Katarzyna Petru
The Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) is preparing to launch its next video codec. According to FlatpanelsHD, AV2 is expected to be released before the end of 2025 and will be a direct successor to AV1, which has been functioning as a free alternative to HEVC for several years.
The successor to AV1 and an alternative to HEVC
The new solution is expected to provide significantly better compression than AV1, which in practice means smaller files while maintaining high image quality. The organisation emphasises that AV2 has been designed with the growing demands of streaming in mind – from classic 4K and HDR to more demanding applications such as VR video or simultaneous display of multiple streams on one screen.
When will we see the first devices with AV2?
So far, we have not yet learned about specific performance indicators for 4K and 8K content, but according to announcements, AV2 is set to compete with the VVC codec, which is evolving as the successor to HEVC. In terms of deployment pace, AOMedia predicts that more than half of the companies involved in the alliance will implement AV2 within the first 12 months of its release, and within two years, this rate is expected to rise to 88%.
In practice, the success will depend on how quickly AV2 reaches devices – televisions, multimedia players, computers, or smartphones. The list of AOMedia members includes industry giants such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Samsung, Microsoft, and LG, so the potential for rapid popularisation is enormous.
Source: Flatpanelshd.com
