- Complex modeling is required to judge if devices can handle AV1
- DRENA SOFTWARE DECODIFICATION Batteries, while hardware support remains limited to high -end phones
- Scale AV1 coding adds important energy demands to data centers
The world’s largest platforms are gathering around a new video codec, betting on what clips and transmissions in softest and less hungry data transmissions will be seen.
Google, Meta, YouTube and Vodafone have put their weight behind AV1, a technology that, according to this, can compress video transmissions by approximately 30% compared to the oldest codecs.
The white paper that companies are co -author established a vision of more efficient mobile networks and happier spectators, but under technical promises, the deployment seems very simple.
A new codec with great ambitions
AV1 is not new; It was first published in 2018 for the Alliance for Open Media, but has recently gathered.
Companies say it can offer the same quality to lower or higher quality bits rates at the same bit rate, a combination that seems attractive since the video now represents around 70% to 80% of mobile data traffic.
For operators who face the growing demand, the appeal is clear. Less bits mean less congestion, which in theory allows softer reproduction for customers and savings in infrastructure updates.
For spectators, capture is that AV1 decoding often requires dedicated hardware support, something mostly limited to high -end smartphones today.
While devices such as the iPhone 15 Pro, recent pixels phones and Samsung’s flagship models support AV1 in hardware, medium -level phones often do not.
Software decoders such as open source DAV1d can fill the void, but come with commitments: greater battery drainage, user CPU use and without support for the complete management of digital rights on Premium video.
Even the companies that support AV1 admit that the best experience still depends on the generalized hardware support, which can take years to reach budgetary devices.
Another wrinkle is that guaranteeing good reproduction in lower cost devices often requires a complex modeling of content suppliers.
Platforms should decide whether a specific telephone can handle AV1 in a certain resolution without stuttering or overheating, adding engineering effort layers.
Some chips manufacturers have begun to provide optimized software decoders adjusted for their systems, but consistency remains a problem.
Without a universal reference point, performance is unpredictable, which makes technology more difficult to implement without scale problems.
The benefits of AV1 are real in theory: smaller files, better quality and less tension in mobile networks.
If the adoption accelerates, these main platforms will achieve vast reductions in European traffic, measured in hundreds of petabytes a year.
However, details matter. The AV1 coding at scale consumes large amounts of energy from the data center, which changes the upstream efficiency load.
In the end, AV1 may well become the dominant standard, especially as your successor AV2 looms on the horizon.
For now, although the ambition is clear, the gap between plans and execution means that mobile spectators could not feel the promised benefits for quite some time.
