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AV1 (also known as AOMedia Video 1) is a relatively new video coding format that is designed by the Alliance for Open Media (also known as AOMedia) and released in 2018 and 2019. AV1 has the following attractive features:
① AV1's license https://aomedia.org/license/ is permissive.
② AV1 has several open source implementations for encoders and decoders. AV1 is supported in Android (in version 10 or newer) and in the newest versions of major web browsers except Safari (see https://caniuse.com/av1 for details).
③ Facebook's test at https://engineering.fb.com/2018/04/10/video-engineering/av1-beats-x264-and-libvpx-vp9-in-practical-use-case/ concluded that AV1 video files are about 50% smaller than AVC Main Profile video of equal quality.
④ AV1 has a relatively wide range of settings that allow its users to raise the quality-to-bitrate ratio and lower the speed of compression or vice versa. On the one hand, realtime AV1 compression is possible (for example, AV1 is used in video chats in Google Duo since April 2020, see https://www.blog.google/products/duo/4-new-google-duo-features-help-you-stay-connected/ for the announcement). On the other hand, it is possible to achieve even more impressive compression than the aforementioned Facebook's test results by lowering the compression speed and thus spending several dozens of seconds per frame.
The suggestion here is that Telegram should follow Google Duo's example and implement realtime AV1 encoding of video chats (further increasing their visual quality).
The suggestion here is also that Telegram should consider implementing video players for AV1 video files in chats, effectively DOUBLING the available length (time constraints) for video files without sacrificing their visual quality and within the same filesize limits (2 GB for video files published in chats, 20 MB for external video files referenced by their URLs and previewed under messages) if we compare AV1 to the current lengths of AVC video files. Halving the necessary bitrate, this will allow more reliable video file streaming in otherwise underperforming mobile networks (in rural areas, in crowded urban areas, etc.).
However, Telegram should refrain from upgrading its MP4 “GIF” files from AVC to AV1 until hardware decoders for AV1 become ubiquitous and dozens of simultaneously running AV1 video players are supported. (Otherwise the animated lists of GIFs would be laggy in Telegram's interfaces.)
Telegraph (the site, not the Graph Messenger) already supports publishing MP4 files with AV1 video and Opus audio inside them. Telegraph's filesize limit is 5 megabytes.
That speed is only 15%—18% slower than VP9 speed 7 but it needs 9% less bitrate for the same video quality.
Today friend tested with Iphone 15 Pro and was unable to get my AV1 video (in MP4 container with AAC audio) to show. In telegram desktop it works OK.
Obviously most Iphones currently (Except for Iphone 15 Pro) don't have AV1 hardware decoding and it will take years to get majority of IPhone users to get it (much longer than it takes for AV1 become common). So there must be another solution even for phones/tablets that don't have HW AV1
Apple has not encouraged to use AV1 as it does consume more battery (dunno how many percents more though).
Nevertheless I was able to get video to play in old IPhone XS from Telegram by click, click, click, click, VLC Media player, but it was far too hard and unlikely that people whom I send videos would see the effort.
Here is suggestions and priority order:
1. AV1 MP4 support for NON HW AV1 accelerated IOS DEVICES / IPHONES. If difference in battery consumption / performance is significant it might make sense to disable auto-play in telegram feed for these videos and replace them with thumbnail that has PLAY button icon in it. when you press the thumbnail video opens in full view and starts playing.
If for any reason it is hard to implement this support inside Telegram then there should be much easier way to play the video with external app such as VLC Media Player.
2. AV1 WEBM etc.. support for NON HW IOS
3. AV1 MP4 support for HW AV1 accelerated IOS DEVICES
Also rotation metadata needs also good support as it is very common to see portrait video as landscape or vice versa.
Something to keep in mind, even that WEBM is the official container for AV1 there is huge amount of apps situations here MP4 with AV1 is more convenient (e.g. video editors don't support WEBM), so both container AV1 must be supported, probably currently MP4 is even more important.