FFmpeg 8.0 delivers Vulkan-based video processing and AI transcription, proving how open source continues to outpace proprietary media tech.
FFmpeg, the widely used open source media engine powering countless video tools on Linux and beyond, has released version 8.0 — described by its developers as the “largest release yet” thanks to major feature additions and infrastructure modernisation.
The headline addition is Vulkan compute-based codecs, offering an open, GPU-agnostic alternative to hardware-locked accelerators for video decoding and encoding. Built on compute shaders compatible with any Vulkan 1.3 GPU, this approach enables FFv1 (encode/decode) and ProRes RAW (decode only), with upcoming support for ProRes (encode/decode) and VC-2. The feature delivers significant speedups depending on hardware and is poised to benefit video editors, streamers, and screen recording tools.
Another standout is the new Whisper AI filter, which brings built-in audio transcription and automatic subtitle generation for videos and podcasts, democratising advanced AI-powered features for content creators.
FFmpeg 8.0 also expands codec support, adding decoders for APV, ProRes RAW, RealVideo 6.0, Sanyo LD-ADPCM, and G.728, alongside hardware-accelerated decoding for Vulkan VP9, VAAPI VVC, and OpenHarmony H264/5. Hardware-accelerated encoding is introduced for Vulkan AV1 and OpenHarmony H264/5.
The release further boosts GPU efficiency with a d3d11 hardware scaling filter, enabling faster video resizing, and introduces support for new formats including MCC, Whip, APV, and G.728.
Beyond features, FFmpeg has modernised its infrastructure, upgraded mailing lists, and launched a new platform for community contributions at code.ffmpeg.org, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable open development.
Source code for FFmpeg 8.0 is available now, though mainstream Linux distributions may take time to package it. Flatpak, Snap, and AppImage apps often bundle their own FFmpeg builds, meaning users eager to explore the new features may need to compile or install directly.
