VP9
| Internet media type | video/VP9 |
|---|---|
| Developed by | |
| Initial release | June 17, 2013 |
| Type of format | Video coding format |
| Contained by | |
| Extended from | VP8 |
| Extended to | AV1 |
| Standard | VP9 Bitstream & Decoding Process Specification |
| Open format? | Yes |
| Free format? | Yes § Patent claims |
| Website | webmproject.org/vp9 |
VP9 is an open and royalty-free 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. 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, while Safari 14 added support for VP9 in iOS / iPadOS / tvOS 14 and macOS Big Sur.
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.