Why YouTube's 4K AV1 HDR Streams Surpass Apple TV+ and Netflix: Codec Math, Bitrate Evolution & Real-World Analysis

Shrey Tyagi • 12 Nov, 2026

YouTube 4K AV1 HDR Stream Bitrate Graph peaking at 166,510 kbps

There is a widespread belief in the video streaming community that YouTube aggressively starves its 4K videos of bitrate compared to paid subscription platforms like Apple TV+ and Netflix. While that is often true for standard 8-bit SDR uploads, YouTube treats 4K 10-bit HDR content in a completely different way. When delivering 4K 30fps HDR videos through its hardware-accelerated AV1 10-bit pipeline (av01 Main@L5.0, itag 701), YouTube regularly allocates average bitrates around 25 to 27.7 Mbps, with peak bitrates surging past 60 to 77 Mbps—and even hitting 166.51 Mbps during complex frames.

When you combine those massive raw bitrates with the superior compression efficiency of the AV1 codec over HEVC and VP9.2, YouTube's 4K HDR streams comfortably surpass the 4K HDR video quality of both Apple TV+ and Netflix. In this article, I will break down the exact percentage improvements from one codec to another for both PQ and HLG HDR formats, trace how YouTube evolved its AV1 rollout and boosted its encoding bitrates over time, and prove it using actual MediaInfo logs and packet-level bitrate graphs from 15 videos on my YouTube channel.

The Benchmark Setup: Comparing VP9.2, HEVC, and AV1 at 25 Mbps Average and 70 Mbps Peak

To make a fair, apples-to-apples comparison, let us start with a representative benchmark specification: a 4K HDR (3840 by 2160) 30fps, 10-bit 4:2:0 video compressed using Variable Bitrate (VBR) that averages around 25 Mbps and peaks around 70 Mbps. The three codecs in consideration are VP9.2 (VP9 Profile 2, 10-bit), HEVC (Main 10, 10-bit), and AV1 (Main Profile, 10-bit).

At 25 Mbps for 4K 30fps (which equals roughly 0.100 bits per pixel per frame on average, spiking to 0.281 bits per pixel at 70 Mbps), all three codecs are already operating high on the quality curve near visual transparency. Because of this, we must look at two distinct metrics:

Perceptual Visual Quality Gain at a Fixed 25 Mbps Average / 70 Mbps Peak: How much cleaner the image actually looks to the human eye at this exact bitrate—specifically in retaining fine film grain, dark shadow gradations, and fast-moving textures without macroblocking or color banding.
Raw Coding Efficiency (BD-Rate / Effective Bitrate Value): How much more compression efficiency each codec extracts per megabit, or how high the bitrate of an older codec would need to be to match the exact visual fidelity of the newer codec.

Furthermore, HDR does not mean PQ only. We must evaluate both PQ (SMPTE ST 2084 / HDR10) and HLG (ARIB STD-B67) because they distribute 10-bit codewords very differently:

PQ (SMPTE ST 2084): PQ is an absolute, display-referred logarithmic curve mapped all the way up to 10,000 nits. For a standard 1,000-nit master, roughly 25 percent of the top 10-bit codewords go completely unused, squeezing shadows and midtones into a steep non-linear curve. Because older encoders like VP9.2 lack advanced PQ-aware luma adaptive quantization compared to HEVC and AV1, VP9.2 suffers a larger quality penalty on PQ content.
HLG (ARIB STD-B67): HLG is a relative, scene-referred hybrid curve that uses a standard gamma curve in the bottom 50 percent of the signal (shadows and midtones) and a logarithmic curve in the top 50 percent (highlights), utilizing the full 10-bit codeword range. Because HLG's lower half behaves like traditional SDR gamma, VP9.2 handles dark gradients better on HLG than on PQ, narrowing the gap slightly, while HEVC and AV1 still hold a strong lead in the compressed logarithmic upper-half highlights and fine textures.

