TICO Technology

TICO (Tiny Codec) is a cutting-edge, lightweight compression technology engineered to facilitate ultra-low-latency, visually lossless video transmission over both SDI and IP-based infrastructures.

What is TICO Technology?

TICO (Tiny Codec) is a cutting-edge, lightweight compression technology engineered to facilitate ultra-low-latency, visually lossless video transmission over both SDI and IP-based infrastructures. Designed to maximize efficiency in live broadcasting, production, and professional AV applications, TICO compression drastically reduces bandwidth requirements while preserving pristine image quality.

Why is TICO Compression Revolutionary?

Traditional compression codecs often introduce significant latency, making them unsuitable for real-time applications. TICO, however, employs an intra-frame compression approach, ensuring near-instantaneous video transport with virtually no perceptible quality loss. This makes it an optimal choice for high-resolution (4K/8K) workflows in live production environments.

How Does TICO Compare to Other Compression Standards?

TICO vs. JPEG 2000

  • JPEG 2000 is widely used for contribution workflows but introduces higher latency due to its complex wavelet-based compression.
  • TICO, in contrast, offers near-zero latency, making it ideal for live broadcasting.

TICO vs. H.264 / HEVC (H.265)

  • H.264 and HEVC use inter-frame compression, which increases latency and computational complexity.
  • TICO’s intra-frame compression ensures rapid processing and immediate playback without the need for extensive buffering.

TICO vs. Uncompressed Video

  • While uncompressed video maintains the highest quality, it demands excessive bandwidth (e.g., uncompressed 4K @ 60Hz requires ~12Gbps).
  • TICO significantly reduces bandwidth consumption (by a factor of up to 4:1) while maintaining visually lossless quality.

Key Advantages of TICO Technology

  • Ultra-Low Latency: Perfect for real-time video production and live broadcasts.
  • Visually Lossless Compression: Maintains the highest quality video while reducing bandwidth requirements.
  • IP & SDI Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates into both traditional SDI-based and modern IP-based workflows.
  • Efficient 4K/8K Transmission: Reduces the complexity and cost of handling high-resolution video streams.

Scalable and Future-Proof: Supports next-generation broadcast infrastructures, enabling a smooth transition to IP-based production.

 

 

How Nevion Leverages TICO for Broadcast & IP Workflows

Nevion integrates TICO compression within its Virtuoso software, a versatile platform that enables seamless video, audio, and data transport across IP and SDI networks. TICO plays a crucial role in various workflows, including:

  • Adapt: Bridging legacy SDI environments with next-generation IP networks.
  • Compress: Utilizing TICO’s ultra-low-latency compression to optimize media transport.
  • Transform: Processing high-resolution video while minimizing bandwidth requirements.
  • Tune: Ensuring synchronized, high-fidelity audio and video streams.
  • Secure: Providing reliable, high-quality video transport for critical broadcast applications.

By leveraging TICO technology, Nevion enables broadcasters to efficiently transition to IP-based production without overhauling existing infrastructure.

Further Information