A new video format can pack the same picture into a smaller file, and it's free to use. On May 28, 2026, the Alliance for Open Media shipped the finished version of AV2, the follow-up to the widely used AV1. AV2 is what's called a codec, basically the rule set that squeezes raw video small enough to stream, then unpacks it for playback. The pitch? Same picture, fewer bits.
AOMedia says AV2 gives you high-quality video at much lower bitrates. Lower bitrate means less data per second, so the same clip eats less data, or looks sharper at the same size. How much better, exactly? Honestly, the release page doesn't put a number on it. A May 2026 paper measured roughly 30 percent better compression, but only under specific test conditions. Real-world gains will vary.
What is actually new
Efficiency aside, AV2 adds things AV1 couldn't do well. It handles the video used in AR and VR headsets, it deals better with screen content like text and app windows, and it can pack several programs into one split-screen stream. The release also ships sample code, the AOMedia Video Model, that developers use to test their own builds against the official spec.
Why you cannot use it yet
Here's the catch. A finished spec is the starting line, not the finish. To actually watch AV2 video, your device needs a decoder that can play it without choking. Phoronix notes that chips with AV2 built in are likely a while off. Such a chip could play the format without hammering your battery. Until those ship, the job falls on the main processor, which is slower and drains more power.
The software side is already moving though. VideoLAN, the team behind the VLC media player, is building a free AV2 decoder called DAV2D that runs on ordinary machines, no special hardware needed. Same playbook as dav1d, the software decoder that helped AV1 spread before hardware caught up.
One more thing matters. AV2 keeps AV1's royalty-free terms, meaning no licensing fees, and that's exactly what won over the streaming and browser giants who back AOMedia. So the standard's done and the sample code is out. Or rather, half a start. Encoders, decoders, and real chips all have to catch up before any AV2 video reaches your screen. Frankly, that could take years. Nobody's named a date.
