Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/intel-semiconductor-ip-cores

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Intel Quick Sync Video

Video encoding and decoding hardware by Intel

Summary

Video encoding and decoding hardware by Intel

Intel Quick Sync Video is Intel's brand for its dedicated video encoding and decoding hardware core. Quick Sync was introduced with the Sandy Bridge CPU microarchitecture on 9 January 2011 and has been found on the die of Intel CPUs ever since.

The name "Quick Sync" refers to the use case of quickly transcoding ("converting") a video from, for example, a DVD or Blu-ray Disc to a format appropriate to, for example, a smartphone, in situations where speed is more important than the best possible quality.

Unlike video encoding on a CPU or a general-purpose GPU, Quick Sync is a dedicated hardware core on the processor die. This allows for much more power-efficient video processing.

Availability

Quick Sync Video is available on Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 and new Core Ultra processors starting with Sandy Bridge, and Celeron & Pentium processors starting with Haswell.

Performance and quality

Like most desktop hardware-accelerated encoders, Quick Sync has been praised for its speed. The eighth annual MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video codecs comparison showed that Quick Sync was comparable to x264 superfast preset in terms of speed, compression ratio and quality (SSIM); tests were performed on an Intel Core i7-3770 (Ivy Bridge) processor. However, Quick Sync could not be configured to spend more time to achieve higher quality, whereas x264 improved significantly when allowed to use more time using the recommended settings.

A 2012 evaluation by AnandTech showed that QuickSync on Intel's Ivy Bridge produced similar image quality compared to the NVENC encoder on Nvidia's GTX 680 while performing much better at resolutions lower than 1080p.

Development

Main article: Intel Graphics Technology#Capabilities (GPU video acceleration)

Quick Sync was first unveiled at Intel Developer Forum 2010 (September 13) but, according to Tom's Hardware, Quick Sync had been conceptualized five years before that. The older Clarkdale microarchitecture had hardware video decoding support, but no hardware encoding support; it was known as Intel Clear Video.

; Version 1 (Sandy Bridge) : Quick Sync was initially built into some Sandy Bridge CPUs, but not into Sandy Bridge Pentiums or Celerons. It adds H.264/AVC encoding and VC-1 decoding acceleration.

; Version 2 (Ivy Bridge, Bay Trail) : The Ivy Bridge microarchitecture included a "next-generation" implementation of Quick Sync.

; Version 3 (Haswell) : The Haswell microarchitecture implementation adds H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2 encoding acceleration. An open-source hybrid driver was developed which supports partial VP8 encoding and VP9 decoding acceleration under Linux by utilizing both the integrated GPU and CPU, although as of 2023 Intel had explicitly abandoned both this driver and pre-Kaby Lake accelerated VP8 encoding. Starting from Haswell, Pentiums and Celerons have included QSV technology.

; Version 4 (Broadwell) : The Broadwell microarchitecture implementation adds VP8 hardware decoding. Also, it has two independent bit stream decoder (BSD) rings to process video commands on GT3 GPUs; this allows one BSD ring to process decoding and the other BSD ring to process encoding at the same time.

; Version 5 (Skylake) : The Skylake microarchitecture implementation adds a full fixed-function H.265/HEVC 8-bit 4:2:0 decoding and encoding acceleration, hybrid and partial HEVC 10-bit decoding acceleration, JPEG encoding acceleration for resolutions up to 16,000×16,000 pixels, and partial VP9 decoding and encoding acceleration, although on Linux Intel has explicitly abandoned both the required "hybrid" driver and Skylake accelerated VP9 decoding.

; Version 6 (Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake, Comet Lake) : The Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake and Comet Lake microarchitectures implementation adds full fixed-function H.265/HEVC 10-bit 4:2:0 decoding and encoding acceleration, and full fixed-function VP9 8-bit and 10-bit decoding acceleration and 8-bit encoding acceleration.{{cite web | access-date=2016-07-27}}

; Version 7 (Ice Lake) : The Ice Lake microarchitecture implementation adds VP9 8-bit and 10-bit decoding and encoding acceleration, H.265/HEVC 8-bit and 10-bit decoding and encoding acceleration with 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, HDR10 Tone Mapping and Open Source Media Shaders. HEVC hardware encoding quality has also been improved.

; Version 8 (Tiger Lake, Rocket Lake, Alder Lake, Raptor Lake) : The Tiger Lake, Rocket Lake, Alder Lake & Raptor Lake microarchitectures implementation adds VP9 12-bit & 12-bit 4:4:4 hardware decoding and HEVC 12-bit 4:2:0, 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 hardware decoding. Gen12 Xe will also support native AV1 decode, which includes 10-bit 4:2:0 16K stills and 10-bit 4:2:0 8K, 4K and 2K video. Hardware encoding for VP8 was dropped and hardware decoding is only available on Tiger Lake.

