to introduce open alternatives known internally as ‘Project Caviar’.

Google considers open video and audio standards in its ecosystem

The company reportedly shared details of its plan with major automakers earlier this year. This information came to light thanks to a leaked video of the conference itself, which was obtained by the Protocol media outlet, which provided a report of this presentation.

The plan aims to offer not only royalty-free alternatives to Dolby Vision, but also alternatives to the multi-channel audio standard Dolby Atmos, which can be found in many television and home stereo systems. Dolby charges a total of $2 to $3 for each product sold with integrated Dolby VisionIt is not known what the company claims regarding Dolby Atmos.

Google’s idea is to use YouTube and Android as the main topics to offer other alternatives to the Dolby standard. The video platform doesn’t use Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos, and Vision’s use on Android systems hasn’t been particularly prominent either.

On Android TV, the problem is different, because manufacturers offering TVs compatible with this operating system you should use this standard Except for Samsung sticking to HDR10+ if they want to offer a complete experience with high dynamic range.

The report states that Google will leverage existing codecs, and the company is “trying to establish itself as an umbrella” where both HDR10+ and immersive 3D audio can be preserved. without the need to charge license fees from manufacturers.

Regarding the immersive 3D audio experience, the report also highlights the Alliance for Open Media’s (AOMedia) work on the development of a new format called ‘Immersive Audio Container’ that leverages open codecs. Like Google, Amazon, Netflix or Samsung, it is a member of this association, which is necessary for the development of codecs such as AV1.

The report also discusses that Google wants Android mobile devices to be able to shoot videos in royalty-free premium formats. While the launch dates for this project have not yet been discussed, everything indicates that the company wants to continue contributing to open video standards.