Versatile Video Coding (VVC) has officially arrived bang on time despite talk of a potential pandemic-related release date push back. It comes days after the shuttering of the MPEG Group (as we have historically known it) was also officially finalized by founder Leonardo Chiariglione. A large factor in Chiariglione’s departure boiled down to disagreements over HEVC, so VVC – as the successor to HEVC – being waved in so quickly afterwards is symbolic of a new era for video. The release could also be seen as retaliatory to some of Chiariglione’s recent musings, specifically the opinion that HEVC and VVC will go nowhere if left by themselves, proposing the assistance of EVC as a mezzanine standard between HEVC and VVC.…