YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube’s existing video format. That doesn’t guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
Think of a video codec as a way to pack a video into a smaller digital box without making it look noticeably worse. Better compression means the service can deliver similar picture quality using less data, or improve picture quality without increasing the amount of data being sent. That’s the promise of AV2, the next-generation, royalty-free video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media, whose members include Google, Apple, Amazon, Intel, and Netflix.
For viewers, the potential benefits are pretty straightforward. Videos could look sharper at the same data rate, while users with slower connections might get smoother playback and fewer interruptions. It could also help make higher-quality video and HDR streaming more efficient. YouTube says AV2 will unlock new multi-video capabilities, which could eventually enable experiences such as watching multiple camera angles at once. The exact features viewers will get, however, haven’t been announced.
YouTube says AV2 streams should arrive on the web as early as 2027, with no confirmed rollout date yet for its mobile apps or smart TVs. Google has demonstrated AV2 playback in Chrome, but wider adoption will depend on software and hardware support. Many existing devices lack dedicated AV2 decoding hardware, which could make playback more demanding for their processors.
There’s another important distinction: AV2 won’t magically make a slow internet connection fast, nor will it guarantee a 30% reduction in data use for every video. The actual savings will depend on the content, quality settings, and how YouTube encodes each stream. Still, if AV2 delivers on its promise, viewers could eventually get more video for the same data allowance. And that’s a much nicer upgrade than another button nobody asked for.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.
Artificial intelligence has already changed people's lives, both at home and at work, but what happens when people start treating AI as a replacement for their loved ones? Filmmaker Taika Waititi explores this terrifying idea with his new sci-fi movie, Klara and the Sun. Based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, the film follows Klara, a solar-powered "Artificial Friend" played by Jenna Ortega, as she bonds with Josie, a sick teenager.
Klara and the Sun paints an unusual, unsettling portrait of a world with AI. Essentially The Wizard of Oz meets Blade Runner, Waititi's dystopian film is filled with his brand of vibrant visuals and quirky humor. But beneath all that, the film tells a deeper, more serious story about AI and whether it can cause the downfall of society and human connection.