Google Brings AV1 Hardware Encoding to Chrome Cast Streaming, Feature Still in Testing
A new code commit in Google’s Chromium project enables AV1 hardware encoding for Cast Streaming, moving a feature request that sat dormant for years closer to a public release.
The commit, titled “[Cast Streaming] Enable AV1 hardware encoding,” landed in Chromium’s main branch and marks the most concrete progress on the feature since developers first raised it in 2022.
What Changed in the Code
Cast Streaming works by continuously capturing, encoding, and transmitting video from a Chrome browser to an external display or device — a process that places sustained demand on a machine’s processor.
Until now, Chrome’s Cast Streaming pipeline could not tap dedicated AV1 encoding hardware, even on machines that had it built in.
The new commit changes that. Its description states the code “resolves a long standing TODO to enable AV1 hardware encoding if available on the platform,” following the earlier landing of a component called the MediaVideoEncoderWrapper.
That underlying component did much of the preparation work. The latest commit hooks Cast Streaming into it.
Why AV1 Matters
AV1 is an open, royalty-free video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media. It delivers comparable video quality to older codecs at significantly lower bitrates — meaning less data travels across a network to produce the same picture.
Offloading AV1 encoding to dedicated hardware, rather than the main CPU, reduces processor load. On laptops, that translates directly to lower power draw and longer Battery Life during casting sessions.
The practical effects for users could include sharper video during screen mirroring, reduced strain on home Wi-Fi networks, and less fan noise or thermal throttling on thinner devices.
Still Behind a Flag
The feature is not live for general users yet.
Chrome’s experimental flags page already lists an entry called “Enable AV1 video encoding for Cast Streaming,” describing it as allowing Chrome to offer the AV1 codec during Cast Streaming negotiations and Use It if selected.
That flag sits disabled by default across Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS.
The commit description confirms the functionality remains “gated behind a feature flag for future experimentation.” Google has not announced a timeline for enabling it by default.
A Long Road to This Point
The original Chromium feature request dates to 2022, when a developer flagged that Cast Streaming lacked hardware AV1 encoder support even on capable devices.
The issue sat largely inactive for roughly two years before a reassignment in March 2024. Progress accelerated in 2025 when a Chromium developer said the groundwork was mostly in place and described the remaining work as “relatively trivial.”
Google officially marked the issue “In Progress (Accepted)” on May 19, 2026.
Chrome remains the world’s most widely used desktop browser, holding roughly 65 percent of the global desktop browser market, according to Statcounter. Cast Streaming is a core feature for users who mirror tabs or full screens to Chromecast devices and smart displays.
