HandBrake video transcoder provides official AV1 codec help in newest launch

Hardware and software program help for the royalty-free AV1 video codec has been steadily constructing during the last couple years. Hardware-accelerated encoding and decoding is changing into customary in additional GPUs, cellphone SoCs, and different {hardware}, whereas streaming video companies like YouTube and Netflix have begun serving AV1-encoded video to gadgets that help it.

Open-source software program tasks are starting to observe swimsuit, too. The Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) bundle has been increasing its AV1 capabilities in current releases, and now the HandBrake video transcoding app has added AV1 help as nicely. Version 1.6.0, launched yesterday, has added help for encoding AV1 video utilizing each CPU-based SVT-AV1 software program encoding in addition to through Intel’s AV1-capable QuickSync video encoder included in its Arc GPUs.

Nvidia and AMD’s newest RTX 4000- and RX 7000-series GPUs additionally embrace {hardware} encoding help for AV1, however the software program wanted to make use of it hasn’t been constructed into HandBrake but.

AV1 is an open-source video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media, a gaggle that features heavy business hitters like Google, Netflix, Amazon, Intel, and Microsoft. Like the H.265/HEVC codec, AV1 allows far more environment friendly video compression than the outdated H.264 codec, permitting for streaming of 4K and HDR video with out requiring an enormous enhance in bandwidth relative to 1080p video. Unlike HEVC, help for the AV1 codec may be added to absolutely anything with out paying royalties.

HEVC’s principal profit over AV1 as of this writing is that it enjoys a lot wider help than AV1 throughout many generations of {hardware} from most main producers. Roku helps AV1 decoding in a few of its higher-end streaming gadgets, however allegedly pushed again towards Google when the corporate tried to drive Roku to help AV1 decoding throughout its complete lineup. Apple’s AV1 plans are additionally murky—the corporate is a member of the AOMedia group and a few rudimentary AV1 help has appeared in its developer documentation just lately, however hardware-accelerated AV1 decoding and encoding both is not supported or hasn’t been enabled in its most up-to-date Apple Silicon chips.