The AV2 Video Standard Has Released (Final v1.0 Specification)

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

The release of the AV2 video standard promises roughly 20–30% bitrate savings over AV1 and new features like multi‑stream support for VR, live sports, and alpha‑channel compositing, but practical adoption is expected to lag until dedicated hardware decode/encode blocks ship around 2028–2030. Commenters note that software encoding is currently far too slow for real‑time use and that battery‑powered devices will effectively require hardware acceleration, limiting near‑term deployment to large streaming platforms that can afford heavy offline encoding. Alongside performance concerns, there is ongoing anxiety about patent risks—given Dolby’s lawsuit over AV1—and questions about how AV2 will impact related image formats such as AVIF versus emerging contenders like JPEG XL.

Adoption timeline & performance

  • AV2 spec is finalized but current reference encoder is extremely slow (~1 fps on good hardware) and considered unusable for real workloads.
  • Many expect practical hardware-accelerated AV2 chips around 2028, with mainstream streaming adoption closer to 2030–2032.
  • Some argue that, as with AV1, faster software encoders will emerge now that the spec is frozen, but true realtime will still need hardware.

Efficiency gains and codec value

  • Reported gains are roughly 20–30% bitrate savings over AV1.
  • Several commenters question whether this modest improvement is worth a whole new generation, noting original targets were higher (40–50%).
  • Others say the main value is not just compression efficiency but new features.

Features: multi-stream, VR, and video conferencing

  • Multi-stream / scalable video support is highlighted as a major AV2 feature, especially for VR, live sports, and flexible quality layers.
  • Some note similar ideas existed in earlier standards (H.264 MVC/SVC).
  • Debate over software vs hardware encoding for video calls:
    • One side claims AV1 software encoding can be viable at low resolutions/bitrates, even on mobile.
    • Others insist large-scale mobile apps rely on hardware encoding for power and latency reasons; software AV1 would drain batteries quickly.

Hardware acceleration and devices

  • Anything battery-powered is seen as needing hardware decoding/encoding; PCs can tolerate slow software encoding for non-realtime tasks.
  • Use cases for PC hardware encoders: video calls, live streaming, screen recording, game streaming, realtime transcoding, and smoother video export.
  • Some fear AV2 hardware support on PCs may be delayed by chipmaking priorities (AI/NPUs taking silicon budget).

Patents and “royalty-free” concerns

  • AV1 already faces patent lawsuits (e.g., from Dolby); AV2 is expected to attract similar scrutiny.
  • Opinions range from confidence that claims will fail, to worry that late-breaking patent assertions can trap the ecosystem after years of adoption.
  • AV-family codecs are still seen as legally safer than HEVC, which requires negotiating with multiple patent pools and additional holders.

Images (AVIF / JPEG XL)

  • Interest in how AV2 might improve AVIF; AVIF is praised for low-bitrate quality, HDR, transparency, and browser support.
  • Critics say AVIF is poor for lossless and grayscale, with weaker tooling than JPEG XL; many would prefer JPEG XL as a unified still-image format.