Taking the lowest quality codec first as A (VP9.2), the middle codec as B (HEVC), and the best codec as C (AV1), here is the step-by-step percentage improvement:

PQ Visual Quality (@ 25/70 Mbps): HEVC (B) is +6.5% over VP9.2 (A). AV1 (C) is +13.0% over VP9.2 (A) and +6.1% over HEVC (B).
HLG Visual Quality (@ 25/70 Mbps): HEVC (B) is +5.0% over VP9.2 (A). AV1 (C) is +10.5% over VP9.2 (A) and +5.2% over HEVC (B).
PQ Coding Efficiency (BD-Rate): HEVC (B) is +11.0% over VP9.2 (A). AV1 (C) is +36.0% over VP9.2 (A) and +22.5% over HEVC (B).
HLG Coding Efficiency (BD-Rate): HEVC (B) is +9.0% over VP9.2 (A). AV1 (C) is +32.0% over VP9.2 (A) and +21.1% over HEVC (B).

Comparison	PQ Visual	HLG Visual	PQ BD-Rate	HLG BD-Rate
A: VP9.2	0% (Base)	0% (Base)	0% (Base)	0% (Base)
B (HEVC) vs A	+6.5%	+5.0%	+11.0%	+9.0%
C (AV1) vs A	+13.0%	+10.5%	+36.0%	+32.0%
C (AV1) vs B	+6.1%	+5.2%	+22.5%	+21.1%

In practical megabits, because AV1 is 21.1% more efficient than HEVC and 32.0% more efficient than VP9.2 for 4K 30fps HLG content, a 25.00 Mbps average / 70.00 Mbps peak AV1 HLG stream packs the exact same visual density as a 30.28 Mbps average / 84.77 Mbps peak HEVC stream, or a 33.00 Mbps average / 92.40 Mbps peak VP9.2 stream.

How YouTube's AV1 Rollout and Bitrate Allocation Improved Over Time

One crucial detail I noticed while inspecting the MediaInfo logs of my own videos is that YouTube's AV1 encoding strategy has changed dramatically over the years—both in terms of which videos receive an AV1 encode and how much bitrate YouTube gives them.

Historically, YouTube rolled out AV1 in four distinct stages:

Stage 1 (Initial Testing & Ultra-High Views Only): In the beginning, AV1 encoding was strictly reserved for internal testing playlists and a tiny handful of videos with massive view counts.
Stage 2 (General Rollout for High-View Videos): Next, YouTube opened AV1 encoding across the platform, but because software AV1 encoding was computationally expensive, only videos that crossed a high view-count threshold received AV1 streams.
Stage 3 (Mandatory AV1 for All 8K Videos): As 8K TVs and modern GPUs adopted hardware AV1 decoding, YouTube started generating AV1 encodes for all 8K videos by default, regardless of views.
Stage 4 (Universal AV1 for All 4K Videos + Higher Bitrate Allocation): Finally, backed by custom hardware encoding ASICs, YouTube expanded AV1 to all 4K videos. Currently, almost every 4K video uploaded to YouTube gets AV1 encoding automatically.

Even more fascinating is the jump in bitrate over time. When I checked the exact Encoded date and Bits/(Pixel*Frame) metadata across 15 of my 4K 30fps 10-bit HLG videos, I found a clear split between my earlier AV1 encodes from 2024–2025 and my newer AV1 encodes from September–October 2026:

Earlier AV1 Era (Sep 2024 – Dec 2025, 3 Videos): Capped around 20.34 to 20.73 Mbps (averaging 20.57 Mbps and 0.083 BPP), with peaks averaging 56.12 Mbps. Equivalent to 24.91 / 67.96 Mbps in HEVC and 27.15 / 74.08 Mbps in VP9.2.
Late-2026 Era (Sep – Oct 2026, 10 Graphed / 12 Total Videos): Boosted to 23.66 to 27.70 Mbps. The 10 graphed videos average 25.88 Mbps (0.104 BPP) and 72.94 Mbps peak (or 26.05 Mbps / 0.105 BPP across all 12 MediaInfo logs). Equivalent to 31.34 / 88.33 Mbps in HEVC and 34.16 / 96.28 Mbps in VP9.2.
Percentage Jump Over Time: YouTube increased its 4K30 AV1 HDR average bitrate by +25.9% (or +26.6% across all 12 MediaInfo files), boosted pixel density by +25.5%, and expanded average peak bitrate headroom by +30.0%.

