Having tried AV1, I found that it was worse than h265 for what I use it for: high quality movie encodes.
It doesn’t preserve grain well, and if struggles with maintaining quality in low light scenes.
On top of all of this it tends to be more CPU intensive than h265.
For this testing, I used Handbrakes CPU encoder.
I realise that this is maybe not what AV1 is intended for. It’s probably best suited to making low bitrate streams more tolerable. Maybe AV2 will be better 🤷
interesting, when reading this article a while back, it sounded like av1 was pretty good at preserving grain, the best even.
am wondering whether it comes down to the settings used.
yooo, this is so amazing!!
Can’t wait to tryout AV2, I’m not sure there’s an usable encoder yet but I am real excited!
FOSS & royalty free for the win 🔥
(I sound like an AI bot but I’m really just excited 🥲)
So what makes av2 better than av1
AV2 vs AV1: What the Next-Gen Video Codec Brings to the Table
Or older article but more comprehensive : AV1 vs AV2 Video Codec: 7 Key Differences You Need to Know. It’s key takeaways :
AV2 delivers 30% better compression efficiency than AV1, which already compresses 30% better than HEVC (H.265).
AV2 encoding demands 2-3 times more computational power than AV1, requiring advanced hardware like RTX 5090 for practical use.
AV2 will officially release by end of 2025, with widespread hardware support expected around 2027 or later.
AV2 introduces advanced features like split-screen delivery, enhanced AR/VR support, and dynamic bitrate switching for adaptive streaming.
88% of AOMedia members plan to implement AV2 within two years, despite infrastructure and hardware compatibility challenges.
Ah but split screen delivery may mean plex content on an Apple Vision Pro or something VR related right?
AV2, a generation leap in open video coding and the answer to the world’s growing streaming demands, delivers significantly better compression performance than AV1. AV2 provides enhanced support for AR/VR applications, split-screen delivery of multiple programs, improved handling of screen content, and an ability to operate over a wider visual quality range. AV2 marks a milestone on the path to an open, innovative future of media experiences.
How do you know you’re not an LLM? Can you prove it?
Solipsism FTW.





