VP9

For other uses, see VP9 (disambiguation).
VP9
VP9 logo
Internet media typevideo/VP9
Developed byGoogle
Initial releaseJune 17, 2013
Type of formatVideo coding format
Contained by
Extended fromVP8
Extended toAV1
StandardVP9 Bitstream & Decoding Process Specification
Open format?Yes
Free format?Yes § Patent claims
Websitewebmproject.org/vp9

VP9 is an open and royalty-free[1] video coding format developed by Google.

VP9 is the successor to VP8 and competes mainly with MPEG's High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC/H.265). At first, VP9 was mainly used on Google's video platform YouTube.[2][3] The emergence of the Alliance for Open Media, and its support for the ongoing development of the successor AV1, of which Google is a part, led to growing interest in the format.

In contrast to HEVC, VP9 support is common among modern web browsers (see HTML video § Browser support). Android has supported VP9 since version 4.4 KitKat,[4] while Safari 14 added support for VP9 in iOS / iPadOS / tvOS 14 and macOS Big Sur.[5][6]

Parts of the format are covered by patents held by Google. The company grants free usage of its own related patents based on reciprocity, i.e. as long as the user does not engage in patent litigations.[7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gigaom was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference VP10 compression techniques was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference YouTube was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Supported media formats". Android Developers. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  5. ^ Esposito, Filipe (June 24, 2020). "Apple adds WebP, HDR support, and more to Safari with iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur". 9to5Mac. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Peterson, Mike (June 23, 2020). "iPhones, iPads can now stream 4K YouTube videos in iOS 14". AppleInsider. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference specLicense was invoked but never defined (see the help page).