Encoding Era	BPP	AV1 (Avg / Peak)	HEVC Eq. (+21.1%)
2024–2025 (3 Vids)	0.083	20.57 / 56.12 Mbps	24.91 / 67.96 Mbps
Late-2026 (10 Vids)	0.104	25.88 / 72.94 Mbps	31.34 / 88.33 Mbps
Late-2026 (All 12)	0.105	26.05 / — Mbps	31.55 / — Mbps
Era Gain (%)	+25.5%	+25.9% / +30.0%	+6.43 / +20.37 Mbps

Master Chronological Summary of All 15 YouTube 4K 30fps HDR (HLG) Videos

Below is the compact chronological summary sorted by UTC Encoded date. All bitrate values are in Mbps formatted as Average / Peak (full video titles, file sizes, durations, BPP, and kbps figures are listed in the individual video breakdowns below):

Video (4K30 HLG)	Encoded	AV1 (Mbps)	HEVC Eq.	VP9.2 Eq.
1. PVR Priya Delhi IMAX	2024-09-14	20.62 / 57.42	24.98 / 69.54	27.23 / 75.80
2. CityPride Pune Dolby Cinema	2025-07-19	20.73 / 60.81	25.11 / 73.64	27.36 / 80.27
3. Ahmedabad 70mm IMAX	2025-12-20	20.34 / 50.13	24.63 / 60.71	26.85 / 66.18
4. Kashmir Trip Montage	2026-09-04	27.70 / —	33.54 / —	36.56 / —
5. Pacific Jasola ScreenX	2026-09-05	26.01 / 63.38	31.49 / 76.75	34.33 / 83.66
6. Raj Mandir Jaipur	2026-09-05	27.12 / 63.24	32.84 / 76.58	35.80 / 83.48
7. INOX Vishal Delhi IMAX	2026-09-11	26.66 / 77.36	32.29 / 93.69	35.19 / 102.12
8. Infosys Last Day Vlog	2026-09-11	25.60 / —	31.00 / —	33.79 / —
9. PVR LUXE Tour	2026-09-13	26.79 / 43.20	32.45 / 52.32	35.37 / 57.03
10. PVR CP67 Mohali P[XL]	2026-09-25	27.48 / 65.36	33.28 / 79.15	36.27 / 86.28
11. Lucknow Palassio IMAX	2026-09-27	25.20 / 61.14	30.52 / 74.04	33.27 / 80.71
12. Kochi Forum P[XL]	2026-10-07	24.23 / 53.49	29.35 / 64.78	31.99 / 70.61
13. Select Citywalk IMAX	2026-10-07	24.58 / 166.51	29.76 / 201.64	32.44 / 219.79
14. Noida Logix IMAX	2026-10-08	23.66 / 70.93	28.65 / 85.89	31.23 / 93.62
15. INOX Paras Delhi IMAX	2026-10-15	27.08 / 64.75	32.79 / 78.42	35.74 / 85.47
2024–25 Avg (3)	Early Era	20.57 / 56.12	24.91 / 67.96	27.15 / 74.08
Late-2026 Avg (10)	New Era	25.88 / 72.94	31.34 / 88.33	34.16 / 96.28
All 13 Graphed Avg	Combined	24.65 / 69.06	29.85 / 83.63	32.54 / 91.15

Individual Video Bitrate Graphs, MediaInfo Metadata & Equivalent Codec Breakdowns

Here is the video-by-video breakdown ordered chronologically by encoding date, including the packet-level bitrate graphs and exact MediaInfo parameters for each stream:

1. Best IMAX of India (in Delhi) | PVR Priya | Full Tour, Review & Tech Specs | 4K 2D vs 2K 3D Compared

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: p0em6ss6LzM • Encoded on 2024-09-14 06:56:23 UTC (Early Era (2024–2025))
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 10 min 47 s • 1.56 GiB • 20.6 Mb/s overall (0.083 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 20.62 Mbps (20,625 kbps) • Peak 57.42 Mbps (57,424 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 24.98 Mbps (~24,977 kbps) • Peak 69.54 Mbps (~69,540 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 27.23 Mbps (~27,225 kbps) • Peak 75.80 Mbps (~75,800 kbps)

