Andrey Norkin

Work Experience

Netflix, Los Gatos, CA, USA

Research Scientist – Video Algorithms

June 2015 – present

Co-chair of the Video Codec Working Group in AOMedia, leading the work on the next generation of video compression technologies (a successor of AV1).

Editor and major contributor to the AOMedia film grain synthesis 1 (AFGS1) specification.

Coordinating Netflix contributions to video technologies beyond AV1 in Alliance for Open Media (AOM).

Representing Netflix as Alternate Director on the AOMedia Board of Directors.

Tech lead for Netflix's video codec team contributing to the SVT-AV1 (a joint Intel-Netflix AV1 encoder/decoder project):

• Program management for the project
• Hands-on code development

Delivered algorithms, encoding recipes, and software for two prominent projects in Netflix video encoding pipeline:

• First generation of encodes for low-bandwidth internet connections
• High dynamic range (HDR) video pipeline encoding with HDR10. Article on Netflix HDR in "Streaming Media". Technical paper.

Netflix point of contact in Video Codec Working Group in Alliance for Open Media (AOM) :

• Co-chair of the Codec Working Group
• Author of AV1 film grain synthesis tool. Talk on AV1 and film grain (with Anne Aaron) at video@scale 2018
• Contributed to AV1 decoder model
• Coordinated AV1 video codec requirements work and discussions on AV1 profiles and levels
• Co-chaired AV1 test conditions

Netflix representative in video coding standardization in ITU-T (VCEG) and MPEG:

• One of the editors and technology contributor to ITU/MPEG Technical Report on Conversion and Coding Practices for HDR / WCG
• Test material Ad Hoc Group vice-chair

University collaboration

• Hosting internships at Netflix and collaborating with UT Austin LIVE on deep learning for speeding up video encoding (see arXiv submission).

Contributor to NetVC efforts in IETF:

• Author of requirements and test conditions for IETF NetVC video codec

Ericsson, Stockholm, Sweden

Master Researcher (Lead Research Scientist)

Feb 2008 – May 2015

Positions at Ericsson Research:
Experienced Researcher → Senior Researcher → Project Manager → Master Researcher

Led a group of Ericsson Research engineers working on subjective quality improvements for Ericsson video encoders (in collaboration with Ericsson TV, UK). The work resulted in noticeable improvements in subjective quality of HEVC and H.264 encoders on several types of video content.

Led a 3D video research project (distributed between Stockholm and Lund sites) which:

• Developed 3D video support in a video conferencing system, with stereo and multi-view 3D (video+depth), based on real-time software MV-HEVC codec (encoder/decoder)
• Contributed to standardization of 3D extensions of HEVC/H.265

Author of a number of algorithms in HEVC and 3D video HEVC extensions (deblocking filter, intra-prediction, 3D reference displays SEI, reference picture list construction, non-normative encoder improvements).

Held several leadership roles in HEVC standardization committee (JCT-VC), such as:

• Primary coordinator of Core Experiment on deblocking filtering
• Co- and vice-chair of several Ad Hoc Groups
• Chair of break-out groups (discussions) on: deblocking filter, adaptive loop filter (ALF), high-level syntax
• Coordinator of several subjective video quality tests at HEVC standardization meetings

Contributed algorithms to TENTM (Tandberg, Ericsson and Nokia) submission to HEVC Call for Proposals

Contributed to MPEG ISO Media Base File Format

Supported patent and licensing department of Ericsson on HEVC standardization.

Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland

Researcher

Jan 2002 – Jan 2008

Worked on algorithms for error-resilient coding of images, video, 3D video and 3D graphics (meshes) (in particular, on multiple description coding).

• Participated in international 3DTV Network of Excellence (NoE) project
• Visiting researcher at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey