Deployed gradually on our devices and on major streaming platforms, the AV1 codec is now coming to Safari, but first via a beta. Apple would thus begin to catch up on this ground.
After YouTube, Netflix, the latest graphics cards from Intel (and its new entry-level processors), but also those from Nvidia and AMD, and potentially Android 14, the free AV1 codec is also preparing to settle down on Safari. We actually learn from VideoCardz that Apple has added the deployment of the AV1 codec to the list of new features brought to its browser through the Safari 16.4 beta.
As the specialized site points out, this could be a first signal suggesting a wider adoption of the AV1 by Apple. Good news in perspective as the firm has lately accumulated a certain delay against its competitors on this point.
AV1 supported by upcoming Apple Silicon chips?
And for good reason, Apple has not seen fit to add the hardware acceleration of the AV1 codec to its latest M1 and M2 chips. A shortcoming that could make them seriously lacking in the future, at least with some users. As a reminder, this free codec is intended to replace the very popular (but paying) H.264 and H.265. Apple is part of the Alliance for Open Media consortium that pushes the AV1 codec alongside other tech giants.
The arrival of support for AV1 in Safari 16.4, and on WebRTC hardware decoding, could nevertheless be a harbinger of a start of catch-up at Apple. At this stage, the firm would nevertheless be content to prepare the ground for later, since none of its devices will immediately be able to take advantage of it.
It remains to be seen which Apple products could exploit the AV1 codec in the future. As it stands, the future A17 and M3 chips all seem to be designated, but nothing yet allows us to confirm this at this stage. The idea would be anyway to offer (finally) encoding and decoding of AV1, with hardware acceleration… in the manner of what the latest generation GPUs launched in recent months by Intel, AMD are already offering. and Nvidia.
Want to join a community of enthusiasts? Our Discord welcomes you, it’s a place of mutual aid and passion around tech.