Recap: Help for the AV1 codec has grown significantly since its launch in 2018. Massive and small platforms shortly adopted the format to reduce bandwidth consumption whereas preserving picture high quality. Netflix, a main backer of AV1, plans to proceed increasing the codec throughout its purposes whereas additionally using it and its upcoming successor for brand new ventures.
Netflix not too long ago confirmed that the AV1 codec is liable for almost one-third of its streaming content material. In a prolonged Medium put up, the corporate defined the way it helped foster the codec’s creation and regularly adopted it throughout varied gadgets.
The Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), a consortium that features Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, Nvidia, and different corporations, launched AV1 in 2018 as a successor to Google’s VP9 format. The codec compresses knowledge extra effectively than the favored H.264 format and is royalty-free, in contrast to H.265/HEVC.
Decoding and encoding help for AV1 has quickly unfold to fashionable cell gadgets, PC graphics chips, and different {hardware} over the previous a number of years. Throughout that point, customers starting from massive corporations to impartial content material creators have applauded its efficiency enhancements.
Netflix started adopting AV1 software program decoding on Android gadgets in 2020 because of the platform’s flexibility and the prominence of cell gadgets amongst streaming audiences. Utilizing the dav1d library, which builders had already optimized for cell Arm chipsets, the corporate improved video playback high quality for customers on mobile networks.
Nonetheless, bringing AV1 to good TVs and different dwelling gadgets required hardware-based decoding, which Netflix regularly licensed in collaboration with SoC distributors. The corporate rolled out the codec on TVs in late 2021, added help for internet browsers in 2022, and prolonged it to Apple’s M3 and A17 Professional chips in 2023.
Earlier this 12 months, Netflix rolled out AV1 HDR streaming utilizing HDR10+. The format now covers 85 % of the corporate’s HDR catalog, and the corporate plans to transition all its HDR content material to AV1 inside the subsequent few months.
Netflix defined how AV1 permits smarter movie grain integration via Movie Grain Synthesis, which strips grain from content material earlier than encoding and resynthesizes it within the decoder, decreasing bandwidth utilization whereas sustaining high quality. The corporate additionally hopes the codec will improve reside streaming with customizable graphics overlays and enhance cloud gaming efficiency.
AOMedia not too long ago introduced plans to launch AV2 earlier than the top of this 12 months. The brand new codec will ship extra environment friendly compression than AV1, supporting applied sciences reminiscent of augmented and digital actuality, split-screen streaming, and extra.
The up to date codec will turn out to be useful when Netflix begins churning out new and outdated content material from Warner Bros. The streaming titan not too long ago agreed to buy the manufacturing firm for a historic $82.7 billion. The acquisition will give Netflix management over standard properties, together with Recreation of Thrones, DC Comics, HBO, and a number of online game studios.
