Google is pushing Android TV hardware-makers to adopt the AV1 codec in 2021

AOMedia Video 1, or AV1, is a fast-emerging codec rated to boost compression efficiency by 20% and 50% compared to its better-known couterparts VP9 and H.264 respectively. Therefore, it might allow playback at higher resolutions and smaller file-sizes. This has led to its recent incorporation by Netflix to stream in low-data mode and by YouTube to switch to it in some Android TV devices.

Besides all of AV1's potential benefits, it is also royalty-free. This may be why Google has taken to it so much as of late, pledging to make it the codec of choice across its whole ecosystem of apps and services. According to Android TV Guide, it has also recently mandated that AV1 decoding be available on all Android 10 TV devices to come - so long as it has the chipset to support it, obviously.

There are a few of these SoCs around already, including the MediaTek MT9602 found in the Motorola Revou. FlatPanelsHD has also reported that Sony intends to comply with this requirement of Google's. As AV1 is also now supported by the Intel Xe, AMD RX 6000- and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3000-series platforms, this does just seem to be the next domino to fall for the relatively new codec.