OBS Studio 29.0 launches with AV1 Encoder support on these AMD and Intel GPUs

The OBS Project has announced the availability of OBS Studio 29.0 for Windows and macOS. The Linux version is still on 28.1.2 but hopefully, that’ll change soon. The most notable features in this update include AMD AV1 Encoder support for the RX7000 series GPUs on Windows, Intel AV1 Encoder support for Arc GPUs on Windows, and Intel HEVC Encoder support on Windows. While these are the key highlights, there are plenty more features, improvements, and bug fixes in this update.

OBS Studio 29.0 has been undergoing testing since at least November 23 when the Beta builds became available for testing. Before getting the final release, OBS Studio went through three Beta releases so many issues should have been addressed over the last several weeks.

The full release notes are as follows:

Features

• Added support for the AMD AV1 Encoder for the RX7000 series GPUs on Windows [AMD/Jim]
• Added support for the Intel AV1 Encoder for Arc GPUs on Windows [Intel/Jim]
  • Note: CQP is available but not fully supported
• Added support for the Intel HEVC Encoder on Windows [yuriy-chumak/rcdrone/Jim]
• Added an upward compressor filter [pkv]
• Added a 3-band equalizer filter [Jim]
• Added support for native HEVC and ProRes encoders on macOS, including P010 and HDR [Developer-Ecosystem-Engineering/PatTheMav/gxalpha]
• Added support for macOS Desk View [Developer-Ecosystem-Engineering]
• Added update channels for opting into receiving beta/release-candidate builds to Windows [Rodney]
  • Work is still underway to get everything ready on the server side, updating via the built-in updater may not be available until later in the OBS 30.0 beta-testing period
• Websockets updated to 5.1.0, which has a number of bug fixes, UI improvements, and new stream reconnect events. [tt2468]

Tweaks and Improvements

• The Replay Buffer's memory limit is now set to 75% of installed system RAM rather than fixed to 8GB [Rodney]
• Added media key support in Linux [kkartaltepe]
• Various improvements to NVIDIA Video and Audio filters, including a Mask Refresh slider and support for temporal processing, which provides better quality masking [pkv]
• Improved Display Capture screen naming & saving on Windows; indexes should now match regardless of Mode, and reconnected displays should show the correct monitor [jpark37]
  • Note: This does mean existing Display Capture sources will be blank until manually configured, to avoid showing the wrong display
• Added support for encryption and authentication for SRT and RIST outputs [pkv]
• Disabled ScreenCaptureKit Display & App capture on macOS 12 due to various issues; users should either update to macOS 13 or use the existing Screen Capture source [PatTheMav]
• Removed the automatic numbering on Multiview labels [Warchamp7]
• Added the ability to mute individual browser docks [WizardCM]
• Added the ability to right click and 'Inspect' individual browser docks [WizardCM]
• Changed the default Simple Output NVENC preset to P5 for better compatibility & performance [RytoEX]
• Added support for higher refresh rates in the Video Capture Device source on Windows [WizardCM/EposVox]
• Added the Apple VT Hardware encoder to the Auto Configuration Wizard [gxalpha]
• Improved FFmpeg VA-API enablement by directly using Libva to check device capabilities [tytan652]
• Various minor UX/accessibility tweaks in the UI [Warchamp7/cg2121]
• Raised the speed at which dynamic bitrate recovers after a drop [Jim]
• Audio should now be automatically captured for most capture card brands using the Video Capture Device source on Windows [WizardCM/EposVox]
• Added a slide counter to the Source Toolbar when an Image Slide Show is selected [cg2121]

Bug Fixes

• Fixed issues with async filters (such as Delay) not rendering correctly [jpark37]
• Various performance improvements to Decklink preview output [jpark37]
• Fixed an issue where source Projector windows wouldn't close when a source was deleted [cg2121]
• Fixed an issue where cursors would disappear or display incorrectly on screen captures on Windows [caesay]
• Fixed issues with CQP rate control for SVT and AOM AV1 encoders [flaeri]
• Fixed an issue with CQP rate control for AMD HEVC and H264 [flaeri]
• Fixed Virtual Camera not working with Webex and GoToMeeting [Jim]
• Fixed capturing UHD/4K YUV on the AJA Kona HDMI [paulh-aja]
• Fixed a bug where slideshow sources wouldn't remove cleared files when removing missing files [gxalpha]
• Fixed slideshow counter on the source context toolbar showing "1/0" when empty, now shows "-/-" instead [cg2121]
• Fixed chroma location for VAAPI [jpark37]
• Fixed a case where macOS' VideoToolBox HEVC encoder would be parsed as AVC [jpark37]
• Allow SRT streams to disconnect after timeout [pkv]
• Fixed colour space being incorrect for some video devices running in MJPEG video format on Windows [jpark37]
• Fixed monitor names in the Fullscreen Projector & Multiview menus on Windows [WizardCM]

To begin using OBS Studio 29.0, just head over to the OBS Project website and download the correct version for your operating system.

OBS Studio 29.0 launches with AV1 Encoder support on these AMD and Intel GPUs