When Walloon technology took centre stage of the world’s biggest movie productions, it was not a matter of luck. This is the story of intoPix, an academic spin-off from UCLouvain that went on to become the global benchmark for ultralow latency video compression. intoPix recently won an Emmy in Hollywood for its role in developing the audiovisual standards used during the Olympics.
intoPix is the product of the intuitive vision of CEO Gaël Rouvroy, whose thesis explored a decoder’s potential in the world of digital filmmaking. Developed in UCLouvain’s labs, Rouvroy’s vision proved to be right, to the extent that he defended his thesis on the same day as the official launch of digital cinema in Hollywood - an almost symbolic coincidence.
On the back of its initial success in cinema, the company decided to go even further a few years later, with the goal of developing its own compression algorithm and making it an international standard. This led to the birth of JPEG XS, a codec tailormade for the most demanding settings: from broadcasting to cinema, from gaming to automobiles.
It took a decade of hard work and an impressive level of team growth for this technology to fundamentally transform the television industry. Today, intoPix has finally been honoured with the golden statue, in recognition of their major contribution to the broadcasting of the Olympic Games: the culmination of a decade of commitment and innovation.
“There is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude towards our entire team, who have invested tremendous energy in making this idea a reality,” says Pascal Pellegrin, Senior Research Director.
Already adopted by major industry players like Nikon, the intoPix technology embodies a reality that is often overlooked: it is from Wallonia that expert teams are helping to shape global technological standards.
And what is their advice to young Walloon entrepreneurs? “Focus wholeheartedly on one value, rather than spreading yourself too thin.”
Did you know?
The Emmy that intoPix just won is not the one that is given to actors and directors during the televised ceremony, but rather the Engineering, Science and Technology Emmy Award. This Emmy is awarded to companies whose innovations have materially transformed the production, transmission and reception of television. It is a much rarer distinction, which honours not artistic success, but technological innovations whose impact is felt across an entire industry.
WAB Magazine
