Mar 25, 2025
Enhancing technology though friendly competition among engineers - Rewarding explorations in the field of the International Standardization
Teruhiko Suzuki is a Distinguished Engineer at Sony Group and was recognized as a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for his achievements in the development and standardization of algorithms for major video codecs such as MPEG-2, AVC, and HEVC. He has continued to take on challenges of improving video quality with compression technology. We sat down with him to discuss his career and passion for technology.
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Teruhiko Suzuki
Distinguished Engineer
Sony Corporation
I want to grow through friendly competition
with many people overseas
──What did you study in school?
At graduate school, I studied astrophysics and particle physics. A supernova was observed in the Large Magellanic Cloud in 1987, attracting the attention of researchers around the world. I participated to an international collaborative research project in Bolivia, South America for about six months.
That was my first experience traveling abroad. I lived at an altitude of 3,800 meters and traveled to the observatory, which was 5,300 meters above sea level, every day. I got dizzy from altitude sickness, but I was incredibly motivated by meeting researchers from various countries. That’s when I started to think that I wanted to contribute to the development of science by going abroad and encouraging growth through friendly competition.
During our observation activities, we created a system to capture, collect, and then analyze ultra-high energy gamma rays using measuring equipment installed on the slopes of the mountain. Along the way, I became interested not just in theory, but also in manufacturing, and that is why I joined Sony.
I was assigned to the video technology department. I became one of the members working for the international standardization of MPEG-2.
──What kind of technology is video coding? What kind of standards are there?
Video coding is a technology for compressing digital data such as still images, videos and audio. It is an important technology that supports video products and services that are indispensable to our lives today, including video and music distribution services, recording media such as DVDs and Blu-ray DiscsTM, and BS digital and terrestrial digital broadcasting.
Video coding standards have evolved over 30 years, starting with MPEG-1 in the 1990s. MPEG-2 was adopted as a digital terrestrial broadcasting format. Blu-rayTM adopted AVC (Advanced Video Coding) as HD video format. HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) is used for 4K video, and VVC (Versatile Video Coding) supports the latest 8K. This technology has evolved to keep up with the increasing video resolution and data size, together with the progress of communication technology. For example, the video data size of an HDTV is about 450GB per hour. It can be compressed to 1/66 using MPEG-2 or 1/200 with AVC. A new standard has appeared every 10 years, and the compression rate has improved by leaps and bounds each time.
There are two key methods of video compression. One is to use correlation within a picture. The pixels surrounding a certain pixel are similar to that pixel. This correlation is used to reduce data size. The other is called "motion compensation." It uses the correlation between successive frames in the video. Coding efficiency can be improved by sending residual data.
Furthermore, we are exploring methods to improve coding efficiency using AI. It will take a little longer before it is put to practical use. This innovative compression technology will be established in the future.
Continuing to Pursue More Advanced Compression Technology
──What is the significance of making international video coding standards? Also, what exactly did you work on the international standardization of MPEG-2?
The aim is to significantly expand the market by bringing together people from various industries for open discussion to create common standards and make it possible for video to be played in the same way on products from any company. Especially in recent years, as products become more multifunctional and networked, developing products using only a single company’s technology has become more difficult. For example, you need HDMI, communications, and broadcasting technologies to make one TV set. The industry consensus is to involve companies with strength in such technologies, and to formulate and utilize a standard format that can be used fairly.
The standardization of MPEG-2 began in 1992, the year I joined Sony. R&D engineers from companies worldwide gathered, exchanged technical proposals, and competed to see whose proposal was the best. Competition became a collaborative way to improve technology together. It was exactly the kind of work I wanted to do myself. There was also room to proceed based on theory, and that work used my strengths as a science graduate.
The MPEG-2 standard is a fundamental technology still widely used today, such as in DVDs and terrestrial digital broadcasting. Sony members have led discussions on international standardization and served as the head of the Japanese delegation for standardization. We have made numerous proposals with Japanese companies, which were incorporated into the standards. At the time, we were in the midst of the transition from analog to digital. There were many issues about what could be done with analog that couldn't be done with digital, so it was worth making proposals.
