Open source video editor Kdenlive, powered by FFmpeg, surpasses DaVinci Resolve on Linux by offering smooth AAC audio decoding without costly licences or extra steps.
Kdenlive, the free and open source (FOSS) video editor, has taken the lead over DaVinci Resolve (Studio) on Linux, thanks to seamless AAC audio decoding powered by the open-source FFmpeg framework.
The AAC codec, which replaced MP3 in 1997, remains the standard format for audio embedded in H.264 and H.265 video files. However, Linux users of DaVinci Resolve face silent audio tracks when importing such footage, as Blackmagic’s software lacks built-in AAC decoding support. Unlike macOS and Windows, where Apple and Microsoft privately secured AAC decoding licences from the predecessor of Via Licensing Corp (Via-LA), no such arrangement exists for Linux, whose distributions are primarily FOSS.
To work around the issue, Resolve users must extract and transcode AAC audio separately before re-importing it, a time-consuming process. Kdenlive, by contrast, leverages FFmpeg to decode AAC on-the-fly, allowing users to import files directly with no silence or conversion required. Both Kdenlive and FFmpeg are open source, ensuring a fully transparent and licence-free audio processing pipeline.
While DaVinci Resolve Studio costs USD 295, it still lacks full feature parity on Linux. Kdenlive, meanwhile, delivers the same functionality at no cost, underscoring the capability and innovation of open-source software.
Allan Tépper, author and technical journalist, noted, “If Blackmagic is listening or reading, please consider improving your Linux versions of DaVinci Resolve Studio by leveraging the FFmpeg libraries at least for AAC decoding… we will keep reminding you about it until it’s solved, one way or another.”