; Version 9 (Intel Arc Alchemist, Meteor Lake, Arrow Lake) : Intel Arc Alchemist (discrete GPUs) adds 8K 10-bit AV1 hardware encoding. It removed VC-1 hardware decoding.

;Version 10 (Intel Lunar Lake) : Adds VVC hardware decoding in Xe2 GPU.

Operating system support

The Quick Sync Video SIP core needs to be supported by the device driver. The device driver provides one or more interfaces, for example VDPAU, Video Acceleration API (VA-API) or DXVA for video decoding, and OpenMAX IL or VA API for video encoding. One of these interfaces is then used by end-user software, for example VLC media player or GStreamer, to access the Quick Sync Video hardware and make use of it.

Linux

Quick Sync support on Linux is available by both Intel VAAPI Driver (legacy, pre-Broadwell) and Intel Media Driver (Broadwell and newer) which also uses VA-API, and through the Intel Media SDK.

Windows

Microsoft offers support for Quick Sync in Windows (in Windows Vista and later) based on supporting driver software from Intel and support through both DirectX as well as WMF (Windows Media Foundation). A wide range of applications are based upon this base support for the technology in Windows.

macOS

Apple added Quick Sync support in OS X Mountain Lion for AirPlay, FaceTime, iTunes, Safari, QuickTime X, iMovie, Final Cut Pro X, Motion and Compressor. Third-party software includes Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Media Encoder, DaVinci Resolve and others.

Hardware decoding and encoding

Support for Quick Sync hardware accelerated decoding of H.264, MPEG-2, and VC-1 video is widely available. One common way to gain access to the technology on Microsoft Windows is by use of the free ffdshow filter. Some other free software like VLC media player (since version 2.1.0 "Rincewind") supports Quick Sync as well. Many commercial applications also benefit from the technology today, including CyberLink PowerDVD, CyberLink PowerDirector and MacroMotion Bogart "gold" edition.

According to the ffdshow documentation, Quick Sync has very low CPU utilization while being about twice as fast as libavcodec.

Support for hardware-assisted media encoding tailored for Quick Sync is widely available. Examples of such software with Quick Sync support during encoding processes are Jellyfin, Emby Media Server, Plex Media Server, Badaboom Media Converter, CyberLink MediaShow, CyberLink MediaEspresso, ArcSoft MediaConverter, MAGIX Video Pro X, Pinnacle Studio (since version 18), Roxio Toast, Roxio Creator, XSplit Broadcaster, XSplit Gamecaster (all commercial) and projects like HandBrake, Open Broadcaster Software or applications for operation with a video content entering in Adobe CC2018.

The following table shows fixed-function encode/decode support for various Intel platforms. Support for hybrid and/or partial decode/encode are not detailed.

CantigaClarkdale / ArrandaleSandy BridgeIvy Bridge / HaswellBroadwellBraswell / Cherry TrailSkylakeApollo LakeKaby Lake / Coffee Lake / Comet Lake / Whiskey LakeGemini LakeIce Lake / Jasper LakeTiger LakeRocket Lake / Alder Lake / Raptor LakeArc Alchemist / Meteor Lake / Arrow LakeLunar LakeMPEG-2AVCVC-1JPEGVP8HEVCHEVC 10-bitHEVC 12-bitVVCVP9VP9 10-bitVP9 12-bitAV1AV1 10-bitAV1 12-bit
Decode only}}colspan=10Decode only}}
colspan=3colspan=4
colspan=2Decode only}}colspan=2
colspan=3Decode only}}colspan=10
colspan=3colspan=6colspan=3
colspan=5colspan=4
colspan=7url=https://github.com/01org/intel-vaapi-driver/blob/b56eed0d99d2c1d9ec4e706775c310aff38218bd/NEWS#L71title=VA-API 1.7.3 changelogwebsite=GitHubdate=12 October 2021}}
colspan=11colspan=4
colspan=14
colspan=3Partially-accelerated decoding on Linux only}}Decode only}}colspan=5
colspan=8Decode only}}url=https://github.com/intel/media-driver/blob/master/README.md#known-issues-and-limitationstitle=Known Issues and Limitations #5website=GitHubdate=16 October 2021}}
colspan=11Decode only}}
url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Intel-Gen11-Graphics-Detailstitle=Intel Details Gen11 Graphics & Sunny Cove For Icelake}}Decode only}}colspan=2
colspan=11Decode only}}colspan=2
colspan=13Decode only}}

Certain low-end and high-end parts (including multi-socket Xeons and some Extreme Edition CPUs expected to be used with a dedicated GPU) do not contain the hardware core to support Quick Sync.

