The Verge website recently analyzed the popularity of the AV1 video codec from the AOMedia group, which was first introduced in 2018 and has been around for about 7 years now. Despite the backing of major companies like Netflix, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta in the early stages, AV1 has not gained as much traction as expected. While platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video have been early adopters of AV1, newer streaming services like Max, Peacock, and Paramount+ have shown little interest in using it.
The slow adoption of AV1 can be attributed to hardware factors, as devices have been slow to incorporate AV1 decoding chips. For instance, Apple has only recently added AV1 decoding in the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023, with plans to fully integrate it in the iPhone 16 in 2024. Similarly, streaming devices like Roku have cited cost concerns as a reason for not supporting AV1, despite it being royalty-free.
Another factor is the superior compression capabilities of AV1 compared to previous video formats, resulting in smaller file sizes and faster loading times. However, this comes at the expense of longer encoding times. Competing video codecs like H.266 or VVC from MPEG face similar challenges.
Currently, AV1 accounts for 95% of content on Netflix and 50% of content on YouTube. AOMedia has indicated that AV1 will remain relevant, but development on AV2 has already begun and is expected to be unveiled this year.
TLDR: Despite early support from major companies, the AV1 video codec has not gained widespread adoption due to hardware limitations, with newer services showing little interest. AV1 offers superior compression but requires longer encoding times. Development on AV2 is underway, with AV1 remaining a prominent player in online video streaming.
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