latest
HandBrake 1.7.0 adds AMD and Nvidia AV1 encoding support
The new release improves the video conversion speed as well
If you regularly convert video files, you likely already know the benefits of HandBrake. The open source video transcoder is free and available for MacOS, Windows, and Linux. Assuming you’re not working with copy protected files, you can use HandBrake to process a wide array of multimedia. Even though HandBrake 1.6.0 debuted less than two years ago, the latest version is now available, and it comes with a slew of new features.
What is the AV1 codec? How does it make files smaller?
AV1 is an important codec that's taking the internet by storm, but what is it, and how does it work? Here's everything you need to know.
If you've been following the media streaming scene for a number of years, you may have seen a lot of excitement around rumored support for the AV1 codec. While it is indeed a pretty big step forward from codecs like H264 and VP9, there's a lot more to the story than that. AV1, also known as AOMedia Video 1, was first released in March of 2018, and it's been a slow road in its adoption across the industry. This is the entire story of AV1, how it improves over VP9 and H.264, and why it's a big deal.
OBS Studio beta release supports AV1 encoding for better streaming quality
OBS Studio 29.1 has added support for AV1 Enonding, resulting in 40% more efficient encoding on average when compared to using H.26 standard.
OBS Studio version 29.1 is now out in beta, and there's a big feature coming with it. As announced by Nvidia, this latest release supports AV1 encoding with streaming to YouTube. This can result in boosted image quality and reduced bitrate by up to 40% without sacrificing image quality for better streaming at higher resolutions and framerates when sharing your in-game action live with friends.
Mozilla Firefox will finally add support for AV1 hardware acceleration
Firefox will soon be adding support for the hardware-accelerated AV1 decoder. The feature will arrive as part of Firefox version 100.
Mozilla says it's finally ready to add support for the AV1 codec in the Firefox browser. While competitors like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge have long supported hardware-accelerated AV1 video codec, Firefox missed out on this feature. But at long last, the browser is finally catching up.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will reportedly support AV1 decoding
The next flagship Snapdragon chipset, which might be called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, will reportedly have hardware decoding for AV1 video.
AV1 is the next-generation video codec developed by the Alliance for open Media, with advanced compression technology and a royalty-free model. Just like most video codecs, battery-efficient playback depends on hardware encoding support, which isn't too common yet with AV1. Thankfully, that could finally change soon, as Qualcomm is reportedly planning to add AV1 support in future Snapdragon chips.
Netflix brings AV1 codec support to the PS4 Pro and select TVs
Netflix has announced that it's bringing AV1 codec support to the PlayStation 4 and select AV1-capable TVs. Read more here!
Netflix has announced that it's bringing AV1 codec support to both the PlayStation 4 Pro and select TVs, after first bringing support to Android smartphones in February 2020. Netflix says that it has improved the video streaming experience, particularly under challenging network conditions, and that it's also happy to see companies announce AV1 decoder chipsets for a wide range of consumer electronics.
Google's new video chip for YouTube supports AV1 encoding
Google has developed a new video chip for YouTube, called Argos, that supports AV1 encoding and it's 20-33x more efficient than previous solutions.
The Alliance for Open Media came out with the royalty-free AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) codec back in 2017 to replace H.264 as the primary codec for online streaming and media consumption. The AV1 codec offers around 30% better compression than the previous VP9 standard without hampering picture quality, and Google has been pushing for wider adoption of the codec ever since.
Google Chrome 90 brings HTTPS as default, support for AV1 encoder, and more
Google Chrome 90 is rolling out in the stable channel with various improvements including HTTPS by default, support for AV1 encoder and more.
Google Chrome 90 is now rolling out on the stable channel. The latest release incorporates many features and improvements that were being previewed in the stable channel, including support for AV1 encoder, forwarding users to HTTPS versions of websites by default and more.
Google Chrome on desktop is shipping an AV1 encoder to improve video conferencing
The latest Chrome 90 beta is adding support for the AV1 enconder, enabling improved video calling experience on low bandwidth connections.
Google Chrome for desktop is receiving an important feature that will boost the video calling experience on super slow internet connections. In the latest Chrome 90 beta, Google is shipping an AV1 encoder, which when used brings improved video quality and significant screen sharing efficiency improvements to WebRTC-based video conferencing apps.
Kodi 19 adds support for AV1 decoding, HDR10, Dolby Vision, tvOS and more
Kodi 19 is finally out and it brings significant improvements to audio and video playback, improved subtitles, and support for Apple’s tvOS.
If you’re into the media server business, you probably don’t need an introduction to Kodi. But if this is the first time you have come across the product, let us enlighten you: Kodi is a popular, open-source media player that makes it possible to access all your digital media, including your movies, music, and TV shows, all in one place, from any device, anywhere. Its plugin system makes it incredibly modular, and there are many, many different addons to try out. The last major update to Kodi came in January 2019. Now, after spending several months in alpha and beta stages, Kodi 19 "Matrix" is finally out as a stable release.
YouTube, Netflix reportedly requiring AV1 decode support for future content
According to Synaptics, YouTube and Netflix will require devices support hardware-accelerated AV1 decode in order to play certain content.
Earlier this month, we reported that Google will require new Android TV devices launching later this year to ship with hardware that supports AV1 decode. While YouTube for Android TV and Netflix for Android already stream certain content encoded in AV1 depending on the device and network settings, it appears that both platforms are poised to require AV1 decode support for future content.
Google reportedly requires new Android TV devices support AV1 video decoding
Google has reportedly required that all new Android TV products launching later this year running Android 10+ support AV1 video decoding.
