Encoding · Codecs
Ship three video codecs from one upload
Every viewer gets the best codec their device can play. FastPix emits AV1, HEVC and H.264 from one upload. The player asks for what it can decode and gets it, so a recent browser streams AV1 while an older TV still gets a clean H.264 stream. You do not configure any of that, and the codec never changes your rate.
Multi-codec support is on by default on every asset, and it never changes your rate.
# Default: FastPix decides per surface.
curl -X POST https://api.fastpix.io/v1/on-demand \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $FASTPIX_TOKEN" \
-d '{ "inputs": [{ "url": "https://cdn.acme.io/ep41.mov" }] }'
# Or pin the set, if you have a reason to.
-d '{
"inputs": [{ "url": "..." }],
"encoding": { "codecs": ["av1", "h264"] }
}'
# Same rate either way. Codec is not a billing dimension.FastPix encodes every upload into three video codecs and serves each viewer the best one.
A phone from 2016 gets H.264, a recent Android gets AV1, and nothing in your code decides which. The player advertises what it can decode and the manifest hands it the most efficient match, so you never maintain a device matrix.
Codec support is not container support. The codec is how the picture is compressed; the container (CMAF, MP4, the HLS or DASH manifest) is the wrapper it travels in.
Reach
Which video codec actually reaches which viewer
Most vendors list what they support. The useful question is which of your viewers can play it, and what happens to the ones who cannot, so the table below is what FastPix actually sends to each.
| Surface | AV1 | HEVC | H.264 | What FastPix sends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recent Chrome, Edge, Firefox | ✓ | partial | ✓ | AV1 |
| Safari, recent macOS and iOS | ✓ newer hardware | ✓ | ✓ | AV1 where decode exists, otherwise HEVC |
| Android, recent | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | AV1 |
| Android, older devices | no | ✓ | ✓ | HEVC |
| Smart TV and set-top, recent | varies | ✓ | ✓ | HEVC |
| Smart TV and set-top, older | no | varies | ✓ | H.264 |
| Anything else | no | no | ✓ | H.264, the compatibility floor |
The trade
What each video codec buys and what it costs
Newer codecs send fewer bytes for the same picture, but they decode on fewer devices and cost more to encode. That trade is why FastPix ships all three rather than making you pick.
The one that always plays
Two decades old, decoded in hardware by effectively everything, and licensed on terms the whole industry already settled. Least efficient of the three, and still the right answer for the bottom of every ladder.
Broad reach, patent baggage
Meaningfully more efficient than H.264 at the same quality, with wide hardware decode across mobile, Apple devices and smart TVs. The catch is licensing: HEVC carries patent pools that AV1 does not.
Smallest files, royalty-free, newest hardware
The most efficient of the three and free of royalties, which is why browsers adopted it quickly. Hardware decode is good on recent devices and absent on older ones, so it complements rather than replaces HEVC.
Be careful with codec efficiency numbers, including ours. Published comparisons vary enormously depending on the test content, the encoder settings and the quality metric used. A figure measured on a slow-moving clip will not survive contact with sport.
The reliable way to size the gain is to run your own footage through and compare quality scores, which is what the open benchmark is for. For the codec-by-codec comparison with numbers, read AV1 vs H.264 vs H.265 and AVC vs HEVC.
Codec choice happens at playback, not at upload
FastPix puts more than one codec into a single asset, then lets the player choose. When it requests the manifest it declares what it can decode, and we serve the most efficient set its hardware supports.
That means the decision is made per viewer rather than per asset, and it improves on its own as your audience replaces devices. You do not re-encode the catalog when AV1 support crosses some threshold.
- No device detection to write. The manifest handles it.
- No separate asset per codec. One upload, one playback ID.
- Per-title runs underneath. Each codec gets a ladder suited to the content, so the two compound.
Asset ready
Player asks
Served
↻ improves as devices are replaced
Billing
A better codec lowers your bill instead of raising it
On FastPix, resolution and quality tier set the rate. Codec is not a billing dimension at all.
Moving traffic to AV1 sends fewer bytes, so your delivery bill falls while your encoding bill does not move.
Some platforms multiply the rate by codec, and some push HEVC and AV1 into a higher tier entirely. Efficiency you pay for twice is a strange kind of efficiency.
Specs
AV1 encoding API specs: codecs, containers and color
What FastPix accepts, what we emit and what we package it in. Everything listed is on by default; none of it is a plan upgrade.
Common questions
Video codec questions, answered
Which codecs does FastPix support?
FastPix accepts H.264, HEVC, AV1 and VP9 as sources, and emits AV1, HEVC and H.264.
Output is packaged in CMAF with both HLS and DASH manifests, and HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG are supported up to 4K. VP9 is accepted as an input but not emitted, because AV1 supersedes it on every surface where VP9 would have been used.
Do I have to choose a codec?
No. By default FastPix emits all three and the player is served whatever it can decode.
You can pin the codec set if you have a reason to, such as a contractual requirement or a device fleet you know precisely. Most teams stop pinning after the first comparison, because the default reaches more viewers efficiently than a fixed choice does.
Do I need both AV1 and HEVC, or just one?
Both, because they cover different devices. FastPix ships them together by default.
The trade is decode support and licensing. AV1 is royalty-free and well supported in modern browsers and recent mobile hardware. HEVC has wider hardware decode across older devices and smart TVs, and carries patent licensing that AV1 does not. That is why both ship rather than one replacing the other. The ladder decides per surface, so you are not choosing between them. AV1 vs H.264 vs H.265.
What happens to viewers whose devices cannot decode AV1?
They get HEVC, or H.264 if their device cannot take that either.
H.264 is emitted on every asset as the compatibility floor, so enabling a newer codec cannot cost you a viewer. Newer codecs are upside for the hardware that supports them rather than a bet on your whole audience.
Does using AV1 or HEVC cost more?
No. Codec is not a billing dimension on FastPix.
Resolution and quality tier set the rate. Because a more efficient codec sends fewer bytes, moving traffic to AV1 lowers your delivery bill while leaving your encoding bill unchanged. This is worth checking against whatever you use today. Some platforms apply a codec multiplier, and some push HEVC and AV1 into a higher pricing tier entirely.
Keep reading
Related
Codec support is one piece of the FastPix encoding stack. The rest of what we run is below.