Investigating AV1 and VVC: Future Streaming Video

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-- Updated on 08 January 2025 --

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Unassuming heroes of the streaming world are video codecs. These programs either compress (encodes) or decompress (decodes) digital video on hardware or software. To put it another way, these are the technologies enabling us to broadcast high-quality video over the internet without waiting for hours for it to buffer. They operate by cutting the data count in a video file, therefore facilitating hardware storage on computers and internet transfer. Streaming as we know it now cannot be accomplished without video codecs.

Investigating AV1 and VVC: Future Streaming Video

Video codecs have changed dramatically during years. Early on in digital video, MPEG-1 and H.261 were among the codecs employed. Though they were a beginning, these codecs were somewhat basic and lacked the best video quality. Video codecs evolved with technology. More sophisticated codecs with better video quality and more effective compression—like H.262 and MPEG-2—were used. With the release of even more sophisticated codecs like H.264 and MPEG-4, still extensively used today, this tendency persisted. The universe of video codecs is dynamic, nevertheless. Development of new codecs promises substantially improved video quality and more effective compression. Our emphasis today is two of these codecs, AV1 and VVC.

Streaming for several reasons depends on effective video compression. It first lessens the volume of data that must be sent across the internet. This not only speeds streaming but also lessens the bandwidth needed. In places with limited or expensive internet connection especially, this is crucial. Second, effective compression lowers the necessary storage space for video data. For video on demand services—which must retain vast volumes of video material—this is absolutely vital. Effective compression guarantees, thus, even with limited bandwidth, the preservation of video quality. For high-definition and 4K video especially, this is essential for providing a satisfying user experience.

Developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a group of technology firms comprising Google, Mozilla, Cisco, and others—AV1 is a new video codec. AV1 aimed to produce a free to use, extremely efficient, and capable of delivering high-quality video codec. AV1 evolved in reaction to the shortcomings of current codecs, particularly in terms of efficiency and licensing expenses. Officially unveiled in 2018, AV1 has been embraced by several big technological firms and streaming platforms ever since.

AV1’s various technical benefits help to explain why it is a potential codec for streaming going forward. AV1 first provides better compression efficiency than current codecs. It can thus provide the same video quality at a reduced bitrate, or improved quality at the same bitrate. Streaming 4K and 8K video, which consume a lot of data, depends especially on this. Second, AV1 was made to be versatile and scalable. It is fit for a range of applications since it supports a great spectrum of video resolutions and frame rates. AV1 is ultimately an open-source codec, therefore the community can enhance it and it is free to use. This is a big benefit over proprietary codecs, which sometimes have high licencing costs.

Examining More Deeply the Technical Improvements AV1 Brings over Its Predecessors

Entering the field of AV1 requires us to be aware of the technical advances it offers. Designed to replace VP9 and eventually become the Internet Video Codec (NETVC) of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), AV1, or AOMedia Video 1, is a royalty-free video coding system. Developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), a coalition comprising industry behemoths including Google, Mozilla, Cisco, and Netflix among others, this initiative AV1’s main objective is to offer a royalty-free, open-source video coding system better than VP9 and HEVC. By means of various technical improvements—including enhanced compression efficiency, flexible partitioning, and advanced prediction models—AV1 achieves this In the realm of internet video streaming, these developments let AV1 provide premium video material at reduced bitrates, therefore revolutionizing the field.

Industry Support and AV1 Adoption

Let now discuss industry support and adoption rates of AV1. AV1, a rather recent participant in the market, has had rather remarkable acceptance rates. AV1 is now being used for video streaming by big industry participants including Facebook, Netflix, and YouTube. For its AV1 Beta Launch Playlist, YouTube, for example, has been adopting AV1; Netflix has begun streaming some titles in AV1 for its Android smartphone app. Conversely, Facebook has been employing AV1 for video streaming in Facebook Watch and for Messenger video calling. Furthermore expanding hardware support for AV1 are businesses like Intel, AMD, Nvidia, and Microsoft declaring support for AV1 in next products. The great industry support for AV1 is evidence of its ability to transform the video streaming sector.

Problems AV1 Faces

AV1 has difficulties even if its future seems bright. The encoding efficiency of AV1 is among its key shortcomings. AV1 uses much more processing resources to encode video than its successors even if it provides exceptional compression efficiency. This raises questions about AV1’s viability for live video streaming—where encoding speed is essential. Furthermore, even if AV1 is royalty-free, companies implementing AV1 run legal risk due of possible patent claims from third parties. Last but not least, AV1 still faces competition from other video coding systems such HEVC and the forthcoming VVC, which can impede its market adoption notwithstanding the increasing industry support.

Investigating VVC (Versatile Video Coding)

An Introduction to VVC

Now let’s change direction and investigate another interesting video coding system: Versatile Video Coding. Designed by the Joint Video Experts Team (JVET), a joint initiative between the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) and the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), VVC seeks to enhance upon the performance of HEVC, its predecessor. From low-resolution smartphone videos to high-resolution 360-degree videos and all points in between, VVC is built to manage a broad spectrum of video material. VVC’s adaptability makes it a viable codec for virtual reality, broadcasting, and video streaming among other uses.

VVC’s Offering of Improvements

VVC offers significant enhancements over earlier codecs, including HEVC. Its great compression efficiency is among the main developments. Without any compromise in video quality, VVC is meant to offer a 30–50% bitrate drop from HEVC. Several technical advances—including better intra prediction, increased motion compensation, and enhanced transform and quantization—help to accomplish this. These developments enable VVC to produce high-quality video content at reduced bitrates, therefore offering a viable codec for video streaming and other bandwidth-intensive uses.

