The AV1 codec is the promise of higher quality streaming not only of computer games, but of any video content. We explain its strengths and slow expansion.
Most live streaming today maxes out at Full HD and 60fps, which sounds like it’s from the last decade. However, focusing only on these two values would be misleading, because the quality of the image is also determined by the data stream and the codec. When using the same codec, you have to increase the data rate along with the resolution, otherwise you will not achieve the desired quality.
For streaming, the primary limiting factor is data flow, as an intermediary service like Twitch or YouTube has to handle the huge amount of such streams and send them to millions of viewers at the same time. There may also be upload speed limitations on the user side. For example, Twitch limits the maximum data flow to 8,500 kb/s and simply won’t let you go above that.
The AV1 codec was created by the Alliance for Open Media, which is trying to untangle itself from the confusing patent situation surrounding the HEVC codec
One solution would be to improve the servers and increase this value, but for streaming platforms it would be a high investment and possibly unsustainable operating costs. A better solution is to make the image quality more efficient while maintaining the same data throughput. That’s what codecs are for, and a big advance is the AV1 codec.
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2023-05-12 14:45:09
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