How is AV1 encoder added?

Peat Moss

Gawd
Joined
Oct 6, 2009
Messages
543
Is AV1 encoding capability added via a bios update, an OS or browser update, or is it built into hardware? I don't quite understand.

I'm choosing parts for a new build now and this will be part of my consideration. So if it has to be implemented at the hardware level, I may wait, for example, to get a video card until AV1 comes with it.
 
A hardware encoder is added with supported hardware like an Intel Arc graphics card. A software encoder is added by installing software, such as installing Handbrake. I've been encoding AV1 files for awhile now with my Sandy Bridge CPU.
 
A hardware encoder is added with supported hardware like an Intel Arc graphics card. A software encoder is added by installing software, such as installing Handbrake. I've been encoding AV1 files for awhile now with my Sandy Bridge CPU.

Does AV1 encoding need to be supported by both the CPU and the GPU? (apparently 13th gen Intel CPUs don't support it, but AMD 7000 CPUs do). Also, if I bought an Nvidia RTX 3000 series GPU (which doesn't support AV1 encoding, only decoding) could I wait for a bios update from Nvidia, or would I have to buy a RTX 4000 series card (which does support AV1 encoding) ?

In other words, can AV1 encoding be added later to existing hardware via a bios update by Intel, AMD, or Nvidia?
 
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Hardware video encode/decode acceleration is done with fixed function pipelines on the chip. If it's got the right stuff, it would need to be enabled by firmware and drivers and software of course, but if it doesn't have the hardware, it doesn't have the hardware. Sometimes you see a rushed release where they say 'av1 ready' about the hardware, but the software to drive it isn't finished yet --- updates could help there; of course, sometimes that means the hardware wasn't well tested before it was finalized and the results aren't great.

What are you planning to encode though? Software encoders are available and may work for your use case.
 
Hardware video encode/decode acceleration is done with fixed function pipelines on the chip. If it's got the right stuff, it would need to be enabled by firmware and drivers and software of course, but if it doesn't have the hardware, it doesn't have the hardware. Sometimes you see a rushed release where they say 'av1 ready' about the hardware, but the software to drive it isn't finished yet --- updates could help there; of course, sometimes that means the hardware wasn't well tested before it was finalized and the results aren't great.

What are you planning to encode though? Software encoders are available and may work for your use case.

I just want to future proof my build, as AV1 seems to be the future. But I need to buy hardware now, and don't want to have to re-buy a video card and/or CPU again in 2 years just to get the AV1 encoding.
 
I just want to future proof my build, as AV1 seems to be the future. But I need to buy hardware now, and don't want to have to re-buy a video card and/or CPU again in 2 years just to get the AV1 encoding.

If it makes you feel any better about buying your Graphics Card now, I regularly decode (watch) 1080p AV1 content purely in software with my second gen core i5 CPU at full speed. Haven't tried 4k yet though.
 
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