The ITU-T video coding experts group, after successful completion of their H.263 video codec in 1995, started to work on the advanced video coding (AVC) project. Their long-term objective was to recommend a video codec to be at least twice better than the existing video codec, such as H.263. The project was initially called H.26L, with L standing for long-term objectives [1]. However, H.263 was under constant improvement. Its improved version under H.263+ was finalised in 1997, and in 2000, the H.263H-\specification was ratified, where each + is an indication of major improvement. Most of the innovations in H.263+ in the forms of options or annexes were also fed to H.26L. ITU-T submitted H.26L to MPEG call for proposals in 2001. MPEG-4 experts group of ISO/IEC, who were not very happy with their content-based video codec (due to high complexity the codec could not be marketed), and its frame-based counterpart had a similar performance to H.263, showed an interest in this new codec. They joined the AVC project and worked closely with the ITU-T team. The project's name was then changed to joint video team (JVT).