The AV1 codec is coming, and it's a big deal
Video codecs are one of those things that everyone uses, but few understand. For many users, codec support is little more than a frustration, such as when your software player tells you an audio or video format is not supported. Anger ensues.
Current video codecs include H.264 (AVC) and H.265 (HEVC), but there’s another one gaining traction. AV1. AV1 is developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM)(opens in new tab), which is a consortium made up of a who’s who of tech companies(opens in new tab). The signs point towards AV1 becoming the dominant internet video format. It’s gaining widespread support from major content providers, hardware and infrastructure companies, game streamers and creators.
The aim of AV1 is to deliver equal video quality at a lower bitrate (with a resulting smaller file size), or higher quality at an equivalent bitrate to the likes of a HEVC video. This means it’s able to stream 4K and future 8K content more efficiently than older codecs, delivering bandwidth savings as well as lowering the demands on network Infrastructure.
The second key feature of AV1 is that unlike HEVC and AVC, it’s open source and royalty free. This makes it much easier for developers to integrate it into their systems with lower costs that don't end up being passed on to consumers.
But will it be widely adopted? Let’s look at the long list of companies throwing their weight behind AV1, starting with content providers. There’s Google (YouTube), Amazon (Prime, Twitch), Netflix and Meta (Facebook). Add to that Microsoft, Tencent and Vimeo among others and you’ve got the support of the streaming industry. It’s in their financial interest to save bandwidth wherever possible.
The list of hardware supporters is equally
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