FFmpeg is the leading multimedia framework
FFmpeg 7.0 "Dijkstra" has been released and this new version features a number of significant improvements ranging from enhanced compatibility with various formats, to the introduction of new features, improvements to encoders, decoders, bug fixes and more.
In this new version of FFmpeg 7.0, one of the most notable new features is the implementation of parallel execution of operations . This allows multiple tasks to be performed simultaneously, such as unpacking/packing media containers, decoding, encoding, and applying filters.
Another improvement in FFmpeg 7.0 is format compatibility, notably the introduction of support for encoding and decoding video in MPEG-5 format (EVC – Essential Video Coding) through the external library libxevd.
In addition, media container unpackers and packers have been added for formats such as QOA (Quite OK Audio). This format is used for lossless audio transmission and is notable for its superior performance compared to other formats, as it is claimed to be three times faster than Ogg-Vorbis decoding.
Also noteworthy is the added support for unpackers and packers for the IAMF (Immersive Audio Model and Format). This format is designed to effectively distribute surround sound, providing a container that includes additional information necessary for the operation of algorithms that reconstruct soundscapes and perform sound mixing.
Furthermore, FFmpeg 7.0 includes an experimental decoder for the VVC (Versatile Video Coding) format, also known as H.266. This new decoder represents an advance in FFmpeg's ability to handle next-generation video compression, facilitating the playback and manipulation of content in resolutions from SD to 8K, with support for HDR (High Dynamic Range) and 360-degree panoramic video.
In addition to these improvements in compatibility and functionality, FFmpeg 7.0 has implemented the ability to use the D3D12VA (Direct 3D 12 Video Encoding) API for hardware acceleration of the decoding of various formats such as H264, HEVC, VP9, ​​AV1, MPEG-2 and VC1, improving performance and efficiency on systems compatible with this technology.
Other notable changes include:
- Now supports hardware accelerated decoding using the Vulkan and libplacebo APIs.
- Added support for the content URI protocol used on the Android platform.
- Build requirements have increased; A compiler that supports the C11 standard is now needed to compile FFmpeg.
- For QSV (Intel Quick Sync Video) based encoders, the default bit rate control method has been changed from VBR to CQP.
- A new unpacker for DVD-Video media containers has been introduced, based on the libdvdnav and libdvdread libraries from the VideoLAN project.
- It is now possible to transmit metadata in packets in the flv format implementation.
- Added DXV DXT1 encoder and LEAD MCMP decoder.
- For MP4 and ISOBMFF formats, the inclusion of AVE metadata has been implemented.
- Support for AFGS1 technology, used in the AV1 Film Grain specification, has been added to improve compression of grainy images.
- Added support for still images in HEIF and AVIF formats, as well as mosaic still images.
- Dolby Vision profile is now available for AV1 format.
- Finally, support is provided for forwarding HDR10 metadata when encoding via the libx264, libx265, and libsvtav1 libraries.
For those interested in learning more about this new release or about FFmpeg, you can find the details at the following link.
Download and get FFmpeg 7.0
Finally, for those who want to install or update FFmpeg 7.0, you should know that this package is included in most Linux distributions, or if you prefer, you can download its source code for compilation from the following link.
And to perform the installation from the source code, it is enough to execute the already known script:
./configure make make install
In the case of those who are users of Ubuntu, Debian or any other derivative of these distributions, simply open a terminal and execute the following command in it:
sudo apt install ffmpeg
While in the case of Fedora, the command to execute is the following:
sudo dnf install ffmpeg
And in the case of those who are users of Arch Linux, Manjaro or any other derivative of Arch Linux, it is enough to execute the following command:
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg