One of the biggest challenges for video-on-demand platforms is to transmit their content as efficiently as possible . This translates into striking a balance between quality, computing power, and bandwidth. To improve in this regard, Netflix is working on expanding the adoption of the AV1 codec.
Netflix's long-term goal is to replace the VP9 codec with the AV1, but it is a task that cannot be done overnight. The company has been working with manufacturers to extend compatibility. In 2020 it began its deployment on Android terminals and now it does so on televisions .
“We compared AV1 to other codecs in thousands of Netflix titles and saw significant improvements in the compression efficiency of AV1. While the result of this internal analysis was very exciting, what really matters to us is the streaming experience.”
Netflix As The Verge points out, the AV1 codec will arrive on some Samsung TV models, Amazon Fire TV with Fire OS 7 or later, and certain Android TV with Android 10 or later operating system. Interestingly, all televisions connected to a PS4 Pro will benefit from this improvement .
Netflix does not specify why the AV1 codec will be available, at this stage, only on that previous generation console and not on the PlayStation 5. The truth is that all devices not currently compatible with the new codec will be able to continue using the service normally with HEVC, VP9 and MPEG4 AVC codecs.
What improvements does Netflix promise with the AV1 codec?
Credit: Unsplash The Los Gatos company affirms that the adoption of the AV1 codec allows to better preserve the original creativity of the contents . This is possible thanks to improvements in compression and computational efficiency in relation to previous versions of the codecs used.
Netflix explains on its blog that streams using the AV1 codec are encoded in 10-bit color depth. They also use the highest resolution and frame rate available at the source. This is in addition to dynamic encoding optimization.
The jump from previous codecs to the new AV1 requires more computing power, so it presumably relies on devices with modern processors . However, it is much more efficient and offers better video quality with the same bitrate – according to Netflix tests – which improves its performance on congested connections without resetting the buffer.
One point to keep in mind is that the AV1 codec is open source and no royalties need to be paid to use it. It is an Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) managed project, which has members such as Apple, Amazon, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Samsung and more.
