Qualcomm could support AV1 video codec in next flagship Snapdragon chip

Qualcomm may plan to support the open AV1 video codec in future Snapdragon chips.

According to Protocol (via 9to5Google), Qualcomm plans to add AV1 support to its upcoming flagship processor. Protocol learned the information from a source that saw the spec sheet for the chip, known as ‘SM8550.’ The current Qualcomm flagship, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, is the ‘SM8450,’ so that likely means the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (presumably the name based on Qualcomm’s new naming system) will have AV1 support.

AV1, or ‘AOMedia Video 1,’ is an open, royalty-free coding format designed for transmitting video over the internet. It was developed as a successor to VP9 and boasts significant;y higher data compression than other video codecs, making it ideal for streaming video without losing quality. Plus, the open and royalty-free nature makes it a popular choice.

Google has been a big proponent of AV1 for YouTube and streaming devices, while Netflix has started rolling out AV1 to select devices as well.

Qualcomm has been a hold-out for AV1 support so far. Samsung added AV1 support to its Exynos 2100 chip in 2021 and continued supporting it on this year’s Exynos 2200.

Hopefully, the move to adopt AV1 will help spur more platforms to use it. With the popularity of streaming video, any way to maintain video quality while reducing bandwidth use is a win in my books.

Image credit: Qualcomm

Source: Protocol Via: 9to5Google