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  1. Products
  2. Stream
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  4. AV1 playback (beta)

AV1 playback

Beta

Play live video or live recordings using the AV1 codec.

AV1 is an open, royalty-free video codec that uses 46% less bandwidth than H.264, the most commonly used codec for streaming video. Learn more about AV1 by reading the announcement blog post.

​​ Get started

To play your live video or live recording using AV1, add the ?betaCodecSuggestion=av1 query string to the HLS or DASH manifest URL that is provided to your video player, as shown below:

Example DASH manifest URL, with betaCodecSuggestion=av1 query parameter
https://customer-wi9sckcs7uxt7lh4.cloudflarestream.com/bb2eaea47dd47e87ecde343451b3e8a1/manifest/video.mpd?betaCodecSuggestion=av1

You can find the HLS and DASH manifest URLs for a live stream using the dashboard or the Stream API. For more on how to use HLS and DASH URLs with your video player, read the docs.

Note that while in beta, only live streams or live recordings created after October 1st can be played using AV1.

​​ Example video

The video below is playing using the AV1 codec.

​​ Browser and device support for AV1

  • Chrome (Desktop and Android) supports AV1 playback
  • Firefox (Desktop) supports AV1 playback
  • Safari does not currently support AV1 playback
  • Edge only supports AV1 playback if the AV1 Extension is installed
  • ExoPlayer (Native Android media player) supports AV1 playback
  • AVPlayer (Native iOS media player) does not support AV1 playback

Refer to caniuse for details on supported web browsers and devices.

​​ Limitations while in beta

  • Only live streams and recordings of live streams can be played using AV1, while in beta.
  • The method of requesting an AV1 video using the ?betaCodecSuggestion=av1 query parameter is intended for testing purposes only. You should treat this API as experimental — while in beta, it is subject to change without notice.
  • Only live streams or live recordings created after October 1st can be played using AV1.
  • To playback video using AV1, you must use your own video player. Read the docs on using your own player, or see our examples of using Stream with the most commonly used video players.