Scenarios for Market Penetration and Adoption for VVC

Regarding the possible market penetration and acceptance situations for VVC, early days still apply. Still, VVC has the potential to take front stage in the video coding scene with its exceptional compressability efficiency and adaptability. Growing demand for high-quality video content—especially for 4K and 8K video streaming, virtual reality, and 360-degree video—probably will accelerate the acceptance of VVC. But VVC’s complexity and related computing needs as well as possible royalties could complicate adoption of it.

Contrasting VVC with AV1

Comparing VVC with AV1 calls for some careful thought in numerous aspects. Regarding performance, both codecs have better compression efficiency than their forebears. Though at a higher computational complexity, VVC is said to have somewhat greater compression efficiency than AV1. Adoption-wise, AV1 has a head start; several significant industry players already use AV1 for video streaming. But VVC’s adaptability and exceptional compression efficiency can make it a fierce rival to AV1. Regarding support, both codecs have considerable industry backing; tech behemoths like Google, Netflix, and Facebook support AV1, while companies like the ITU-T and ISO/IEC endorsing VVC. AV1’s royalty-free character, however, could provide it an advantage over VVC—which might have to pay royalties.

Effects on Streaming Video Accessibility and Quality

Improving AV1 and VVC Video Quality

Video quality for end users might be much improved by both AV1 and VVC. These codecs can provide excellent video footage at less bitrates by providing better compression efficiency. Users may thus enjoy high-definition video material without requiring fast internet connections. Furthermore, especially for those with slow or unpredictable internet connections, the better compression efficiency of AV1 and VVC can also help to lower buffering and enhance the general user experience.

Enhancing Streaming Availability

Additionally helping to make streaming more worldwide accessible are AV1 and VVC. These codecs can enable consumers in areas with restricted internet access to have access to high-quality video content by lowering the bandwidth needs for video stream. Furthermore, AV1’s royalty-free character helps to remove obstacles to access for content providers, therefore allowing more varied material for streaming. A more inclusive and varied internet video streaming ecosystem can follow from this.

Financial Consequences for Content Creators

Let’s now go through the financial ramifications for content providers of implementing these new codecs. AV1 and VVC have higher computational needs even if they can minimize bandwidth costs by providing premium video material at lower bitrates. Content producers could thus have to make investments in more potent technology to encode video in AV1 or VVC. Furthermore, whereas AV1 is royalty-free, VVC would have to pay possible royalties, therefore raising the expenses for content suppliers. Content providers should thus give much thought to these elements while choosing between AV1 and VVC.

Future Forecasts and Industry Patterns

AV1’s and VVC’s Road Ahead

Looking into the crystal ball of the future, we find a fast changing scene of video codecs. Especially the AV1 and VVC codecs are likely to be quite important in this change. These codecs, which are meant to offer better video quality at reduced bitrates, are projected to become rather common in the next years. Developed by the Alliance for Open Media, the AV1 codec is already creating stir in the sector. For many companies, this open-source, royalty-free codec appeals since it is Particularly among streaming platforms and content providers seeking to deliver high-quality video while optimizing bandwidth use, we estimate that the acceptance of AV1 will keep rising. Conversely, the successor of the extensively used H.265 (HEVC) codec is the VVC (Versatile Video Coding) codec, sometimes known as H.266. Though at half the data rate, VVC promises to be the same quality as HEVC. This might have a big effect on the sector, especially in fields like 4K and 8K streaming where bandwidth is a major issue. Still, these codecs’ future presents certain difficulties. The computational complexity of AV1 is the key obstacle; it can result in longer encoding times. Regarding VVC, licencing and royalties could perhaps prevent its general acceptance. Still, we think these difficulties will be solved as technology develops and the advantages of these codecs show more and more.

Rising Technologies in Video Streaming

Along our path into the future of video streaming, we come across a lot of new technologies that could revolutionize the sector. One of these is 5G technology, which might completely change how we stream video with its low-latency and fast speed qualities. Even at far-off locations or on mobile devices, it could allow more dependable and better quality streaming. Rising immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) also present fascinating possibilities. These technologies could provide viewers a more interesting and participatory experience by taking video streaming to a whole fresh level. They will therefore also provide fresh difficulties for video compression and delivery, which must be resolved. Another technology with great potential influence on video streaming is edge computing. Edge computing can lower latency and raise streaming quality—especially for live video—by processing data nearer to the source. For uses like gaming or real-time sports broadcasting, where low latency is absolutely vital, this may especially help.

AI's Contribution to Video Compression

Deeper exploration of the field of video compression reveals that artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to be rather important. Through increased efficiency and adaptability, artificial intelligence could transform video compression. AI can be applied, for example, to maximize the encoding technique and choose, depending on the content and features of every video, the ideal compression settings. For streaming platforms and content producers, this might mean better-quality video at cheaper bitrates—a major benefit. Moreover, artificial intelligence can help to raise the caliber of compressed video. Even with low bitrates, machine learning techniques allow one to lower artifacts and improve the visual quality of the video. Applications like mobile streaming, where bandwidth is sometimes constrained, could find especially help from this. Still in its early years, artificial intelligence’s application in video compression presents some difficulties to be solved. These cover the need of plenty of training data and the computational complexity of artificial intelligence algorithms. However, we think that as artificial intelligence technology develops it will become ever more crucial for the direction of video compression and streaming.