Andyross
Yeah, well I like AV1 better:
AV1: An open but debated alternative
As HEVC support confuses users and challenges tech companies, an alternative codec addresses much of the complexity associated with HEVC.
AOMedia Video 1 (AV1) was created as an open, royalty-free video codec by a group of companies called the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), which was tired of dealing with HEVC patent licensing. AV1 launched in 2018 under a royalty-free patent policy, and its reference implementations use a permissive software license. In 2023, AOMedia, whose members include Amazon, Apple, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Samsung, claimed that AV1 is 30 percent more efficient than HEVC.
However:
After AV1’s release, some hardware companies were reluctant to adopt AV1 decoders because the advanced requirements could drive up consumer prices, according to a 2025 report from The Verge. AV1 support would also introduce burdensome and unreasonable complexity and costs to some gadgets, including budget smartphones and Blu-ray players (the former rarely support AV1, and the latter generally do not).
Another complication stems from attempts of companies outside AOMedia to collect licensing fees and royalties from companies that adopt AV1, despite AV1’s royalty-free goals. Firms such as Access and The Sisvel Group argue that AV1 relies on patented coding tools created by companies that aren’t AOMedia members and never agreed to a royalty-free system. …