Q&A with Dr. Pierre-Anthony Lemieux, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Open Media
Dr. Pierre-Anthony Lemieux is a seasoned expert in entertainment technology and software architecture with a deep involvement in global technical standards. With experience spanning audio, video, content protection, timed text, post-production and distribution standards, Dr. Lemieux has led industry groups, authored key standards, and developed software that have shaped modern media landscapes. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from UCLA.
As executive director of the Alliance for Open Media (AOMedia) and as chair of the IMF User Group, he continues to drive innovation and collaboration across the media and entertainment landscape.
He sat down with us for a conversation about AOMedia and the future of the media and entertainment space.
Connect with Pierre-Anthony on LinkedIn
Tell Me More About Yourself and Your Role at the Alliance
I am a consultant to the media and entertainment industry and joined the Alliance as executive director in early 2024. My involvement with the industry goes back to the early 2000s, and I have since had the opportunity to contribute to standards activities across organizations and projects spanning the media ecosystem.
AOMedia is a member-driven organization that brings together the world’s largest streaming platforms and consumer electronics manufacturers and has deep experience in developing and deploying new experiences and technologies. I see my role primarily as helping to focus the energy of the members.
Where Does the Alliance Fit in the Media and Entertainment Space?
The mission of the Alliance is to enable frictionless audio-visual experiences by developing royalty-free technical standards and open source software.
I see two key strengths in the Alliance: having the ultimate users of the standards intimately involved in their development; and supporting open source implementations of the standards it develops. The impact of the latter cannot be understated; with the increasing complexity of standards, open source plays a growing role in lowering the barrier to adopting standards and increasing their quality.
The initial project of the Alliance was the development of the AV1 video codec specification, which was designed from the get-go for video on the web and was published in 2018.
What Is the Status of AV1?
The adoption of AV1 has grown steadily since its inception, with, for instance, more than 70% of Meta Reels watch time on Apple iOS devices now using AV1. In the process, a rich ecosystem has developed around AV1, including services; software and hardware solutions; and commercial products and open source libraries. AV1’s initial success was on PCs, TVs, and high-end mobile devices, but it has since found increasing success in lower-end devices. A big driver for AV1’s adoption has been the availability of production-ready open source implementations, such as SVT-AV1 and dav1d.
Making a long-term commitment to a video codec involves considerations beyond technical metrics like coding efficiency. Seeing continuing adoption and the positive impact it has had on so many adopters tells me that AV1 is playing an important role in the ecosystem.
What Else Are You Working on?
I have seen most of the work happen in four areas:
- Expanding the family of AV1 specifications, including the AVIF image format and the SVT-AV1 encoder.
- Specifications for immersive sound, starting with IAMF.
- Specification for the coding of volumetric media for high-quality 3D graphics, from gaming to cultural heritage.
- Next generation video coding specification.
I hope to be able to talk more about the last one early next year!
What Will the Next Decade of Media and Entertainment Look Like?
Appetite for video is not decreasing but consumer habits are changing, with streaming overtaking traditional broadcast TV and social media growing in popularity. Simultaneously, there is pressure to increase the efficiency and sustainability of streaming. Finally, while they have yet to reach the pervasiveness of video, immersive consumer experiences have made recent progress in terms of the availability of consumer devices and content.
I expect the Alliance to increasingly engage with the community to help chart the next decade of media and entertainment. We are, for example, holding a roundtable discussion at IBC 2024 focused on the opportunities and challenges facing media platforms.
Who Should Join the Alliance?
Anyone interested in being at the epicenter of technology development for media and entertainment should consider joining. The Alliance welcomes companies, government agencies, and universities — large and small. This is an opportunity to directly influence future standards as well as network with peers.