BOCA RATON, Fla.—Florida Atlantic University said Dolby Laboratories has acquired a video-compression technology portfolio FAU had developed through a long-standing research partnership with OP Solutions LLC (OPS).
At the heart of the portfolio is technology that contributed to Versatile Video Coding (VVC), also known as H.266, the international video-compression standard finalized in 2020 by the International Organization for Standardization and the International Telecommunication Union. VVC reduces video data requirements by approximately 50% compared with the previous High Efficiency Video Coding standard while maintaining the same visual quality.
Although VVC is not yet widely deployed by streaming services, due to the lack of hardware support, the codec has been adopted by Brazil's TV 3.0 standard as well as DVB broadcasters in Europe. ATSC approved the standard for 3.0 in April.
The portfolio comprises 683 intellectual property assets, including 250 granted patents worldwide and 73 United States patents, which were invented by FAU researchers in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. The research was sponsored by OPS, which provided strategic research support, patent development and commercialization expertise, while FAU faculty conducted the underlying technical research.
“This acquisition exemplifies the power of combining world-class faculty expertise with strong industry partnerships,” said FAU President Adam Hasner. “Technology developed at Florida Atlantic has evolved from groundbreaking university research into an international standard and is now part of the portfolio of one of the world’s leading media technology companies. Its applications span digital media, national security, autonomous systems and emerging AI technologies, demonstrating how FAU research is driving innovation and economic impact on a global scale.”
The transaction also highlights the success of the research and commercialization partnership between FAU and OPS. Through the collaboration, OPS sponsored advanced video-coding research at FAU while helping guide intellectual property development and commercialization efforts.
“This achievement illustrates the power of sustained investment in research excellence and strategic partnerships,” said Stella Batalama, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Working with OP Solutions, our faculty took video-compression research from the lab into a global standard, and that work is now part of Dolby’s portfolio. It is a clear example of FAU research reaching real products and returning value to the university.”
Sixteen U.S. patents developed through the FAU-OPS collaboration have been declared essential to the VVC standard and are licensed through the Access Advance VVC patent pool for worldwide commercial implementation. Dolby acquired the portfolio from OPS, which held the patent rights following assignment from FAU.
