FFmpeg 6.0 “Von Neumann” Released with New Encoders, Decoders, Filters, and ABI Versioning

FFmpeg 6.0 “Von Neumann” has been officially released, bringing a large number of new encoders, decoders, filters, and improvements to the FFmpeg command‑line interface.

The release changes the distribution model: every major version now increments the ABI version and a major release is planned each year, while deprecated APIs will be removed after three versions and the final minor release of a major version will be an LTS.

New decoders added include Bonk, RKA, Radiance, SC‑4, APAC, VQC, WavArc and several ADPCM formats, and QSV and NVENC now support AV1 encoding. CLI performance is enhanced with threading, new statistics options, and the ability to pass option values from files to filters. New audio and video filters such as arc, showcwt, backgroundkey, ssim360 and various hardware filters are also introduced.

Additional updates comprise new FFT and MDCT implementations, extensive bug fixes, improved ICC profile handling and color‑space processing, many RISC‑V vector and scalar assembly optimizations, and a revised API. Vulkan improvements and further FFT optimizations are slated for the upcoming 6.1 minor release.

Radiance HDR image support

ddagrab (Desktop Duplication) video capture filter

ffmpeg -shortest_buf_duration option

Threaded building and per‑muxer threading

New mode for cropdetect filter using motion vectors and edge detection

VAAPI decode/encode for 10/12‑bit 422/444 HEVC and VP9

WBMP image format support

a3dscope filter

Bonk decoder and demuxer

Micronas SC‑4 audio decoder

LAF demuxer

APAC decoder and demuxer

Media 100i decoder

DTS to PTS reorder bsf

ViewQuest VQC decoder

backgroundkey filter

NVENC AV1 encoding support

MediaCodec encoder

oneVPL support for QSV

QSV AV1 encoder

10/12‑bit 422/444 HEVC and VP9 QSV decode/encode

showcwt multimedia filter

corr video filter

adrc audio filter

afdelaysrc audio filter

WADY DPCM decoder and demuxer

CBD2 DPCM decoder

ssim360 video filter

New CLI options: -stats_enc_pre, -stats_enc_post, -stats_mux_pre

hstack_vaapi, vstack_vaapi, xstack_vaapi filters

XMD ADPCM decoder and demuxer

media100 to mjpegb bsf

CLI option -fix_sub_duration_heartbeat

WavArc decoder and demuxer

Deprecation of CrystalHD decoder

SDNS demuxer

RKA decoder and demuxer

Filtergraph syntax now allows file contents as option values using a leading '/'

hstack_qsv, vstack_qsv, xstack_qsv filters

FFmpeg 6.0 can be downloaded from http://www.ffmpeg.org/download.html#release_6.0 .

The article also contains promotional links to other technology topics such as ChatGPT, HarmonyOS on PCs, Flash usage, Linux CPU utilization, and a discussion about a major open‑source project leak.