A fortnight after cruising back onto our radar with a new mobile gaming system-on-chip (SoC), Taiwan’s MediaTek has inked an intriguing collaboration with Chinese over-the-top video platform iQiyi to deliver AV1-compressed content over 5G networks, specifically with UHD content in mind.
A US-backed video codec being embraced for the first time by one of China’s largest video streaming services, for delivery over some of the world’s most advanced (and secretive) wireless network technology, is a colossal moment for the industry.
iQiyi started adding content supporting AV1 to its catalog around four weeks ago, based on its own enhanced encoder called QAV1. iQiyi’s proprietary encoder has reportedly taken AV1 technology and ran with it – reducing computational complexity and increasing AV1’s application efficiency. Presumably, enhanced efficiency and power computational resources means QAV1 is less power intensive than AV1, which is one of the codec’s biggest drawbacks.
iQiyi has clearly been inspired by streaming titans like Netflix, which has reported 20% compression efficiency gains over VP9 by replacing it with AV1, although it is worth remembering that AV1 decoding is 30% more complex than VP9 or AVC. Netflix then added AV1 support on Android smartphones via a new Data Saving feature in February, to really get the ball rolling.
Using MediaTek’s 1000 5G SoC, iQiyi wants to build a lead in 4K and even 8K content in China, delivered to 5G intelligent terminal products running the MediaTek Dimensity 1000 series, which has become the first smartphone SoC to integrate an AV1 hardware video decoder. This is capable of streaming AV1 video at up to 4K resolution at 60fps, with 8K on the horizon.
This is also interesting as MediaTek is among the original developers of HEVC, which was finalized in 2013 along with technology giants Huawei, Microsoft, SK Telecom, Samsung, Qualcomm, LG, and a few others. So, to put weight behind AV1 could be considered counter-intuitive.
However, MediaTek is one such company to reveal very little of its patent portfolios – providing only a small portion to patent pools. We should also remember that Tencent, another Chinese technology giant, joined AOMedia at board level last year, so signs of Chinese interest in the AV1 codec have been plain to see for a while now.
Significantly, iQiyi’s acceptance of AV1 into its ecosystem could be considered an olive branch between the US and China trade wars. Indeed, it was only in November 2019 when iQiyi appeared to displace Irdeto with its own in-house watermarking technology to avoid dependence on foreign IP (Intellectual Property), which was interpreted as collateral in the escalating US-China trade wars, despite Irdeto being founded in the Netherlands and is now owned by South African entertainment company MultiChoice.
As we reported a couple of weeks back, MediaTek’s new Dimensity 1000+ is based on the Dimensity 1000 and is aiming to steal customers from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon offerings. It comes as the Taiwanese firm has been relegated to the mid-tier smartphone models for some time, but this SoC is aiming to compete with Qualcomm’s more expensive offerings. Both designs make a big deal about their gaming prowess, and are most likely to find use in phones built for the Chinese market – due to its higher 5G readiness and the greater popularity of mobile gaming in the country.
Between 2011 and 2019, iQiyi’s content investments increased by 152%, while content investments at the top broadcasters grew just 21% in the same timeframe, according to Ampere Analysis data. This willingness by iQiyi to invest in future OTT video content and leave broadcasters in the dust is again emphasized by this week’s AV1-driven collaboration with MediaTek.