The era of filmmaking with mobile phones has truly arrived. As people increasingly shoot, edit, and share high-quality videos, there is a growing expectation for better color accuracy, finer details, and more flexibility in post-production. In response to these demands, Samsung Electronics has developed the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec and is working to establish it as a global open standard.
Why APV
While codecs might be unfamiliar to many, they play a crucial role in shaping the user experience. Similar to how one packs a suitcase, codecs determine how much video can be stored and how easily it can be accessed. An efficient codec allows users to store more high-quality video, enhancing playback and editing capabilities.
Video content can be categorized into two types: casual videos, which are everyday clips meant for sharing, and professional videos, which require cinema-grade editing. Casual codecs focus on compression efficiency, while professional codecs must maintain image quality and precise color reproduction. Just like overpacking can damage suitcase contents, professional video necessitates a robust codec to preserve every detail.
Conventional compression methods often hinder mobile post-production processes, such as color grading and visual effects (VFX). APV is designed to support the entire workflow from capture to final edit, maintaining detail even after multiple rounds of recompression.
Reducing Complexity Without Compromise
The main technical challenge was reducing complexity. Traditional professional codecs emphasize image quality, making them computationally demanding and suitable only for high-end hardware. Samsung aimed to create a low-complexity design that mobile processors could handle in real-time without sacrificing quality.
To achieve this, Samsung introduced lightweight entropy coding to lessen computational load and frame tiling to enable parallel encoding and decoding across multiple cores. Consequently, APV supports real-time processing of up to 8K video on mobile phones, preserving image quality with minimal loss even after multiple edits.
Building an Open Ecosystem for All
The value of technology lies in its widespread use. Samsung decided to build an open ecosystem, allowing anyone to adopt and enhance the technology, akin to sharing a great recipe for better results.
In February 2026, Samsung published APV through the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as RFC 9924, making it a de facto global standard. The full source code was released on GitHub under the name “OpenAPV,” inviting developers worldwide to participate and contribute.
This openness is fostering ecosystem growth and speeding up adoption. The APV codec is supported in Android 16, and both the open-source tool FFmpeg and post-production software DaVinci Resolve have incorporated support for it.
Collaborating Across Global Teams
This advancement was driven by Samsung’s global research collaboration. After initial development by Samsung Research (SR), teams across Samsung Research America (SRA), Samsung R&D Institute India-Bangalore (SRI-B), Samsung R&D Institute Poland (SRPOL), and Samsung R&D Institute Japan (SRJ) worked together. A significant milestone was reached in October 2023 when APV was unveiled at the Samsung Developer Conference (SDC). In August 2024, Samsung joined the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF) to support the open-source video ecosystem.
To bring this technology to mobile phones, the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business led product integration efforts. Close collaboration between MX and SR optimized performance for mobile devices. In February 2026, Samsung equipped the Galaxy S26 Ultra with APV, making it the first Android phone to support the codec.
Expanding Creative Possibilities for All
The goal is clear: to make professional-grade video production accessible to everyone through APV. When technology is open, it delivers its greatest value, and APV is set to shape a more creative future for video content.