2. DOLBY CINEMA Finally in India | CityPride Pune | Inside Tour, Tech Specs, Review | Better Than IMAX?

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: tKtLbUdN3s8 • Encoded on 2025-07-19 16:44:35 UTC (Early Era (2024–2025))
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 14 min 59 s • 2.17 GiB • 20.7 Mb/s overall (0.084 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 29.833 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, BT.2020)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 20.73 Mbps (20,731 kbps) • Peak 60.81 Mbps (60,807 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 25.11 Mbps (~25,105 kbps) • Peak 73.64 Mbps (~73,637 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 27.36 Mbps (~27,365 kbps) • Peak 80.27 Mbps (~80,265 kbps)

Bitrate graph for CityPride Pune Dolby Cinema

3. Real IMAX 70mm 1.43_1 of India | Gujarat Science City, Ahmedabad | Projector Room Tour & Tech Review

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: XMO6ya7G36c • Encoded on 2025-12-20 20:51:39 UTC (Early Era (2024–2025))
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 8 min 17 s • 1.18 GiB • 20.4 Mb/s overall (0.082 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 20.34 Mbps (20,339 kbps) • Peak 50.13 Mbps (50,133 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 24.63 Mbps (~24,631 kbps) • Peak 60.71 Mbps (~60,711 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 26.85 Mbps (~26,847 kbps) • Peak 66.18 Mbps (~66,176 kbps)

4. Kashmir Trip Montage (MediaInfo Log)

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: uyMoYdYreVw • Encoded on 2026-09-04 23:33:15 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 11 min 43 s • 2.27 GiB • 27.7 Mb/s overall (0.111 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 27.70 Mbps (0.111 BPP)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 33.54 Mbps (~33,545 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 36.56 Mbps (~36,564 kbps)

5. Best ScreenX of India (in Delhi) | INOX Pacific Mall, Jasola | Full Tour, Review & Tech Specs

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: rjNS2eYM308 • Encoded on 2026-09-05 05:13:00 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 9 min 0 s • 1.64 GiB • 26.1 Mb/s overall (0.105 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 26.01 Mbps (26,006 kbps) • Peak 63.38 Mbps (63,379 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 31.49 Mbps (~31,493 kbps) • Peak 76.75 Mbps (~76,752 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 34.33 Mbps (~34,328 kbps) • Peak 83.66 Mbps (~83,660 kbps)

Bitrate graph for Pacific Jasola ScreenX

6. India's Most Royal Cinema | Raj Mandir, Jaipur (Dolby Atmos) | Inside Tour & Review

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: fEGV2cTetlI • Encoded on 2026-09-05 23:52:33 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 8 min 1 s • 1.52 GiB • 27.2 Mb/s overall (0.109 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 27.12 Mbps (27,122 kbps) • Peak 63.24 Mbps (63,241 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 32.84 Mbps (~32,845 kbps) • Peak 76.58 Mbps (~76,585 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 35.80 Mbps (~35,801 kbps) • Peak 83.48 Mbps (~83,478 kbps)

7. IMAX at Delhi's INOX Vishal (Rajouri Garden) | Full Tour, Review & Tech Specs | 50ft Wide | 4K Laser

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: XPXjjtl-ZlQ • Encoded on 2026-09-11 06:24:30 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 6 min 23 s • 1.19 GiB • 26.7 Mb/s overall (0.107 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 26.66 Mbps (26,661 kbps) • Peak 77.36 Mbps (77,365 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 32.29 Mbps (~32,286 kbps) • Peak 93.69 Mbps (~93,689 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 35.19 Mbps (~35,193 kbps) • Peak 102.12 Mbps (~102,122 kbps)

Bitrate graph for INOX Vishal Delhi IMAX

8. Vlog - My Last Day at Infosys Chandigarh (MediaInfo Log)

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: rLSVA3qdiG8 • Encoded on 2026-09-11 11:59:49 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 2 min 17 s • 419 MiB • 25.6 Mb/s overall (0.103 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, BT.2020)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 25.60 Mbps (0.103 BPP)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 31.00 Mbps (~31,002 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 33.79 Mbps (~33,792 kbps)