With there being many different hardware companies making smartphones, tablets, televisions, PCs, and silicon; software companies making apps and operating systems; and media giants making streaming services, it's important for key industry players to agree to support certain video coding formats to ensure the best user experience, minimize network use, and support a wide variety of devices. That's why the Alliance for Open Media created the AV1 video codec. It's designed to efficiently transmit video over the Internet with a minimal impact on quality. The best part is that it's royalty-free so companies don't have to pay any licensing fees, but sadly, its adoption has been rather slow until very recently. AV1's adoption may accelerate in 2021 as Google is reportedly mandating that all new Android TV products support AV1 video decoding.
Google to use AV1 codec to improve bandwidth for Stadia, Photos, Meet, and TV
After deploying AV1 codec support in Chrome, Android, YouTube, and Duo, Google plans to bring AV1 support to Photos, Meet, TV, and Stadia.
The Alliance for Open Media came out with the royalty-free AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) codec back in 2017 to replace H.264 as the primary codec for online streaming and media consumption. The AV1 codec offered around 30% better compression than Google's previous VP9 standard without hampering picture quality. Since its release, the AV1 codec has been adopted by several services and platforms, including Google Chrome, Android, YouTube, Netflix, Vimeo, and Facebook. Recently, Microsoft also announced that it was bringing hardware-based AV1 codec support to Windows 10. Now, in a recent panel discussion at IBC on the codec's commercial readiness, Matt Frost from Google has revealed that the company will soon bring AV1 support to Stadia, Photos, Meet, and TV.
Windows 10 will soon get hardware-based AV1 codec, Spotlight for Desktop
Windows 10 will soon get hardware accelerated AV1 codec that can reach 50% better compression than H.264 and 20% better than VP9. Know more!
Microsoft has officially announced that it is finally bringing hardware-accelerated AV1 video codec to Windows 10 later this year. The AV1 codec offers better compression compared to the existing H.265 codec, and at the same time, it aims to reduce data usage when streaming videos online. The codec was announced by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM), a consortium founded by Microsoft, Google, Mozilla, Cisco, Intel, Netflix, and Amazon. AV1 or the AOMedia Video Codec 1.0 is a royalty-free specification and can be delivered across platforms. It has the potential to deliver 4K UHD video at an average of 30-percent greater compression compared to other codecs.
The H.266/VVC video coding standard has been finalized, promising the same quality at half the size of H.265/HEVC
The H.266/VVC is the video coding standard the succeeds the H.265/HEVC standard, promising the same quality at half the size for 4K and 8K content. Read on!
Video streaming makes up a massive chunk of the total traffic on the internet, with some estimates putting it at a whopping 80% of all internet traffic. With the proliferation of more video consumption devices, democratized videography, and a consistent move up on display resolution, this contribution is still expected to be a very large percentage in the coming years. Video coding standards thus become an important balancing tool in ensuring that video streaming does not choke our internet infrastructure, and nor does it adversely hamper the user experience. Now, Fraunhofer HHI has announced a new video coding standard called the H.266/VVC (Versatile Video Coding) that succeeds the H.265/HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding).
Qualcomm, Samsung, and Huawei back the MPEG-5 EVC video codec for 4K and 8K UHD videos
Qualcomm, Samsung, and Huawei are now backing MPEG-5 EVC, and alternative to HEVC. The codec claims to offer the same quality at a better bitrate.
The HEVC (High Efficiency Video Codec) has been around for quite a while and it offers reduced video file sizes and better quality than other codecs. In the world of smartphones, this becomes especially important. Qualcomm, Samsung, and Huawei are now backing MPEG-5 EVC, an alternative to HEVC.
YouTube for Android TV adopts AV1 video codec in certain devices
YouTube for Android TV is now adding support for the AV1 video codec in certain hardware-supported devices. Check it out!
News about video codecs may not seem particularly exciting to most users, but they can make a huge impact on our media consumption without us even realizing it. That's especially true since we're all stuck at home using the Internet to do online classes, watch TV shows and movies from Netflix, or go down the YouTube rabbit hole. Each of the companies behind your favorite online video service carefully considered which video codec to use to encode their videos to optimize the size without sacrificing heavily on quality or power consumption for the end-user. One video codec that has seen a lot of support from enthusiasts lately is the royalty-free AV1 codec which Google has implemented for some YouTube videos and Google Duo video calls. Now, Google is adding support for watching videos encoded in AV1 in the latest version of the YouTube app for Android TV devices.
MediaTek Dimensity 1000 is the first smartphone SoC to support AV1 hardware decoding
Featuring world’s first hardware AV1 video decoder for smartphones, the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 SoC will support AV1 encoded YouTube videos soon.
Paying attention to a codec while listening to your favorite track or watching a movie on one of the many streaming services out there might not be your cup of tea, unless you discover how a specific codec can indirectly help you save a considerable amount of data while binge-watching Netflix. Yes, we are talking about the royalty-free AV1 codec that is now being used by Google as well in order to improve the quality of the video calls in Google Duo.
Netflix for Android now streams some shows in AV1 to save data
Netflix for Android now support the royalty-free AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) codec for select shows which will help users save mobile data.
The Alliance for Open Media came out with the royalty-free AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) codec all the way back in 2017 in a bid to replace H.264 as the primary codec for online streaming and media consumption. The new codec offered around 30% better compression than Google's previous VP9 standard without hampering the picture quality. The codec made its way over to Google Chrome with the Chrome 70 update back in October 2018, when Google added an AV1 decoder to the browser with MP4 being used as the supported container (ISO-BMFF). Early last year, following the first rollout of Android 10 beta 1, we learned that Google had added support for the AV1 codec on the platform. Soon thereafter, popular video streaming platform Vimeo added support for the royalty-free AV1 codec and now Netflix seems to be following in its footsteps.