AV2 has finally been unveiled, and its v1.0.0 specifications are now available . This new video codec has been in development for years and promises to be 30% more efficient than AV1. Basically, with AV2, videos will use less bandwidth without losing quality, or they can be viewed with better quality using the same connection. This applies to any video format, whether SD, HD, 4K, 8K, VR, AR, etc.
AV2 was created by the Alliance for Open Media, which includes giants like Google, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Samsung. Like AV1, it is a theoretically royalty-free codec, although there are always legal complications involved.
AV2 offers up to a 30% improvement in compression.
According to tests (note: conducted by the companies themselves), AV2 compresses more efficiently thanks to larger blocks, smarter partitions, and better predictions. Overall, efficiency is expected to improve by around 30%. That said, it doesn’t use AI yet—something that will likely come later. We also need to see independent tests to confirm everything they promise.
The AV1 codec took a while to take off, but it has been available on most Smart TVs since 2020 and on many streaming devices, such as the Google TV Streamer 4K. Netflix already uses AV1 for 30% of its content, and YouTube adopted it from the start; in contrast, Apple TV, Disney, and HBO Max continue to use HEVC.
The adoption of AV2 could be faster than with AV1, especially since the companies that created it also control chips, TVs, browsers, and streaming platforms. Even so, it will have to compete with HEVC, which remains widely used, and with other codecs like VVC, which is practically negligible at present.