I developed proposals in discussion with project members, and one of the ideas that came out of this was a method for efficiently compressing movies. The number of frames per second differs between film and TV (film: 24 frames, TV: 30 frames). We developed a system that could convert the differences in each display format and apply compression efficiently to ensure smooth playback. Additionally, our solution for reducing the mismatch errors that occur due to different implementations of arithmetic operations was adopted in the standard. Our efforts to think about unique digital technologies and functions have led to the acquisition of many standard essential patents.
Since then, I have been involved in the international standardization of video coding, moving into positions such as project leader for AVC and head of delegates for Japan for HEVC. The companies engaged in standardization have also shifted from manufacturers to IT and semiconductor companies, and Chinese companies are also currently getting involved. The environment is changing, but video technology is still a key area for Sony. I hope to continue to lead the discussion on standardization actively.
Invited to the Emmy Award reception (2008) for AVC standardization
──Are there other technologies you have worked on, besides video coding?
Following my work on MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, I worked abroad for a while as a visiting researcher at the University of California, San Diego. With the widespread use of MPEG, the amount of digital content increased exponentially, and I thought that the next step would be to develop video search technology, so I started researching multimedia databases.
I’m also currently working on developing virtual production tools using AI and other technologies to realize immersive entertainment through 3D images and virtual spaces. I'm also working on efficient methods for transmitting 3D data using, compression technology, in games. My research interests are shifting to how we can sense and capture the space and process such 3D data.
Recognized as an IEEE Fellow
──What aspects of your work do you find most rewarding?
I find it most interesting and rewarding to be involved in cutting-edge technology in the form of open innovation with people from outside the company, and to be able to collaborate to refine our technology and create new value together. If you always stay within one company, you tend to become biased toward the same point of view. I have always valued opportunities to meet people from around the world with other values.
In addition, by engaging in research and development with others, we can provide products and services that people worldwide can use. Being able to contribute to enriching the lives of others is an invaluable reward.
──In December 2024, you were recognized as a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). What contributions to the field are you being recognized for?
Their letter says, "Contribution to Video Coding for Professional & Consumer Products" and I understand that they recognized our standardization efforts from MPEG-2 to VVC, and our contributions to the industry in terms of compression technology, including 3D.
Being certified as a fellow means I will be expected to contribute at a higher level as an expert, so I am bracing myself to ensure I live up to the title.
IEEE Fellow certification
Creating Entertainment That Beyond Existing Frameworks
──What is the mindset that you value as an engineer?
First, don't just think within the scope of your company or laboratory. People from various backgrounds participate in the standardization, including hardware manufacturers, content providers, broadcasters, and others. We can develop standards that reflect opinions from various perspectives. I also participate in other academic conferences. In addition, get interested in new technologies, including AI, and try them out yourself. Good ideas come to me more easily when I'm relaxed, such as playing with my children rather than sitting at my desk, so I maintain a good work/life balance.
──What do you think are the benefits of Sony as a workplace?
Sony operates a wide range of businesses. Even if you look at the technical side, there are people from many different business areas, from devices to imaging. It's fun to think things through with colleagues like that, and it’s a great strength.
Another advantage that other companies don’t have is that Sony creates our own content. Sony can develop new content with creators in group companies that work on movies, music, games, and more.
Sony respects freedom, even in the research and development environment. You can make proposals for whatever you want, and the culture supports that attitude.
──Finally, please tell us about your future goals.
As a Distinguished Engineer and as part of the Technology Strategy Committee, a technology-based activity body working across all Sony Group’s companies, I would like to work to connect engineers across different parts of the group with a focus on technology. Another goal is to create a community of engineers with various skills and to increase the technical knowledge of young people.
Sony’s management direction is "Creation Shift." What exactly does that mean? I think that it isn't so simple as making tools for creators. It also means we must start by thinking about how to support creators for years to come and what kind of ecosystem we should create. The entertainment industry is broad. For example, it is necessary to determine what value Sony can provide to creators in areas that Sony has not yet sufficiently explored and whether there are opportunities for Sony in such areas.
Furthermore, I'm excited to take on the challenge of using technology to create new entertainment and content beyond movie and music’s existing frameworks.
Of course, I also want to deepen my knowledge of a single technology. But more than that, I want to decide on the next technology to work on, play a role in human resources development, and connect the entire group.
