AR Porn Codecs: AV1 vs HEVC for Passthrough Scenes
AV1 vs HEVC is the codec argument that's been going on for half a decade. In 2026, for AR / passthrough porn specifically, AV1 wins — but not by enough that HEVC should disappear, and not for every workflow. The choice affects download size, playback latency, which headsets the scene runs on, and how cleanly alpha-channel composite works. This piece walks through the practical differences for passthrough scenes, where each codec falls down, and which file you should download given your headset and storage.
In this guide
The short answer
Use AV1 for everything on Quest 3, Quest 3S, Pico 4 Ultra, and Samsung Galaxy XR. Use HEVC on Quest 2, Quest Pro, and PSVR2 where AV1 hardware decode isn't mature. Use HEVC as a fallback for any scene where the AV1 encoding looks wrong (rare but happens with older AV1 encoders). That's 90% of the decision.
Compression efficiency at AR bitrates
AV1 at AR / passthrough bitrates beats HEVC by roughly 30% — same visual quality at 30% less file size, or 30% more quality at the same file size. The bigger savings show up at higher bitrates where HEVC starts to saturate; at lower bitrates the gap narrows.
Concrete numbers from our testing. A 30-minute 4K-per-eye passthrough scene with alpha:
- AV1 at 60Mbps: ~13GB, perceptually transparent on Quest 3
- HEVC at 80Mbps: ~18GB, equivalent quality
- AV1 at 40Mbps: ~9GB, occasional blockiness on dark skin tones
- HEVC at 40Mbps: ~9GB, more visible blockiness, especially on hair
The takeaway: AV1 gives you smaller files for the same quality, which matters a lot when your scene library is hundreds of files.
Hardware decoder support by headset
Hardware decode is the line between "works" and "stutters." Software AV1 decode on a Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 (Quest Pro, Pico Neo) can't sustain 90fps at AR bitrates — the CPU runs out, frames drop, latency spikes.
- Quest 3 / 3S / Pico 4 Ultra: Hardware AV1 decode, mature. AV1 is the right choice.
- Samsung Galaxy XR: Hardware AV1 decode, less mature pipeline. AV1 works but occasionally drops frames on high-bitrate scenes; firmware updates are improving this.
- Quest Pro / Quest 2: No hardware AV1 decode. Stick with HEVC.
- PSVR2: Limited AV1 support, HEVC is the safer bet. Covered in the PSVR2 piece.
- Vision Pro: Hardware AV1 decode, but moot — there's no native player to use it for adult content.
Alpha-channel encoding cleanliness
AV1's syntax handles alpha-channel encoding more cleanly than HEVC's — both via side-by-side luma matte and separate alpha track. The side-by-side approach (the dominant encoding for AR / passthrough scenes) benefits from AV1's superior compression of sharp-transition content, which is what an alpha matte mostly is.
In practice: AV1-encoded alpha scenes have crisper edges on hair and fingers than equivalent HEVC encodings, because AV1 doesn't over-smooth the high-frequency transitions at the alpha boundary. It's a subtle quality difference but it's consistent across studios that have switched. Our piece on alpha-channel technical details covers how the encoding works under the hood.
Latency impact
Hardware AV1 decode on Quest 3 typically completes in 2-4ms per frame at AR bitrates. Hardware HEVC decode is 4-7ms. The 2-3ms delta isn't huge but it matters when the total in-player budget is 6-10ms before you hit the 12ms threshold. AV1 buys you headroom for the rest of the pipeline (alpha composite, compositor submission, display refresh).
For longer sessions, hardware AV1 decode also runs cooler on the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 than HEVC does. Thermal throttling kicks in later. Covered in detail in our latency piece.
When HEVC still wins
Three scenarios where HEVC remains the right choice in 2026:
- Older headsets. Quest 2, Quest Pro, PSVR2 — no hardware AV1, software decode falls over.
- Older scenes. Anything pre-2024 was encoded HEVC. The studios mostly haven't gone back to re-encode the back catalog. If you want a specific older scene, HEVC is what exists.
- Streaming reliability. Some CDN setups have better HEVC delivery than AV1 delivery, simply because the infrastructure was built around HEVC for years. AV1 streaming is improving but not universally smooth.
What to download in practice
If a studio offers both encodings for the same scene (most do for new releases), download AV1 unless one of the HEVC-favouring scenarios applies. The file is smaller, the playback is smoother, and the alpha composite is slightly cleaner.
If only one encoding is offered, it's usually AV1 for 2026 releases and HEVC for anything older. Don't fight it — re-encoding between codecs always loses quality even at the source.
For broader codec context including frame rate and bitrate, see our performance and frame rates piece.
FAQ
Is AV1 actually better than HEVC for AR / passthrough porn?
Yes, on Quest 3 and Pico 4 Ultra both. Same visual quality at roughly 30% lower bitrate, hardware decode is mature on Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, and alpha-channel encoding is cleaner in AV1's syntax. HEVC remains valuable as a fallback for older content and for headsets where AV1 hardware decode isn't fully optimised — but for new scenes, AV1 wins.
Why do some studios still ship HEVC?
Three reasons. Backwards compatibility with older headsets that don't have AV1 hardware decode. Encoder maturity — HEVC encoders are 10+ years old and the production pipelines are stable. And licensing predictability — AV1 is royalty-free but encoder licensing for high-quality settings is still being figured out by some commercial encoders.
Will AV1 software decode work on older headsets?
Sort of, badly. Quest 2 and Quest Pro both lack AV1 hardware decode. Software decode works but the CPU can't sustain 4K-per-eye at 60fps reliably — frames drop, latency spikes, the composite stutters. If you have an older headset, stick with HEVC files. Quest 3, Quest 3S, Pico 4 Ultra, and Samsung Galaxy XR all have hardware AV1 decode.
How do I tell what codec a file uses?
File extension doesn't tell you — .mp4 and .mkv are containers, not codecs. The file name usually has the codec token: 'av1' or 'hevc' or 'h265'. If the name is generic, Heresphere and DeoVR both display the codec in their file info pane after you tap the scene. If neither helps, MediaInfo on a PC tells you definitively.
Does codec choice affect latency?
Yes. AV1 hardware decode on Quest 3 is 2-3ms faster than HEVC for the same bitrate. That's not nothing in a 12ms latency budget. For most users it's not the deciding factor — quality and file size matter more — but if you're already at the edge of the latency threshold on a high-bitrate scene, AV1 buys you headroom.
Related on PassthroughTube
- Performance and frame rates
- Passthrough latency explained
- Alpha-channel technical deep-dive
- All passthrough scenes
Cross-link: For traditional VR (non-passthrough) content from many of the same studios, see our sister site VRTubbies — over 41,000 VR scenes by studio.
