AV1
The next generation video codec that can deliver stunning 4K video over connections that are limited to SD with older codecs
What is the AV1 codec?
AV1 is an open, royalty-free, next-generation video coding format from the Alliance for Open Media. It was designed to succeed Google’s VP9 and compete with H.265/HEVC. AV1 can provide 30% bandwidth savings compared to VP9 and HEVC and drastically improves visual quality at equivalent bitrates.
- Interoperable and open
- Designed with a low computational footprint and optimized for hardware
- Capable of consistent, highest-quality, real-time video delivery
- Optimized for the Internet
- Scalable to any modern device at any bandwidth
- Flexible for both commercial and non-commercial content, including user-generated content
AV1 Datasheet
How efficient is AV1? From its inception, Bitmovin has been testing and benchmarking the efficiency and quality results from different AV1 techniques and implementations, while developing new patent-pending methods for maximizing speed and performance.
Download our datasheet to view the results of our tests, implementations, and the types of presets that we recommend when applying AV1.
How much can AV1 lower your total cost of ownership?
While AV1 encoding is more complex and requires more processing power than other codecs, it provides much higher compression efficiency, which can drastically reduce your storage and CDN costs. The actual break-even and savings point will vary based on your individual contracts and workflow, so we’ve created this calculator to help identify when you will see the most benefit from AV1 encoding and how much money it can save you in the long run!
AV1 Playback support
| fMP4 (DASH) | fMP4 with Widevine and Playready (DASH) | Single file “progressive” MP4 (.mp4) | Single file “progressive” MP4 + Widevine (DASH) | WebM (DASH) | WebM + Widevine (DASH) | Single file “progressive” WebM (DASH) | Single file “progressive” WebM + Widevine (DASH) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Edge | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Firefox | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Safari | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Android Native | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Android Web | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| iOS | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Fire TV Max | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Fire TV Max Web (Silk Browser) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Roku Streaming Stick 4K | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Samsung Tizen (2020 and 2021) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
Frequently asked questions
What does AV1 stand for?
AV1 stands for Alliance for Open Media Video 1. It is an open, royalty-free video coding format that was created by the Alliance for Open Media beginning in 2015. Development on its successor, AV2 is currently underway.
What is AV1 used for?
AV1, like most other video codecs, is used to compress a video file or stream to a lower bitrate (smaller file size) while preserving and maximizing the visual quality. In this regard, AV1 outperforms incumbent codecs HEVC and VP9 by roughly 30% and H264 by roughly 50%. AV1 is also extremely versatile and can be tuned to prioritize quality, speed, or a balance of the two. For instance, it can be configured for use in real-time communications, like in Google Hangouts, with a tradeoff of diminished quality. On the other end of the spectrum it can be used to create beautiful, cinematic 4K and 8K content, with a cost of longer encoding times.
Is AV1 better quality?
Yes, when comparing equivalent bitrates, AV1 provides better visual quality than all of the other commonly used streaming codecs including HEVC, VP9 and H264. Looking at it from another angle, AV1 requires significantly lower bitrates than the other codecs to achieve equivalent visual quality.
Is AV1 better than H 265?
AV1 can deliver equivalent quality to H265/HEVC at roughly 30% lower bitrates. AV1 is an open, royalty-free format, while HEVC is subject to licensing fees from multiple patent pools and independent patent holders. While neither has universal playback support, HEVC is the older and more mature codec, and currently has slightly broader support in the streaming ecosystem.
Is AV1 better than VP9?
AV1 can deliver equivalent quality to VP9 at roughly 30% lower bitrates. Development work and the code base for VP10, the successor to VP9, were merged into the AV1 project after the Alliance for Open Media was formed, so in a sense AV1 is a newer generation or evolution of VP9.
Learn more about AV1
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