MediaTek Dimensity 1000 SoC to feature first ever hardware AV1 video decoder


Recently, AV1 (AOMedia Video 1) is gaining popularity thanks to its royalty-free licensing model and good compression rates for content. However, the codec has largely been absent for streaming content on the smartphone due to the lack of a decoder. That is about to change as the MediaTek’s upcoming Dimensity 1000 5G SoC has an integrated hardware AV1 decoder.

Popular streaming services like Netflix had switched to the AV1 Codec back in February 2020 but there was no clear performance improvement in smartphone due to the lack of SoC support from either Qualcomm or Snapdragon. In the meantime, MediaTek has been working on bringing the AV1 Codec to its products and is now ready to launch it in their Dimensity 5G 1000 SoC.

AV1 is slated to become the Internet Video Codec (NETVC) standard, replacing the VP9 codec, thanks to its 30% more compression efficiency. The Dimensity 5G 1000’s Av1 decoder will enable playback of AV1 video streams up to 4K resolution at 60 fps.

Commenting on bringing the AV1 decoder to smartphones, Dr. Yenchi Lee, Assistant General Manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Business Unit said:

MediaTek is engaged in consistently upgrading its offerings to enhance user experience, and AV1 technology is a prime example. Video is now the most used form of communication, with 70% of Millennials and Gen Z reportedly using streaming services. Industry reports state that the video streaming market is likely to expand at a CAGR of 19.6% and touch $124.57 billion by 2025, and it is one of the principle drivers of 5G services. MediaTek is leading the way in enabling effective video streaming with AV1.