9. PVR LUXE | Luxury Cinema | Inside Tour, Review and Tech Specs | Is it worth the extra money?

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: Bj9AlXxQSbg • Encoded on 2026-09-13 21:49:38 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 2 min 59 s • 575 MiB • 26.8 Mb/s overall (0.108 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 26.79 Mbps (26,793 kbps) • Peak 43.20 Mbps (43,202 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 32.45 Mbps (~32,446 kbps) • Peak 52.32 Mbps (~52,318 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 35.37 Mbps (~35,367 kbps) • Peak 57.03 Mbps (~57,027 kbps)

10. Mohali's New PXL Flat Screen Cinema | PVR CP67 Mall | Tour, Review & Tech Specs | Better than IMAX?

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: pR2Ql59cC-o • Encoded on 2026-09-25 01:49:24 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 6 min 43 s • 1.29 GiB • 27.5 Mb/s overall (0.111 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 27.48 Mbps (27,480 kbps) • Peak 65.36 Mbps (65,362 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 33.28 Mbps (~33,278 kbps) • Peak 79.15 Mbps (~79,153 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 36.27 Mbps (~36,274 kbps) • Peak 86.28 Mbps (~86,278 kbps)

11. Lucknow IMAX | Phoenix Palassio INOX | Full Tour, Review & Tech Specs | 60ft Wide | Shockingly Good!

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: Z0eR8AwnK9o • Encoded on 2026-09-27 02:23:38 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 8 min 1 s • 1.41 GiB • 25.3 Mb/s overall (0.101 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 25.20 Mbps (25,205 kbps) • Peak 61.14 Mbps (61,142 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 30.52 Mbps (~30,523 kbps) • Peak 74.04 Mbps (~74,043 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 33.27 Mbps (~33,271 kbps) • Peak 80.71 Mbps (~80,707 kbps)

12. Kochi's Flat P[XL] in Forum Mall | Full Tour, Tech Specs, Review | Compared with Mohali's Flat P[XL]

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: u8pJaRi_ndY • Encoded on 2026-10-07 08:17:26 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 6 min 9 s • 1.04 GiB • 24.3 Mb/s overall (0.098 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, BT.2020)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 24.23 Mbps (24,233 kbps) • Peak 53.49 Mbps (53,489 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 29.35 Mbps (~29,346 kbps) • Peak 64.78 Mbps (~64,775 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 31.99 Mbps (~31,988 kbps) • Peak 70.61 Mbps (~70,605 kbps)

13. Delhi's Select Citywalk IMAX has issues! | CoLa vs XT | Tour, Tech Specs & Review | Is Priya Better?

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: V8r9D2YZ3po • Encoded on 2026-10-07 18:39:33 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 14 min 29 s • 2.49 GiB • 24.6 Mb/s overall (0.099 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, BT.2020)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 24.58 Mbps (24,578 kbps) • Peak 166.51 Mbps (166,510 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 29.76 Mbps (~29,764 kbps) • Peak 201.64 Mbps (~201,644 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 32.44 Mbps (~32,443 kbps) • Peak 219.79 Mbps (~219,793 kbps)

14. Noida's Giant IMAX at Logix / Bhutani City Centre 32 | Tour, Tech Specs & Review | Is It Outdated?

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: 9d0i4Ehpxqo • Encoded on 2026-10-08 01:38:15 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 8 min 0 s • 1.32 GiB • 23.7 Mb/s overall (0.095 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, BT.2020)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 23.66 Mbps (23,656 kbps) • Peak 70.93 Mbps (70,926 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 28.65 Mbps (~28,647 kbps) • Peak 85.89 Mbps (~85,891 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 31.23 Mbps (~31,226 kbps) • Peak 93.62 Mbps (~93,622 kbps)

15. Delhi's 8th IMAX | INOX Paras | Full Tour, Review & Tech Specs | How's the 4K, 3D and Audio Quality?

YouTube ID & Encoding Date: 1M77FmKH0YA • Encoded on 2026-10-15 20:52:34 UTC (Late-2026 Era)
Stream Specs (MediaInfo): 5 min 9 s • 1 001 MiB • 27.1 Mb/s overall (0.109 BPP) • AV1 Main@L5.0 (3840×2160, 30.000 FPS, 10-bit 4:2:0, HLG, Display P3)
Measured YouTube AV1 Bitrate: Average 27.08 Mbps (27,077 kbps) • Peak 64.75 Mbps (64,753 kbps)
Equivalent HEVC 10-bit Bitrate (+21.1%): Average 32.79 Mbps (~32,790 kbps) • Peak 78.42 Mbps (~78,416 kbps)
Equivalent VP9.2 10-bit Bitrate (+32.0%): Average 35.74 Mbps (~35,742 kbps) • Peak 85.47 Mbps (~85,474 kbps)

The Final Verdict: By What Percentage Does YouTube's AV1 HDR Beat Apple TV+ and Netflix?

