What are the important points to consider when adopting the next generation codec 'AV1' on a video platform?
AV1 , which was developed by Google, Netflix, and others, is a next-generation codec for streaming that can encode 4K image quality with high compression rates. Bitmovin, which develops video encoding tools and players, has summarized the important points to consider when adopting AV1.
Bitmovin's Guide to Adopting AV1 Encoding
RAW videos shot with a camera contain a huge amount of data, so the file size is also very large. In order to save or send video data, it is necessary to convert the RAW video to compress the amount of data. Video data conversion is called 'encoding,' and the software that performs encoding is 'codec.'
The compression rate and image quality of the encoded video vary depending on the type of codec. At the time of writing this article, H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC are the mainstream, but the former is outdated because its specifications were established in 2003, and the latter has a complicated license that makes it difficult to use. Masu.
Therefore, famous companies such as Google, Apple, Mozilla, Microsoft, Netflix, IBM, Meta, Adobe, Arm, Intel, and NVIDIA formed a non-profit organization called 'Alliance for Open Media' to create an open and royalty-free streaming codec. We have developed 'AV1'.
Video codec 'AV1' led by Google and Netflix is officially released, expected to spread 4K streaming - GIGAZINE
AV1 has a higher data compression rate than H.264/AVC, and was developed as a codec that can achieve image quality equivalent to H.265/HEVC and VP9 . However, hardware support for AV1, which was officially released in 2018, has finally started to advance from around 2022 to 2023, and at the time of writing the article, it is spreading quite slowly.
Bitmovin describes the benefits of AV1 as ``delivers superior image quality even at lower bitrates,'' ``reduces buffering and improves the user experience,'' ``can handle 4K and 8K resolutions and has more advanced features,'' and ``long term. From a practical perspective, it can reduce costs.''
On top of that, Bitmovin summarizes the following 5 points that should be emphasized when adopting AV1.
◆1: Determine how AV1 can help your business goals and viewing experience
When introducing a new codec to your platform, it's important to consider your intentions and goals.
'I want to improve quality on mobile devices or in places where bandwidth is limited' 'I want to reduce storage and CDN distribution costs' 'I want to deliver 4K and HDR videos to more viewers' ' QoE (Quality of Experience)' AV1 is suitable if you want to improve the platform and reduce buffering across the platform.
◆2: Consider the project's total cost of ownership (TCO), savings and profit potential
The disadvantage of AV1 is that it is costly due to the computational power and encoding time required for encoding. However, compared to H.264/AVC, it provides significant bandwidth savings and reduces transmission and CDN distribution costs. Therefore, the break-even point is when the decrease in distribution cost exceeds the increase in encoding cost.
The graph below shows the cost when operating H.264/AVC and AV1 simultaneously and the cost when operating only H.264/AVC. The total number of video views (horizontal axis) is just shy of 5000, and the cost of only H.264/AVC exceeds it.
Bitmovin publishes a tool to calculate the cost of AV1 on the following site.
AV1 break-even point calculator » Demo | Bitmovin
Bitmovin says, 'AV1 also helps generate revenue and retain subscribers, and its lower bitrate requirements for HD and 4K content expands the overall market available for high-quality upsell tiers. It also helps reduce rebuffering rates, providing an overall better experience for viewers and reducing subscriber churn.'
◆3: Utilize cloud-based encoding and analysis for quick and risk-free evaluation
AV1 encoding may require paid encoder upgrades or hardware upgrades. Therefore, encoding using the cloud is also possible.
◆4: Accelerate proof of concept with content-aware title-by-title encoding
AV1 is more complex to set up than previous generation codecs and requires engineers who are AV1 compatible. It is important to use a content-compatible encoding service and set up a system that can encode video content to an appropriate bit rate without requiring advanced knowledge or settings. This not only simplifies the process, but also saves on storage costs and makes data more efficiently available for distribution and playback.
◆5: Deploy the most popular content to achieve early ROI
ROI (Return On Investment) is an indicator that shows how much profit you made for the amount invested. Companies that were early adopters of AV1, such as YouTube and Netflix, invested in AV1 encoding environments early on, and encoded popular content exclusively in AV1, resulting in high ROI.
According to a Netflix
Bitmovin says, ``Which codecs provide the most benefit depends on each service provider's goals, business model, and target device, but to provide the best streaming experience, we need more than just H.264/AVC. It is clear that progress is needed. Adding new codecs like AV1 not only improves quality, but also reduces the financial burden that increases as the popularity of codecs increases. Investing in upgrades will pay dividends for years to come.”
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in Software, Web Service, Posted by log1i_yk