Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The global demand for high-resolution, low-latency video content is surging across all sectors, from entertainment streaming to industrial IoT. This trend is exacerbated by the proliferation of 5G networks and immersive technologies like XR, which place unprecedented strain on network infrastructure and data storage. Companies are actively seeking innovative solutions to manage these escalating data volumes and associated costs, while simultaneously delivering superior user experiences and maintaining competitive advantage.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Reduces video data by up to ~30%: Optimized chroma residual scaling could improve video data compression ratio by up to ~30% compared to conventional methods, while maintaining visual quality.

02

Enables high-quality, low-latency delivery: Efficient decoding reduces network bandwidth load, enabling low-latency, high-quality delivery of high-definition video content.

03

Ensures business stability with robust IP protection: This patent, established after overcoming multiple rejections and utilizing pre-appeal examination, demonstrates clear differentiation from existing technologies, enhancing business stability.

Market Opportunity
💻 Video Streaming Services
$10B–$15B globally (AI est.)
The increasing demand for 4K/8K content and live streaming necessitates highly efficient encoding technology. This directly translates to bandwidth cost reduction and improved user experience.
Global streaming platforms Content delivery network providers Broadcast media companies
🌐 5G Communication Infrastructure
$5B–$10B globally (AI est.)
With the widespread adoption of high-speed, high-capacity 5G communication, reducing network load and optimizing data processing efficiency are critical. Integration with edge computing is also anticipated.
Telecommunications equipment manufacturers Mobile network operators Edge computing solution providers
🎮 XR/Metaverse
$3B–$3.5B globally (AI est.)
Highly immersive experiences require ultra-high-definition, low-latency video. This technology enhances data transfer efficiency, contributing to the realization of more realistic virtual environments.
Metaverse platform developers VR/AR headset manufacturers Immersive content creators
☁️ Cloud Storage
$5B–$7B globally (AI est.)
The volume of video data accumulated by businesses and individuals continues to grow. Efficient compression technology contributes to reducing storage costs and optimizing data management.
Enterprise cloud storage providers Data center operators Cloud service integrators
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects a decoding apparatus, program, and method, specifically focusing on the optimal application of chroma residual scaling to improve encoding efficiency. Its establishment through a rigorous examination process, including multiple rejections and pre-appeal examination, demonstrates strong differentiation from prior art and robust protection against invalidation.

Competitive White Space

While the patent covers core decoding algorithms, white space exists in hardware-accelerated implementations for specific chip architectures or integration with emerging video codecs beyond H.264/H.265, such as AV1 or VVC, to create new, optimized solutions.

Economic Impact
~$350K/year estimated data operation cost reduction per facility (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

Assuming a video streaming service processes 1 PB of data monthly, current data transfer and storage costs could be ~$33.5K/PB/month (AI est.), totaling ~$400K/year (AI est.). A 15% data reduction from this technology could yield ~$60K/year (AI est.) in savings. Including server operation cost reductions from faster encoding, the total economic impact could reach ~$350K/year (AI est.).

Speed to Market
5× faster than in-house development
This technology's core lies in optimizing video decoding algorithms, making it relatively easy to integrate into existing video codec software or hardware implementations. Since the algorithmic concept is already established, development time can be significantly reduced compared to developing equivalent technology from scratch in-house. Implementation can be achieved through software updates or firmware upgrades, enabling rapid market entry and securing a competitive advantage.
Competitive Positioning

X: Data Efficiency Performance
Y: Image Quality Preservation

Business Models & Applications
💻 Software License Provision
A licensing model for integrating this technology into existing video codecs or streaming platforms. Provided as a Software Development Kit (SDK), enabling licensees to implement high-efficiency video processing in their products.
⚙️ Hardware IP Core Provision
Offering the technology as an IP core for hardware implementation (e.g., ASICs, FPGAs). This supports the development of dedicated chips and devices with high-efficiency video decoding, enabling high-performance and power-efficient products.
☁️ Cloud API Service
Providing this technology as a cloud-based video processing API service. Licensees can leverage high-efficiency video compression and decoding functionalities without complex in-house implementation.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
🚗 Autonomous Driving & In-Vehicle Cameras
High-Efficiency Processing for Automotive Video Data
Autonomous vehicles require real-time processing and recording of vast sensor data, especially high-definition camera feeds. This technology could optimize in-vehicle storage capacity and reduce communication bandwidth load, while maintaining critical video information at high quality for safety and operational analysis.
🔬 Medical Imaging Diagnostics
High-Resolution Medical Image Data Management
Medical imaging data from CT and MRI scans is highly detailed and voluminous. Applying this technology could reduce data volume by up to 30% while preserving diagnostic image quality. This could lower hospital storage costs and enhance image transfer speeds for remote diagnostics.
🏭 Industrial IoT & Surveillance Cameras
Smart Factory Video Surveillance Systems
Smart factories utilize numerous surveillance cameras to continuously monitor production lines. Implementing this technology could reduce network bandwidth strain by 20-30% while efficiently recording and analyzing high-quality video for anomaly detection, contributing to stable system operation and cost reduction.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 12-Month Deployment
Phase 1: Technology Evaluation & Requirements
Duration: 2 months
Evaluate the core algorithm's compatibility with the licensee's existing systems and define specific performance targets and implementation requirements. Develop a Proof of Concept (PoC) plan.
Phase 2: Prototype Development & Validation
Duration: 6 months
Develop a prototype incorporating this technology based on defined requirements. Conduct performance evaluation, quality verification, and stability testing under conditions similar to the actual operating environment.
Phase 3: Production Deployment & Optimization
Duration: 4 months
Proceed with deployment to the production environment based on prototype validation results. Continuously monitor performance post-deployment and optimize parameters based on operational data to maximize effectiveness.
Technical Feasibility
This technology can be implemented as a software module easily integrated into existing video codec decoding pipelines, encompassing bitstream decoding, transform coefficient processing, flag determination, inverse color space transformation, and chroma residual scaling. The functional blocks described in the patent claims, such as the "entropy decoding unit," "inverse quantization/inverse transformation unit," "inverse color space transformation unit," and "scaling unit," can be realized using standard software development methods, suggesting a low technical barrier for integration into existing systems.
Success Scenario
Upon adopting this technology, a licensee's video streaming platform could potentially reduce network bandwidth usage by up to 20% compared to current levels. This would enable the delivery of high-quality content to more users with equivalent infrastructure costs, supporting service scalability. Furthermore, improved data transfer efficiency is estimated to contribute to reduced buffering times and enhanced accessibility to high-resolution content for users.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2021-205158
REGISTRATION NO.
7391932
FILING DATE
2021/12/17
GRANT DATE
2023/11/27
EXPIRATION DATE
2041/12/17
PATENT HOLDER
日本放送協会
Examination History
2022年03月23日
出願審査請求書
2022年03月23日
早期審査に関する事情説明書
2022年04月05日
早期審査に関する通知書
2022年04月19日
拒絶理由通知書
2022年05月30日
意見書
2022年06月28日
拒絶理由通知書
2022年08月26日
意見書
2022年10月04日
拒絶査定
2022年12月27日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2023年01月11日
審査前置移管
2023年01月17日
審査前置移管通知
2023年02月03日
審査前置解除
2023年02月07日
審査前置解除通知
2023年11月21日
特許査定