AV1

AV1 is the next-generation royalty-free video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media (Google, Apple, Netflix, Amazon, and others). It delivers roughly 50% better compression than H.264 and is the most efficient codec Transcodely supports. Transcodely uses the SVT-AV1 encoder, which offers the best balance of speed and quality among AV1 implementations.

Quick Start

{
  "type": "mp4",
  "video": [
    {
      "codec": "av1",
      "resolution": "1080p",
      "quality": "standard"
    }
  ]
}

AV1Options Reference

Override defaults by passing the av1 object on a video variant:

{
  "codec": "av1",
  "resolution": "1080p",
  "quality": "standard",
  "av1": {
    "preset": 6,
    "crf": 35,
    "film_grain": 8,
    "tile_columns": 2
  }
}

Key Differences from H.264/H.265

AV1 uses numeric values for preset and tune, not strings:

Concept	H.264/H.265	AV1
Speed control	`preset` (string)	`preset` (integer: 3-12)
Optimization target	`tune` (string)	`tune` (integer: 0 or 1)
CRF range	15-35 / 18-35	20-55
Max bitrate	240,000 kbps	100,000 kbps
Film grain	Via `tune: "grain"`	Dedicated `film_grain` parameter (0-50)
Loop filters	Not configurable	`enable_dlf`, `enable_cdef`, `enable_restoration`

Presets

AV1 presets are numeric. Lower values produce better quality at slower speeds.

Preset	Speed	Quality	Allowed
0-2	Extremely slow	Best	Not allowed (impractical for production)
3	Very slow	Excellent	Yes
4	Slow	Very good	Yes (default for premium tier)
5	Below average	Good	Yes
6	Average	Good	Yes (default for standard tier)
7	Above average	Above average	Yes
8	Fast	Average	Yes
9	Faster	Below average	Yes
10	Very fast	Lower	Yes (default for economy tier)
11	Fastest practical	Low	Yes
12	Maximum speed	Lowest	Yes
13	Extreme speed	Very low	Not allowed (quality too low)

Default by quality tier:

Quality Tier	Default Preset	Default CRF
`economy`	10	45
`standard`	6	35
`premium`	4	28

Tune

AV1 uses numeric tune values:

Value	Mode	Description
0	VQ (Visual Quality)	Optimizes for perceptual quality (default, recommended)
1	PSNR	Optimizes for objective metrics (benchmarking, research)

For production content, always use 0 (VQ). The PSNR mode is useful for quality benchmarking but does not produce the best perceptual results.

CRF (Constant Rate Factor)

Allowed range: 20-55. AV1’s CRF scale is different from H.264 — higher values are needed for similar visual quality.

CRF Range	Quality	Use Case
20-25	Near-lossless	Archival, mastering
26-30	High quality	Premium streaming
31-38	Good quality	Standard streaming (default: 35)
39-45	Acceptable	Mobile, previews, economy
46-55	Lower quality	Thumbnails, low-bandwidth

Approximate CRF equivalents:

AV1 CRF	H.264 CRF	Visual Quality
28	18	Near-lossless
35	23	High quality streaming
45	28	Good for mobile

Film Grain Synthesis

AV1 has a built-in film grain synthesis feature that can significantly reduce file size for grainy content. Instead of encoding the grain (which wastes bits), the encoder analyzes the grain pattern, removes it during encoding, and stores parameters that allow the decoder to re-synthesize it during playback.

Parameter	Range	Default	Description
`film_grain`	0-50	0 (disabled)	Grain synthesis strength

Recommended values:

Value	Use Case
0	Clean, digitally-produced content
5-10	Light grain, general footage
15-25	Moderate grain, film-sourced content
30-50	Heavy grain, vintage/noir content

{
  "codec": "av1",
  "resolution": "1080p",
  "quality": "premium",
  "av1": {
    "crf": 30,
    "film_grain": 15
  }
}

Tile Configuration

Like VP9, AV1 supports frame tiling for parallel encoding:

Parameter	Range	Default	Description
`tile_columns`	0-4	Auto	Tile columns (log2 scale: 2 = 4 columns)
`tile_rows`	0-4	Auto	Tile rows (log2 scale: 2 = 4 rows)

Auto-detection selects tile count based on resolution. Override only when you need to tune parallelism.

Loop Filters

AV1 includes three post-processing filters that reduce encoding artifacts. All are enabled by default:

Filter	Parameter	Default	Description
Deblocking (DLF)	`enable_dlf`	`true`	Reduces blocking artifacts at tile/block boundaries
CDEF	`enable_cdef`	`true`	Directional enhancement filter for edge preservation
Loop Restoration	`enable_restoration`	`true`	Final-pass filter for perceptual quality improvement

Disabling filters speeds up encoding and decoding at a quality cost. Only disable if you have specific performance constraints:

{
  "codec": "av1",
  "resolution": "720p",
  "quality": "economy",
  "av1": {
    "preset": 10,
    "enable_cdef": false,
    "enable_restoration": false
  }
}

Other Parameters

Parameter	Range	Default	Description
`bitrate`	100-100,000 kbps	None (CRF mode)	Target bitrate
`max_bitrate`	100-100,000 kbps	None	Maximum bitrate
`keyint`	1-600 frames	250	Maximum keyframe interval

Example: Maximum Compression

{
  "codec": "av1",
  "resolution": "1080p",
  "quality": "premium",
  "av1": {
    "preset": 4,
    "crf": 28,
    "film_grain": 10,
    "tile_columns": 2
  }
}

Example: Fast Web Preview

{
  "codec": "av1",
  "resolution": "480p",
  "quality": "economy",
  "av1": {
    "preset": 10,
    "crf": 45,
    "enable_restoration": false
  }
}

Container Compatibility

AV1 works with: MP4, WebM, MKV, HLS (fMP4 segments), DASH

AV1 does not work with: MOV, TS

#AV1

#Quick Start

#AV1Options Reference

#Key Differences from H.264/H.265

#Presets

#Tune

#CRF (Constant Rate Factor)

#Film Grain Synthesis

#Tile Configuration

#Loop Filters

#Other Parameters

#Example: Maximum Compression

#Example: Fast Web Preview

#Container Compatibility

AV1