AV1
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OBS can now stream high-quality AV1 video to YouTube
You can now stream AV1 video to YouTube using OBS, promising better quality and less bandwidth.
Netflix enables its bandwidth-saving AV1 codec on PS4 Pro and select TVs
Netflix says AV1 delivers better video quality and uses lesser bandwidth than the codecs it's currently using.
Google rolls out Chrome 90, which defaults to HTTPS instead of HTTP
Starting with Chrome 90, Google will automatically try to create an encrypted connection with any websites you visit.
Netflix switches to the AV1 codec for data-saving streams on Android
Way back in 2015 Netflix announced it would team up with Amazon, Google, Intel and other companies to develop a royalty-free codecs that worked well on modern devices. Two years ago they revealed the fruits of their labor as the AV1 codec, that promised not only freedom from licensing payments they wanted to avoid, but also a saving of up to 30 percent on the amount of data used to stream 4K HDR video. Now, Netflix has started using AV1 on a "select" set of titles, and only for users on Android who've enabled the "Save Data" feature.
Firefox offers clearer, more flexible privacy controls
Mozilla has made privacy a focus in Firefox for years, but it knows that only matters if you're actually comfortable using those privacy features. To that end, it's releasing a desktop update that's all about simplifying those controls while simultaneously offering more powerful tools. Firefox 65 includes a reworked Content Blocking section that gives you three options: Standard (blocks known trackers in private sessions), Strict (blocks those trackers in all sessions) and Custom. You can be as hands-off or specific as you like, and you don't have to compromise privacy in the process.
Tech giants are lined up behind the 'royalty-free' 4K codec AV1
Usually, when a new video compression scheme arrives it takes so long before there's a combination of compatible hardware and content that its arrival is anticlimactic. Google, Apple, Netflix, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon and a host of other companies have taken steps to make sure AOMedia Video Codec 1.0 (AV1) moves a bit faster, and for several good reasons. Today they're teaming up to announce the release of a 1.0 specification for AV1, and get the ball rolling on support for video creation, distribution and playback with the new format. With AV1, the group promises it can deliver 4K UHD video using 30 percent less data. That's great for high-res streams and should provide plenty of savings even for those on older hardware -- expect faster video startup time, less buffering and better picture quality.
Apple joins group pushing for efficient mobile video
As streaming video becomes more ubiquitous on all every platform, it's even more important that we get some sort of standard for scalability across devices and bandwidth. The Alliance for Open Media is an open-source project that has engaged a ton of tech heavy hitters to get together and figure out how to create a next-gen video format that can do just that. As noted by CNET, Apple has just joined the Alliance at a founding (board) member tier. Engadget checked archive.org and confirmed Apple's inclusion in the list sometime in the past week. We've reached out to Apple and will update this post if we hear back.