References

References

  1. (3 January 2011). "Intel's Second-Gen Core CPUs: The Sandy Bridge Review - Sandy Bridge's Secret Weapon: Quick Sync". Tom's Hardware.
  2. "The Sandy Bridge Review: Intel Core i7-2600K, i5-2500K and Core i3-2100 Tested". AnandTech.
  3. (2014-02-27). "Intel Drivers Bring Quick Sync Video to Pentium, Celeron".
  4. (2020-01-10). "Release Notes Driver version: 15.36.38.5117".
  5. "The Sandy Bridge Review: Intel Core i7-2600K, i5-2500K and Core i3-2100 Tested". Anandtech.
  6. "Eighth MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 Video Codecs Comparison.". MSU Graphics & Media Lab (Video Group).
  7. "Intel Pentium Processor G620".
  8. "Intel's Roadmap: Ivy Bridge, Panther Point, and SSDs". Anandtech.
  9. (16 July 2017). "AUR (en) - intel-hybrid-codec-driver".
  10. (27 August 2014). "intel/intel-hybrid-driver".
  11. (August 5, 2022). "intel-hybrid-driver".
  12. (April 6, 2023). "[Feature]: Encode VP8 on Skylake #1638".
  13. "Intel Pentium Processor G3250 3M Cache 3.20 GHz Product Specifications".
  14. (March 18, 2014). "VA-API 1.3 Readies Broadwell Support, Adds VP8 Decoding". Phoronix.com.
  15. "Intel Broadwell GT3 Graphics Have Dual BSD Rings". Phoronix.com.
  16. Cutress, Ian. "The Intel 6th Gen Skylake Review: Core i7-6700K and i5-6600K Tested".
  17. (August 5, 2022). "intel-hybrid-driver".
  18. (August 11, 2020). "VP9 decoder for Skylake? #1024".
  19. (16 October 2021). "Default Driver Build Features".
  20. (16 October 2021). "Open Source Shader Media Features".
  21. "Evolution of Hardware HEVC Encode on 10th Generation Intel® Core™".
  22. (16 October 2021). "HW Media Features".
  23. "Release Intel Media Driver Q3'2020 Release · intel/Media-driver".
  24. "Intel Arc Graphics for Creators".
  25. "Intel Lands VVC VA-API Hardware Decoding Into FFmpeg".
  26. (2018-08-20). "Intel Media For Linux".
  27. (2019-01-14). "Intel® Video and Audio for Linux*".
  28. "H.264/AVC". ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net.
  29. "HWA Tutorial on Intel GPU".
  30. "Hardware Acceleration Overview".
  31. "Using Hardware-Accelerated Streaming".
  32. "XSplit Broadcaster".
  33. "XSplit Gamecaster".
  34. "HandBrake Documentation - Intel QuickSync Video". handbrake.fr.
  35. (2018-12-22). "HandBrake 1.2.0 Released". handbrake.fr.
  36. "Open Broadcaster Software".
  37. (12 October 2021). "Intel VA-API driver readme".
  38. "Intel Quicksync generations by FFMPEG".
  39. Zak Killian. (2017-12-05). "Intel takes the lid off the full specs of its Apollo Lake NUCs". The Tech Report.
  40. (6 August 2021). "Encode and Decode Capabilities for 7th Generation Intel® Core™ Processors and Newer".
  41. (3 April 2022). "Supported Platforms".
  42. (2017-08-13). "New Features of Intel Gemini Lake Processors – HDMI 2.0, 10-bit VP9 Codec, 4-Wide Pipeline, and More". CNXSoft.
  43. (25 January 2019). "Intel Media Driver - HW Media Features".
  44. (24 December 2020). "Intel Media Driver - HW Media Features".
  45. (29 March 2022). "Intel(R) Media Driver for VAAPI - Decoding/Encoding Features".
  46. (12 October 2021). "VA-API 1.7.3 changelog".
  47. "except 4:2:2 and 4:4:4".
  48. (16 October 2021). "Hardware video acceleration - ArchWiki (VA-API drivers comparison table)".
  49. (16 October 2021). "Known Issues and Limitations #5".
  50. "Intel Details Gen11 Graphics & Sunny Cove For Icelake".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

intel-semiconductor-ip-cores video-conversion-software video-acceleration video-compression-and-decompression-asic
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Intel Quick Sync Video — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report