Netflix has started streaming the AV1 codec to select TVs and PlayStation 4 Pro in buy mode. The AV1 codec is the industry’s newest video codec licensed under a royalty-free license from the Alliance of Open Media (AOMedia). The codec is supported by a group of technology brands such as Amazon, Apple shoppingmode, Facebook, Google shoppingmode, Intel, Netflix, Microsoft shoppingmode and many more. Netflix is currently rolling out AV1 streaming to a handful of TVs. However, thanks to PS4 Pro support, any TV connected to the game console can stream Netflix content on AV1. Netflix started implementing AV1 video streaming in its Android app in February of last year.
Netflix announced the launch of AV1 playback on TVs via a blog post on November 9. Since AV1 requires more CPU hours to encode, Netflix will initially offer some of its popular titles with the new codec, including Money Heist.
“We have a stream analyzer built into our encoding pipeline that ensures all deployed Netflix AV1 streams are within spec. TVs with an AV1 decoder must also have decoding capabilities that meet the specification requirements to ensure smooth playback of AV1 streams,” Netflix explained in the blog post.
During playback, Netflix said it saw a 2% reduction in playback lag with AV1 streaming. Additionally, on select TVs, noticeable drops in streaming quality have been reduced by up to 38%.
As mentioned, Netflix has started streaming movies and shows encoded in the AV1 codec to compatible TVs, as well as TVs connected to the PS4 Pro. AV1 streams require a TV device with an AV1 decoder that meets the requirements of the specification. . Netflix said it was working with third-party partners to enable more devices for AV1 streaming. However, the streaming platform has not yet revealed the details about the supported devices.
According to a report by The Verge, select 2020 Samsung UHD Smart TVs with Buy Mode, select 2020 Samsung UHD QLED Smart TVs with Buy Mode, and select 2020 Samsung 8K QLED Smart TVs that will support the AV1 codec on Netflix. The list includes Samsung The Frame 2020 smart TVs, The Serif 2020 smart TVs, and The Terrace 2020 smart TVs. According to the report, some Amazon Fire TV devices running Fire OS 7 and above and limited Android TV devices running Android OS 10 and above will also offer support AV1 transmission.
In February of last year, Netflix began streaming AV1-encoded content through its Android mobile app, replacing the VP9 codec. It was initially released only for certain titles.
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