- Complex modeling is required to judge if devices can handle AV1
- Software decoding of drainage batteries while hardware support remains limited to advanced phones
- Coding AV1 in scale adds large energy needs to data centers
The world’s largest platforms are gathering around a new Video Code that is aiming for it to watch clips and streams on phones smoother and less data-hungry.
Google, Meta, YouTube and Vodafone have all put their weight behind AV1, a technology that they claim can compress video streams with approx. 30% compared to older codecs.
The White Paper, which the companies co -author, show a vision of more effective mobile networks and happier viewers – yet under the technical promises, the rollout sees far from straightforward.
A new codec with great ambitions
AV1 is not new; It was only published in 2018 by Alliance for Open Media, but it has only gathered momentum recently.
Companies say it can deliver the same quality at lower bites or higher quality at the same bitrate, a combination that looks appealing as video now makes up about 70% to 80% of mobile data traffic.
For operators facing rising demand, the appeal is clear. Fewer bits mean less overload, which in theory allows smoother playback for customers and savings on infrastructure upgrades.
For viewers, the catch is that decoding AV1 smooth often requires dedicated hardware support, something mostly limited to advanced smartphones today.
While devices like iPhone 15 Pro, recent Pixel phones and flagship Samsung models support AV1 in hardware, mid and low level handsets often don’t.
Software decoders such as Open Source DAV1D can fill in the gap, but they come with compromises: Higher battery drain, heavier CPU use and no support for full digital rights management on premium video.
Even the companies that support AV1 admit that the best experience still depends on widespread hardware support, which can take years to reach budget decorations.
Another wrinkle is that ensuring good playback on devices for lower costs often requires complex modeling of content providers.
Platforms must decide whether a given phone can handle AV1 in a particular resolution without steming or overheating, adding layers of technical effort.
Some chipmakers have begun to provide optimized software -decoders set to their systems, but the consistency is still a problem.
Without a universal benchmark, performance is unpredictable, making the technology more difficult to implement smooth in scale.
The benefits of AV1 are real in theory: smaller files, better quality and less load on mobile networks.
If adoption accelerates, these top platforms will achieve huge reductions in European traffic, measured in hundreds of petabytes per year.
Still, the details mean something. Coding AV1 in scale consumes large amounts of data center energy, which changes the efficiency burden upstream.
Ultimately, AV1 may well become the dominant standard, especially as its successor AV2 is witnessed on the horizon.
For the time being, although the ambition is clear, the gap between plans and execution means that mobile viewers may not feel the promised benefits for quite a long time.
