AOMedia AV2 encoder receives 1.0.0 release

AV2, AV1’s successor, has received its first encoder, but it’s unoptimised

Users on the AV1 Subreddit (via Videocardz) have spotted the 1.0.0 release of the AOMedia AV2 encoder. AV2 is the successor to the AV1 video codec, a new royalty-free codec that aims to deliver improved compression efficiency for video streaming, broadcasting, and other tasks.

Last year, it was revealed that AV2 was around 30% more efficient than AV1. That means that AV2 files are much smaller and require less bandwidth, or a lower bitrate, than AV1 files. Alternatively, AV2 can be used to boost image quality while using the same bandwidth and bitrates as today’s video streams.

While AOMedia has not publicly announced this release, GitHub makes it clear that the first version of their AV2 encoder is now available. AOMedia’s website still lists AV2 as a draft specification. Perhaps they want to unveil AV2 officially at Computex 2026.

(Screenshot from GitHub)

This is just the beginning for AV2

This AV2 encoder release is a starting point. It will be a while before we see AV2 hardware acceleration and optimised encoders for the standard. This release is the start of a journey towards AV2 adoption. Don’t expect to see AV2 support on any mainstream devices anytime soon, or streaming services adopting the standard in the near future. That said, in time, the standard may become commonplace.

Overall, AV2 appears to deliver solid improvements over AV1. That said, this does not guarantee widespread adoption. After all, many streaming services still use legacy codecs to ensure compatibility with older devices. While AV1 is becoming increasingly mainstream, its use is far from universal.

You can join the discussion on the AV2 codec reaching 1.0 status on the OC3D Forums.