AV1 Codec Explained: How Netflix Uses It and How to Play It
Summary: AV1 is an open, royalty-free codec finalized in 2018 and now used for roughly 30% of Netflix's streaming volume. This guide covers how Netflix rolled out AV1, which hardware can decode it natively, and three methods for playing AV1 content on Windows, including the AV1 Video Extension, a dedicated stream player, and H.264 conversion.
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Netflix now routes roughly 30 percent of its streams through the AV1 codec, a compression standard that became the backbone of modern video streaming long before most viewers noticed it. The shift started with Android in 2022, expanded to smart TVs in late 2023, and has since reached the point where AV1 accounts for nearly a third of everything Netflix delivers globally.
Whether that translates to crisper picture or stuttering playback depends almost entirely on whether your hardware can decode AV1. I mapped out the current state of device support, tested the main playback options on Windows, and tracked down where the AV1 codec and Netflix's delivery stack actually stand heading into 2026.
What Is the AV1 Codec?
AV1 is an open video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM) and finalized in 2018. The founding members of AOM include Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, and Netflix, each with a direct interest in replacing licensed codecs like H.264 and HEVC with a standard they could deploy without per-device royalty fees.
The compression gains are substantial. AV1 delivers roughly the same visual quality as H.264 at 30 to 50 percent lower bitrate. For a streaming platform serving billions of hours of content each month, that efficiency translates directly into lower bandwidth costs and noticeably better quality on constrained connections.
AV1's royalty-free status has recently come under legal pressure. In March 2026, Dolby sued Snapchat over AV1 usage, arguing that AOM's royalty-free designation does not override its own patent claims. The case is ongoing. For individual viewers, the dispute has no practical impact on playback. For hardware and software developers shipping AV1 implementations, the legal picture is less settled than the "royalty-free" label has historically implied.
A successor codec, AV2, is already in development by AOM. Netflix has publicly stated it is evaluating AV2 for future deployment, though AV1 is expected to remain the dominant streaming codec for at least several more years.
AV1 on Netflix: Where Things Stand in 2026
Netflix began streaming AV1-encoded content on Android in 2022. On November 9, 2023, the company announced AV1 support for TV devices, marking a significant expansion beyond mobile. AV1 now powers approximately 30 percent of Netflix's total streaming volume, with the company already evaluating its next-generation successor.
What Netflix's Internal Testing Showed
Before the broader rollout, Netflix ran A/B testing on thousands of titles, randomly assigning members to either the previous codec or AV1 streams. The results showed consistent improvements across four areas:
- Higher VMAF scores (a perceptual video quality metric used across the industry)
- Enhanced effective resolution at the same bitrate
- Fewer mid-stream quality drops during playback
- Faster stream start times
The gains were most pronounced on bandwidth-constrained connections, where AV1's compression efficiency has the most room to outperform older codecs. On fast connections, the difference is less visible but still measurable at the bitrate level.
Which Devices Receive AV1 Streams from Netflix
Netflix only serves AV1 streams to devices it has verified can decode them. AV1 delivery is currently available on Android phones and tablets, most smart TVs manufactured from 2020 onward, recent streaming sticks and game consoles with AV1 hardware support, and PC browsers on systems with AV1-capable GPUs.
Devices without AV1 decoding, including the Nvidia Shield Pro, receive VP9 or H.264 streams instead. Netflix does not expose which codec a given session is using through its standard interface, though browser developer tools and some third-party monitoring apps can surface this information.
How to Play AV1 Content: Know Your Device First
Playback quality depends heavily on whether your hardware can decode AV1 natively. Hardware decoding offloads the work to your GPU or a dedicated media chip, keeping CPU usage low and enabling smooth playback at higher resolutions. Software decoding handles it on the CPU, which can cause dropped frames or thermal throttling on older machines during 4K AV1 content.
