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YouTube plans to introduce a new AV2 video codec that should improve picture quality while reducing data usage. The first content using this technology could appear in early 2027. However, full support on TVs will have to wait.
AV2 is intended to deliver better picture quality and reduced data usage
AV2 is the successor to the AV1 codec, developed by the Alliance for Open Media, an organisation whose members include Google, Apple, Samsung and Netflix. The new standard offers around 30% more efficient compression, allowing better picture quality at the same bitrate or similar quality with lower data usage.
The codec also brings improvements in HDR support, high refresh rates and multi-view streaming, useful for example during sporting events.
When will AV2 reach TVs?
YouTube plans to begin rolling out AV2 in web browsers in the first quarter of 2027. Initially, decoding will be handled in software.
For TVs, the situation is more complicated. Current models do not offer hardware decoding for AV2, so a broader rollout of the new standard in Smart TVs will likely take a few years.
Sources: Alliance for Open Media, FlatpanelsHD, HDTVTest
