It turns out that about 30% of Netflix streaming viewing is done using the codec 'AV1' that it developed itself

Netflix, a major video streaming service, reported in a blog post that approximately 30% of streaming content viewing time is done using the open, royalty-free video compression codec '

https://netflixtechblog.com/av1-now-powering-30-of-netflix-streaming-02f592242d80

RAW video shot with a camera has a very large file size, so in order to save or transmit the video data, it must be converted to compress the RAW video data. The video data conversion is called 'encoding,' and the software used for encoding is called a 'codec.'

Since entering the streaming business in 2007, Netflix has primarily used H.264 as its streaming codec, but it quickly realized that modern open codecs could benefit not only Netflix but the entire multimedia industry.

In 2015, Netflix, along with other industry leaders such as Google and Amazon, founded the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) , a non-profit organization dedicated to developing open, royalty-free codecs for streaming. The organization promoted the development of AV1 as the next-generation compression codec, which was officially released in 2018.

Google and Netflix's video codec 'AV1' officially released, expected to popularize 4K streaming - GIGAZINE

We launched AV1 support on Android in February 2020, and its success demonstrated the value of AV1 for Netflix streaming. We then worked closely with smart TV manufacturers and SoC vendors to certify these devices, ensuring compatibility and performance. AV1 streaming to TV devices became available in the second half of 2021.

In addition, AV1 streaming will be expanded to web browsers in 2022, and in 2023, AV1 hardware support will be introduced in Apple's M3 and A17 Pro chips, bringing support to Apple devices as well.

As more devices with AV1 hardware support ship, the number of Netflix users benefiting from AV1 is steadily increasing. At the time of writing, AV1 accounts for approximately 30% of Netflix streams, making it the second most used codec and likely on track to become number one.

Regarding the benefits of adopting AV1, Netflix stated, 'AV1's superior compression efficiency allows us to deliver these experiences using less data, making high-quality streaming more accessible and reliable.' 'Netflix streaming accounts for a significant portion of the world's internet traffic. AV1 is a more efficient codec, resulting in smaller streams and better picture quality. Moving the majority of our streaming to AV1 will reduce internet bandwidth consumption and ease the strain on Netflix and our partners' systems and networks.'

Netflix has outlined the path of AV1 development from start to finish in the infographic below.

This news has also become a hot topic on the social news site Hacker News.

AV1 – Now Powering 30% of Netflix Streaming | Hacker News
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46155135