AV1 Professional Profile Supported Chroma Formats

This article examines the chroma subsampling formats supported by the AV1 Professional profile, detailing how this specific profile accommodates professional-grade video workflows. Designed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia), the AV1 codec divides its capabilities into distinct profiles to match target hardware and production requirements. Below is a direct breakdown of the supported chroma formats and bit depths defined under the AV1 Professional specification.

Supported Chroma Formats in AV1 Professional Profile

The AV1 Professional profile is the most comprehensive profile in the AV1 specification, supporting the following chroma formats:

• 4:2:0 (YUV 4:2:0): The standard consumer subsampling format, where horizontal and vertical chroma resolution are halved relative to luma.
• 4:2:2 (YUV 4:2:2): A standard broadcast and post-production format where horizontal chroma resolution is halved, but vertical resolution is fully retained. Support for 4:2:2 is unique to the Professional profile within the AV1 standard.
• 4:4:4 (YUV 4:4:4): Full-bandwidth chroma with no subsampling, ensuring identical resolution across all color channels.
• 4:0:0 (Monochrome): Dedicated single-channel video data with no chroma information present.

Bit Depth and Capability Context

Chroma format support in AV1 is closely tied to color bit depth. The Professional profile expands upon the Main and High profiles by providing capabilities tailored for mastering, editing, and intermediate delivery:

• Bit Depths: Supports 8-bit, 10-bit, and 12-bit color precision across all supported chroma formats.
• 4:2:2 Exclusivity: Neither the Main profile (limited to 4:2:0 at 8-bit or 10-bit) nor the High profile (limited to 4:4:4 or 4:2:0 at 8-bit or 10-bit) support 4:2:2 subsampling. Any AV1 bitstream utilizing 4:2:2 chroma subsampling automatically requires decoding compliance with the Professional profile.
• 12-bit Video: Any video stream encoded at 12-bit color depth—regardless of whether it uses 4:2:0, 4:2:2, or 4:4:4—falls strictly under the Professional profile.