Netflix has begun rolling out AV1 Film Grain Synthesis (FGS) streams across its catalogue, a move the platform says will allow it to preserve the artistic integrity of film grain while optimising data efficiency.
FGS has been part of the AV1 standard since its inception, but Netflix only enabled it for a limited number of titles during its initial launch of the AV1 codec in 2021.
A key part of the look of classic movies, film grain’s random nature makes it notoriously difficult to compress. Traditional compression algorithms struggle to manage it, often forcing a choice between preserving the grain and reducing file size.
AV1 Film Grain Synthesis tool preserves the artistic integrity of film grain while making the content “easier to compress” by denoising the source video prior to encoding.
The move was announced in a Netflix Technology Blog post, which concluded: “Enabling AV1 Film Grain Synthesis has led to significant bitrate reduction, allowing us to deliver high-quality video with less data while preserving the artistic integrity of film grain.”
To evaluate the impact of AV1 Film Grain Synthesis, Netflix selected approximately 300 titles from its catalogue, each with varying levels of graininess. Netflix reported a 36% reduction in average bitrate for resolutions of 1080p and above when AV1 film grain synthesis is enabled.
For resolutions below 1080p, the reduction in bitrate is relatively small, reaching only a 10% decrease, likely because noise is filtered out during the downscaling process.
.jpg)
Expanded Future Tech to showcase the very best in innovation, technology and talent
After a successful debut in 2025, Future Tech returns to Hall 14 of the RAI this year, with more features, more innovation and more of the technologies shaping the next era of media and entertainment.
.jpg)
UK TV industry advocates out-of-hours guidelines
The UK television industry has backed new guidelines to minimise out-of-hours contact to help improve work-life balance in the sector.
.jpg)
EU approves Paramount's WBD acquisition with conditions
The European Commission has approved Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110bn acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Isabel Davis to become Director of BFI Filmmaking Funds
The British Film Institute (BFI) has named Isabel Davis as Director of its BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Funds.
Netflix uses GenAI on 300 titles in 2026
Netflix has revealed that nearly 300 titles on its platform have used generative AI, from early concept stages and pre-visualisation through to post-production and release.
