Netflix has begun rolling out AV1 Film Grain Synthesis (FGS) streams across its catalogue, a move the platform says will allow it to preserve the artistic integrity of film grain while optimising data efficiency.
FGS has been part of the AV1 standard since its inception, but Netflix only enabled it for a limited number of titles during its initial launch of the AV1 codec in 2021.
A key part of the look of classic movies, film grain’s random nature makes it notoriously difficult to compress. Traditional compression algorithms struggle to manage it, often forcing a choice between preserving the grain and reducing file size.
AV1 Film Grain Synthesis tool preserves the artistic integrity of film grain while making the content “easier to compress” by denoising the source video prior to encoding.
The move was announced in a Netflix Technology Blog post, which concluded: “Enabling AV1 Film Grain Synthesis has led to significant bitrate reduction, allowing us to deliver high-quality video with less data while preserving the artistic integrity of film grain.”
To evaluate the impact of AV1 Film Grain Synthesis, Netflix selected approximately 300 titles from its catalogue, each with varying levels of graininess. Netflix reported a 36% reduction in average bitrate for resolutions of 1080p and above when AV1 film grain synthesis is enabled.
For resolutions below 1080p, the reduction in bitrate is relatively small, reaching only a 10% decrease, likely because noise is filtered out during the downscaling process.
 (1).jpg)
Skydance to bundle HBO Max and Paramount+ in $6bn cost-saving plan
Skydance is to offer HBO Max and Paramount+ together as part of a streaming bundle early next year.
Bomb threats disrupt European broadcasters
A series of bomb threats have been sent to broadcasters in Europe, causing evacuations and programming to be suspended.
.jpg)
Fox completes $22bn Roku acquisition
Fox Corp has completed its $22bn acquisition of connected TV platform Roku.
56% say film and TV jobs harm their mental health
The Film and TV Charity’s latest report found that 56% say working in the industry negatively affects their mental health, and only 13% believe the industry is a mentally healthy place to work.
 (1).jpg)
Google bans Android TV streaming partner Videostrong
Google has banned a China-based maker of Android TV streaming boxes that built a backdoor into the firmware and sold access to the infected devices to criminals.
.jpg)
