Intel's implementation of HEVC (H.265) encoding and decoding has evolved significantly across processor generations, primarily through its (QSV) technology. The first generation to support hardware-accelerated HEVC encoding and decoding was the 6th generation Intel Core processors, codenamed Skylake, which introduced full fixed-function HEVC 8-bit 4:2:0 decoding and encoding acceleration. This support was extended to include HEVC 10-bit decoding and encoding with the 7th generation Kaby Lake and subsequent microarchitectures, including Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake, and Comet Lake.
The Ice Lake microarchitecture further enhanced HEVC capabilities by adding support for 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, HDR10 Tone Mapping, and improved encoding quality.
Subsequent generations, such as Tiger Lake, Rocket Lake, Alder Lake, and Raptor Lake, expanded support to include HEVC 12-bit 4:2:0, 4:2:2, and 4:4:4 decoding, along with native AV1 decode support for 10-bit 4:2:0 8K, 4K, and 2K video. The Intel Arc Alchemist discrete GPUs added 8K 10-bit AV1 hardware encoding, while the upcoming Lunar Lake is expected to support VVC hardware decoding.
For processors, hardware-accelerated HEVC encoding is available on any Skylake-based processor with integrated graphics, including Intel Xeon E3-1500 v5 series and 6th generation Intel Core processors.
Kaby Lake processors support 10-bit hardware-accelerated encoding. The implementation uses fixed-function units on the GPU for hardware-accelerated encoding, which is distinct from GPU-accelerated plugins that utilize general-purpose execution units, particularly on earlier generations like Broadwell. This fixed-function approach provides better performance and efficiency compared to software-based or GPU-accelerated alternatives.
Intel has also focused on improving the video quality of its hardware HEVC encoders, with significant enhancements observed in the 10th generation Intel Core processors through new logic and better configuration flexibility.
The quality of hardware encoding is now evaluated using standardized methodologies, such as those used by JCTVC, and compared against software encoders like HMTest and x265. These improvements ensure that hardware-accelerated HEVC encoding delivers high-quality results suitable for professional video creation and distribution.
Operating system support for Quick Sync Video is available across Windows, Linux, and macOS, with drivers and APIs such as VA-API, DXVA, and OpenMAX IL enabling access to the hardware acceleration.
Software applications like HandBrake, Plex, Jellyfin, and Adobe Premiere Pro leverage this technology for efficient video transcoding.