World’s First AV1 Encoder for the Data Center

The move to advanced video codecs like AV1 has created a software squeeze as codec complexity is increasing faster than the performance optimization of software encoders. NETINT Technologies unveiled a family of ASIC-based AV1 video transcoders packaged in a 2.5″ U.2 NVMe and PCIe Add-In-Card (AIC) form factor. This unique solution is designed so that video operators can easily upgrade their x86 or Arm-based data center servers to hardware-based video encoding.

The all new Codensity ASIC-powered video transcoders offer an upgrade path to hardware using x86 and Arm servers while boasting speeds up to 7,680 FPS for 4K AV1 broadcast quality. The efficiency of an ASIC combined with the codec advantages of AV1 means applications and services that require real-time ultra-low latency performance can make a step function improvement in the user experience that they deliver.

“As a royalty-free codec that is more efficient than other standards-based codecs, the potential for AV1 to bring a tangible benefit to streaming apps and services is very real,” commented Matt Frost, Director, Product Management at Google, “even still, compression efficiency comes at a cost of computing. I am delighted that the AV1 ecosystem will soon benefit from having an ASIC-based hardware encoding solution available for the data center.”

“NETINT Codensity ASICs are the video and neural processing and encoding engines that power all NETINT video transcoding solutions,” stated Alex Liu, Co-Founder and COO of NETINT, “our groundbreaking ASIC technology offers a 10X density improvement over software encoders and a 20X reduction in energy consumption as compared to CPU-based workflows. With AV1, we are thrilled to enable the industry so that they can realize the benefits of this incredible codec.”