- Complex modeling is necessary to judge whether the devices can manage AV1
- Software decoding drains batteries while hardware support remains limited to high -end phones
- Large -scale Encoding AV1 adds major energy requests to data centers
The largest platforms in the world come together around a new video codec, betting that it will watch clips and flows on smoother and less eager phones.
Google, Meta, YouTube and Vodafone have all put their weight behind AV1, a technology which, according to her, can compress video flows of around 30% compared to older codecs.
The white paper that co -author companies defines a vision of more effective mobile networks and happier viewers – but under technical promises, the deployment seems far from simple.
A new codec with great ambitions
AV1 is not new; He was published for the first time in 2018 by the Alliance for Open Media, but he did not take momentum recently.
Companies say that it can offer the same quality to lower flowers or a quality higher than the same speed, a combination that seems attractive because the video now represents around 70% to 80% of mobile data traffic.
For operators faced with increasing demand, the call is clear. Less bits mean less congestion, which in theory allows more fluid reading for customers and savings on infrastructure upgrades.
For viewers, the capture is that the AV1 decoding often requires dedicated material support, something which is mainly confined to high -end smartphones today.
While devices such as the iPhone 15 Pro, recent pixel phones and Samsung flagship models support AV1 in the equipment, low and low -level combined often do not do so.
Software decoders like Open-Source DAV1D can fill the void, but they are delivered with compromises: a higher battery discharge, heavier user use and no support for the complete management of digital rights on a premium video.
Even companies that support AV1 admit that the best experience still depends on general material support, which can take years to reach budget aircraft.
Another wrinkle is that the guarantee of good reading on lower cost devices often requires complex modeling by content suppliers.
The platforms must decide whether a given phone can manage AV1 to a certain resolution without stuttering or overheating, adding layers of engineering effort.
Some flea manufacturers have started to provide optimized software decoders set to their systems, but consistency remains a problem.
Without universal reference, performance is unpredictable, which makes technology more difficult to deploy in large scale.
The advantages of AV1 are real in theory: smaller files, better quality and less pressure on mobile networks.
If the adoption is accelerating, these main platforms will reach great reductions in European traffic, measured in hundreds of petacts per year.
However, the details count. AV1 encoding at scale consumes large amounts of energy from the data center, which moves the burden of upstream efficiency.
In the end, AV1 could well become the dominant norm, especially since his successor AV2 is looming on the horizon.
For the moment, although the ambition is clear, the gap between the plans and the execution means that mobile viewers may not feel the advantages promised for a while.
