Netflix has launched a groundbreaking technology called AV1 Film Grain Synthesis (FGS), aimed at enhancing the image quality of movies and TV shows by digitally recreating film grain effects.

This new streaming technology has been rolled out globally, preserving the artistic integrity of film grain while optimizing data efficiency for its members.

A/B testing of the FGS implementation has shown significant improvements in Quality of Experience (QoE), including a 31.6% reduction in average bitrate and fewer playback errors.

The grain effect is streamed alongside the compressed video, allowing devices to recreate the desired grain effect without sacrificing streaming efficiency.

FGS analyzes the source video to identify specific grain patterns and shapes, enabling dynamic adjustments of grain intensity based on scene lighting and color.

By denoising the video before encoding, AV1 FGS achieves high-quality streaming even in grain-heavy content, demonstrating significant bitrate savings of approximately 66% in certain cases.

Film grain is a crucial aspect of the cinematic experience, and traditional compression algorithms often struggle to preserve it, which led to the development of the FGS tool.

This technology not only enhances image quality but also reduces file size and improves streaming performance by minimizing errors and rebuffering.

Visual comparisons reveal that FGS versions of videos maintain film grain integrity better than standard AV1 encoding, resulting in a more visually appealing experience.

The rollout of FGS began in March 2025 and is now available for numerous titles, significantly enhancing the viewing experience for users with compatible devices.

Key benefits of FGS include lower initial playback bitrate, reduced rebuffering, and an increase in higher resolution streaming, with a notable shift of about 0.7% of viewing hours to 4K-capable devices.

The success of AV1 Film Grain Synthesis is a testament to the collaborative efforts of various teams at Netflix, highlighting the importance of teamwork in driving technological innovations.