I wouldn’t say AV1 is really settled as royalty-free. Patent trolls have bullied all the major streamers into paying the same for AV1 the same as H265, and are already prepping to do the same for AV2.

widely deployed AV1 format

I’m glad they’re pressing forward but I feel like I still very rarely see AV1 in the wild. Hell, I still see h264 more often than h265.

You are aware that you don’t have all the information and that trying it yourself could cost you significantly more time than asking for help. Doesn’t sound like dumbass behavior to me :)