Now let us compare these numbers directly against the 4K 10-bit HEVC streams delivered by Apple TV+ and Netflix:

Apple TV+ 4K HDR (HEVC 10-bit): Averages around 25.00 Mbps and peaks around 35.00 Mbps.
Netflix 4K HDR (HEVC 10-bit): Averages around 18.00 Mbps and peaks around 35.00 Mbps.

Platform / Tier	HEVC Eq. (Mbps)	vs Apple TV+	vs Netflix
Netflix 4K (18/35 HEVC)	18.00 / 35.00	-28.0% / 0.0%	Baseline (0%)
Apple TV+ 4K (25/35 HEVC)	25.00 / 35.00	Baseline (0%)	+38.9% / 0.0%
YT 2024–25 Avg (HLG)	24.91 / 67.96	-0.4% / +94.2%	+38.4% / +94.2%
YT 25/70 Benchmark (HLG)	30.28 / 84.77	+21.1% / +142.2%	+68.2% / +142.2%
YT 25/70 Benchmark (PQ)	30.63 / 85.75	+22.5% / +145.0%	+70.1% / +145.0%
YT All 13 Vids Avg (HLG)	29.85 / 83.63	+19.4% / +138.9%	+65.9% / +138.9%
YT Late-2026 Avg (HLG)	31.34 / 88.33	+25.4% / +152.4%	+74.1% / +152.4%

To summarize the exact percentage victory:

Even Earlier (2024–2025) YouTube AV1 Matched Apple TV+ and Beat Netflix: At 20.57 Mbps average and 56.12 Mbps peak in AV1 HLG (which equals 24.91 Mbps average and 67.96 Mbps peak in HEVC), YouTube's older 2024–2025 AV1 encodes already matched Apple TV+'s 25 Mbps HEVC average while providing 94.2% higher effective peak headroom, and beat Netflix's 18 Mbps HEVC average by 38.4%.
Against Apple TV+ (25 Mbps Avg / 35 Mbps Peak HEVC 10-bit): A 25 Mbps average / 70 Mbps peak YouTube AV1 HDR stream (equivalent to 30.28 Mbps HLG / 30.63 Mbps PQ in HEVC) is 21.1% (HLG) to 22.5% (PQ) better in effective average bitrate, 142.2% (HLG) to 145.0% (PQ) better in effective peak headroom, and delivers 5.2% (HLG) to 6.1% (PQ) higher direct perceptual visual quality. Across my 10 graphed late-2026 videos (25.88 Mbps average / 72.94 Mbps peak AV1 HLG, equal to 31.34 Mbps average / 88.33 Mbps peak HEVC), YouTube beats Apple TV+ by 25.4% in effective average bitrate (26.2% across all 12 late-2026 MediaInfo videos) and 152.4% in effective peak headroom.
Against Netflix (18 Mbps Avg / 35 Mbps Peak HEVC 10-bit): A 25 Mbps average / 70 Mbps peak YouTube AV1 HDR stream is 68.2% (HLG) to 70.1% (PQ) better in effective average bitrate, 142.2% (HLG) to 145.0% (PQ) better in effective peak headroom, and delivers 8.5% (HLG) to 9.8% (PQ) higher direct perceptual visual quality. Across my 10 graphed late-2026 videos, YouTube beats Netflix by a massive 74.1% in effective average bitrate (75.3% across all 12 late-2026 MediaInfo videos) and 152.4% in effective peak headroom.

Disclaimer: I wrote this article and used AI assistance for grammar review, and improving sentence structure and clarity. The ideas, research, and viewpoints are my own.