Intel’s New Chips Include a Video Upgrade That Could Solve Streaming’s Biggest Problem, But Don’t Get Too Excited Just Yet

Intel Core Chip on the board with blue bcakground

Imagine this: you’re about to settle in for a comfortable night of binge-watching your favorite shows. Popcorn? Check. Comfy blanket? Check. Wi-Fi? Not the best, but it’ll do. But what if I told you that the quality of your streaming could soon be top-level even with a less-than-perfect Internet connection? Sounds like a dream come true, right? Well, sort of.

So here’s the good news—Intel’s latest high-end processors have something exciting equipped inside: the brand-new Versatile Video Codec (VVC), or H.266. This latest video codec format aims to improve video streaming by making it more efficient, which results in sharper images and better playback. But sadly, it might take a while before your beloved TV gets its hands on it.

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The Chips That Promise a Smoother Stream

Intel just dropped the Core 200 series chips at IFA 2024, also known as Lunar Lake. These CPUs are designed to duke it out with AMD and Qualcomm in the AI-powered PC world. Think of them as the new powerhouses behind some upcoming flagship laptops from Lenovo, Asus, Acer, and more. But if you’re thinking, “Great, when can I expect this magic in my living room?”—well, don’t hold your breath just yet.

For now, these chips are coming in AI PCs first, which means your new smart TV is still stuck with the older video codec, High-Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC), or H.265. Sure, HEVC has been doing a decent job so far, and let’s not forget about AV1, which brought us better compression and higher quality. But VVC is like comparing your everyday streaming to having a gourmet meal served at home.

Why VVC is a Better Video Codec?

It's the efficiency that makes VVC the golden child of video codecs. This new format reportedly offers 30-50% more compression efficiency than HEVC and even outpaces AV1 by 10-20% when it comes to 4K resolution. And in 8K (yes, that’s a thing we’ll all be obsessing over soon), VVC is supposed to bring in 50-60% more power than HEVC and 20-30% more than AV1.

What does that mean for you and me trying to enjoy a weekend movie session? Higher quality streams with less data hogging, even if your Wi-Fi likes to throw temper tantrums every now and then. Less buffering, better resolution, and hopefully, fewer moments where you’re shouting at the screen because everything just turned into a pixelated mess. Streaming services are probably thrilled too, since this means lower bandwidth costs for them (and maybe fewer complaints from us, the customers).

The Real-Life Waiting Game

Of course, like most good things in technology, there’s something to note. Even though VVC is currently making its way into Intel chips, we’re probably a few years away from seeing it become standard in TVs. Right now, most of the best TVs still rely on HEVC, with some of the newer ones supporting AV1, especially in the drool-worthy 8K models. So, if you’re eagerly waiting to stream your show or movie with VVC-level clarity, you might need to be a little patient.

Honestly, the idea of getting better video quality even with average Wi-Fi sounds like a dream, especially when streaming services keep jacking up their prices. I mean, with all the price hikes happening—Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, Netflix, the list goes on—shouldn’t we at least get better performance for our money? If VVC can deliver on that front, it might just be worth the wait.

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