Qualcomm is Adding AV1 Support, Which Could Be Huge For Online Video

Uptake of the open-video codec AV1 has been slow, with major video providers waiting for broader device support. Things could change over the coming months, as both consumer electronics companies and chipset providers are poised to introduce new hardware with native AV1 decoding capabilities. From a report: Chief among them is Qualcomm, which is planning to add support for AV1 to its upcoming flagship Snapdragon mobile processor, Protocol has learned from a source who has seen spec sheets for the chip. Internally known as SM8550, the chip is expected to be introduced at the end of this year at the earliest, which means we shouldn't expect any phones powered by it until 2023. The chip's Adreno video-processing unit will support native AV1 decode, something that none of Qualcomm's previous chips have offered. That's barring any major changes, with our source cautioning that things could shift before the chip actually enters production.

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