Decoding Netflix's AV1 Streams: 10 Key Insights A deep analysis by Kay Singh reveals how Netflix's use of the AV1 codec is quietly revolutionizing streaming efficiency, delivering significant bandwidth savings, better quality, and a smoother user experience. --- TL;DR - Key Takeaways Up to 55% bandwidth savings on major movies versus older codecs. Peak bitrate spikes often halved during complex action scenes, reducing buffering. 50% more Netflix streaming hours possible on limited mobile data plans. Estimated Netflix savings: around $25 million per year. Caveat: Some animated shows may use slightly more data with AV1. --- The Setup: How the Study Was Done Devices: Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2024) for AV1; 4K (2021) for H.264 & H.265 streams. Tools: Python scripts + Android Debug Bridge (ADB) captured bitrate every 5 seconds. Multiple viewing sessions per title to smooth out network variability. Titles analyzed included live-action and animated: Catch Me If You Can, Minions, Peaky Blinders, Breaking Bad, Bojack Horseman. --- Part 1: Massive Efficiency Gains Finding 1: Headline Bandwidth Savings | Title | Competitor Codec | Avg. Bitrate | AV1 Bitrate | % Saved | |---------------------|------------------|--------------|-------------|---------| | Peaky Blinders | H.264 | 3632 kbps | 1884 kbps | 48.1% | | Minions | H.264 | 4231 kbps | 1907 kbps | 54.9% | | Catch Me If You Can | H.264 | 4271 kbps | 2249 kbps | 47.3% | | Breaking Bad | HEVC | 7369 kbps | 5081 kbps | 24.2% | | Bojack Horseman | HEVC | 1027 kbps | 1096 kbps | −6.7% | Finding 2: Efficiency During Quiet Scenes AV1 aggressively lowers bitrates during static or dialogue-heavy scenes, saving bits to be used elsewhere. For example, Minions shows a 59% lower minimum bitrate compared to H.264. Finding 3: Real Data Savings Catch Me If You Can (141 min): 1.94 GB saved Minions (91 min): 1.48 GB saved Breaking Bad (58 min): 0.93 GB saved Peaky Blinders (59 min): 0.7 GB saved A 10-episode season of Peaky Blinders could save 7 GB—enough for three extra HD movies. --- Part 2: Thriving Under Pressure Finding 4: Better Efficiency in High-Complexity (Action) Scenes Contrary to expectations, AV1 often increases its efficiency during complex scenes: For example, Peaky Blinders shows better savings as scene complexity rises. In Minions action scenes, H.264 bitrate spikes over 10 Mbps, while AV1 remains below 4 Mbps. Finding 5: Peak Bitrate Anomaly The largest bitrate spike recorded was AV1 in Breaking Bad at 22,573 kbps, surpassing HEVC’s 19,428 kbps. This reflects Netflix’s quality-first philosophy prioritizing visual fidelity over data savings. Finding 6: The Breaking Bad Paradox Netflix uses shot-based encoding decisions. For shows with grainy film like Breaking Bad, AV1 spends more bits preserving artistic grain in complex scenes but compensates by aggressively compressing quiet scenes. Finding 7: The Bojack Horseman Mystery AV1 uses slightly more data (about 7%) on this 2D animation to preserve crisp lines and colors, preventing visual artifacts. This tradeoff is intentional for perceptual quality. --- Part 3: User Experience Improvements Finding 8: Reduced Buffering | Title | Competitor Exceeded 10 Mbps (Times) | AV1 Exceeded 10 Mbps (Times) | User Impact | |---------------------|-------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------| | Catch Me If You Can | 16 | 0 | Buffering eliminated | | Peaky Blinders | 9 | 0 | Buffering eliminated | | Bojack Horseman | 0