AV1 hardware decoding is available on the following generations:
- NVIDIA: RTX 30 series (Ampere, 2020) and newer
- AMD: RX 6000 series (RDNA2, 2020) and newer
- Intel: 12th generation processors (Alder Lake, 2021) and newer, including integrated graphics
- Apple Silicon: M1 (2020) and later
Systems predating these generations fall back to software decoding. Playing 1080p AV1 locally is manageable on most modern mid-range CPUs, but 4K AV1 without hardware support will stutter on the majority of machines.
Method 1: Install the AV1 Video Extension on Windows
For playing local AV1 video files on Windows 10 or Windows 11, Microsoft's AV1 Video Extension adds codec support to the built-in media apps. Installation takes under a minute.
- Open the Microsoft Store from the Start menu.
- Search for AV1 Video Extension.
- Click Get to install.
Once installed, Windows Media Player and the Movies & TV app can open containers such as MKV and MP4 with AV1-encoded video. This extension covers local file playback only. Netflix and other streaming platforms run through the browser or a dedicated client, not the Windows codec layer.
Method 2: Use a Dedicated Stream Player for Netflix and Other Platforms
Watching Netflix in a browser on Windows works, but it carries a structural limitation: most browsers cap Netflix resolution at 1080p, and streaming decode runs in software unless your system meets specific hardware DRM requirements. A dedicated streaming client handles both the DRM layer and the decode workload differently.
PlayerFab Stream Player is a standalone Windows client for Netflix and 14 other streaming platforms including Amazon Prime Video and Tubi. It routes playback through GPU hardware decoding on Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD hardware, which keeps CPU load lower than browser-based streaming — a practical advantage when playing back high-efficiency encoded content in real time.
Key features:
- Access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, and 12 other streaming services from one interface
- GPU hardware decoding via Intel, NVIDIA, and AMD
- Full HD 1080p playback with EAC3 5.1 audio support
- Auto-skip intros and bypass of pre-roll ads on supported platforms
- Adjustable playback speed and per-platform default subtitle and audio settings
Worth noting:
- 4K Netflix on PC is a platform-level restriction that applies regardless of which player you use
- No macOS or Linux version is available
Conclusion
AV1 is no longer a codec on the horizon. It runs on roughly a third of Netflix's streams today, and most hardware released since 2020 can decode it natively without any setup. The gap between AV1-ready and not yet is closing quickly on both the streaming and local playback sides.
If your goal is watching Netflix with lower CPU overhead on Windows, a dedicated stream player with GPU hardware decoding makes a practical difference over browser-based playback. If you are working with local AV1 files, the Windows AV1 Video Extension covers the majority of use cases with minimal setup. For content that needs to reach older devices, conversion to H.264 remains the straightforward fallback.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much bandwidth does AV1 save compared to H.264?
AV1 typically delivers the same perceptual video quality as H.264 at 30 to 50 percent lower bitrate, depending on content type and encoding settings. For a one-hour 1080p stream, that difference can represent several hundred megabytes. Netflix's internal A/B testing found measurable gains in VMAF scores and fewer quality drops when switching from its previous codec to AV1 at equivalent bitrates.
Does AV1 being "royalty-free" mean it is legally safe to use?
AOM's royalty-free designation means the founding members, including Google, Apple, Netflix, and Microsoft, have pledged not to enforce their own relevant patents against AV1 users. However, Dolby sued Snapchat alleging AV1 infringes patents outside AOM's pledge. For individual viewers, this has no practical impact. For developers shipping AV1 encoders or hardware, the legal status is less settled than the royalty-free label has historically suggested.
Will Netflix switch from AV1 to AV2 soon?
Not in the near term. AV1 currently powers around 30 percent of Netflix's total streaming volume, and the rollout to remaining device categories is still ongoing. Netflix has stated it is evaluating AV2, but AV2 encoding is significantly more compute-intensive than AV1, and broad device support is years away. AV1 will remain Netflix's primary high-efficiency codec for the foreseeable future.
