When the HEVC codec was announced back then, I was really excited. 4K or high-definition movies were getting bigger and bigger, and that was exactly the solution. However, as a Microsoft user, my joy didn't last long, as they couldn't reach an agreement, and the following message appeared, and I quote verbatim:

"As of April 7, 2023, Microsoft no longer offers the free version of the HEVC codec. If you play a video with HEVC directly using a built-in player on Windows 11/10, you'll have to pay €0.99 for the HEVC video extensions. Fortunately, this is a one-time purchase; as long as you purchase the extension, you can continue to enjoy HEVC videos. There are also free HEVC video extensions available."

HEVC Video Extension 2.2.33.0 | Latest version: 2.2.33.0 (28 Feb 2025) | License: Freeware
System requirements: Windows 10/11
https://codecpack.co/download/hevc-video-extensions.html

 

AV1 decoding on hardware level is, as it seems, done on the hardware. Once AV1 was available, there was AV1 decoding inside the GPU, the physical amalgamation of metals and plastic you can hold with your hands. It's not on the drivers, it's baked inside the GPU. Nvidia, for example, started supporting it on the RTX 30-series. When was that, 2022?

If you can't hardware decode AV1, your next option is software decoding, and Microsoft has that available for just as long as AV1 exists. I don't get why you are complaining about this very specific thing when that seems to be something that you don't understand.

 

Yeah, MS wants to offload the HEVC patent pool fees to you (€0.90 for HEVC on the MS Store). MS themselves likely pay a combined >$70 million / year to the HEVC patent pools (ViaLA/MPEG LA, HEVC Advance, Velos Media).

I think they're just reluctant because the patent pools have in the past suggested AV1 might violate their patents.

What's your use-case/software though? Most software should play most formats by itself without needing to install anything from the MS Store. Software decoding is very, very fast in any case.

 

I was under the same expression so I purchased that 1 quids decoder, turns out I have no need for it as WIndows 11 24H2 already has an HEVC decoder, what it doesn't have however is AV1 decoder. There's something going with AV1 which isn't normal, something's definitely off.

 

Unless you have a decoder for specified codec installed / enabled on the system, decoding is not offloaded to the dedicated decoding block, instead goes to the main GPU cores. What this does is 1 - you're not utilizing the power of your GPU and 2- the cores that should have been used to handle other tasks are now handling the video decoding. That 2x the loss (without a decoder)

Why users don't notice this while playing multimedia on their systems is that most popular decoders are already packed / enabled with Windows images. That's the catch here, while Windows media foundation already has pretty much everything, for some reason it lacks AV1.

This is not a complaint as I can get around this myself, this is more of a criticism and rant. Complain is when somebody is actually listening and has the authority / ability to resolve it.

As mentioned previously, this is not about decoding, that was just an example. There are far many things wrong with modern day Windows that effect more severely than video decoding.

Please, lets not make this about video decoding, derailing the thread.

 

I hope you don't mind that I wanted to get to the bottom of the matter using AI:

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

I get the frustration—nothing worse than dropping cash on a codec pack only to find out half of it was already covered, then hitting a wall on the next one. Sounds like you snagged the cheap HEVC extension (which is free from the Microsoft Store these days anyway), but good news there: Windows 11 24H2 does indeed bundle native HEVC decoding right out of the box via Media Foundation, so no extra install needed for that in most scenarios.

On the AV1 front, you're not wrong that it's a bit of a weird spot right now—adoption has been patchy despite it being a royalty-free beast for efficiency (up to 30% better compression than H.265 at similar quality). Windows 11 has had software AV1 decoding baked in since version 21H1 (via the OS-level decoder), so basic playback should work in apps like Movies & TV, Edge, or VLC without much fuss. But hardware-accelerated AV1 decoding? That's where things get "off"—it relies on your GPU:



GPU Vendor Minimum for AV1 Decode Notes
Intel Arc (Alchemist) or Core 12th Gen+ iGPU Full support in 24H2 with latest drivers.
AMD RX 6000 series+ Solid, but ensure Radeon Software is up to date.
NVIDIA RTX 30 series+ (Ada Lovelace for best perf) Works great, but older cards fall back to CPU.

If your hardware doesn't qualify, it'll default to CPU decoding, which can chew through battery life or stutter on high-res streams (e.g., 4K YouTube AV1). Microsoft finally included the free AV1 Video Extension as a default "inbox" app in 24H2 fresh installs (rolled out fully by mid-2025), which enables hardware accel where available and smooths out compatibility for system apps. If you're on an upgrade (not a clean install), it might not have auto-installed—grab it from the Microsoft Store (search "AV1 Video Extension," it's free and tiny).

Quick fixes to test:

1. Install the extension: Open Microsoft Store > Search "AV1" > Install. Restart any media apps.
2. Check hardware support: Run dxdiag (search in Start menu), go to Display tab—look for "AV1" under video codecs or drivers. Or use VLC's Tools > Codec Information on an AV1 file to see if it's using GPU.
3. Player tweaks: VLC or MPC-HC have their own AV1 decoders (libdav1d for software fallback). For browser stuff, ensure Chrome/Edge are updated—they've had AV1 since 2020.
4. Driver update: Grab the latest from your GPU maker (GeForce Experience, Adrenalin, Intel Arc Control). 24H2's WDDM 3.2 pushes better AV1 encoding too, but decoding benefits from it indirectly.

If it's still borked after that (e.g., black screens or errors), drop your GPU model/system specs—could be a driver quirk or app-specific issue. AV1's "off" vibe is mostly growing pains from the ecosystem catching up, but it's getting there fast for streaming efficiency. What app/format are you trying to play where it's failing?

 

ASIO? Wow. So outdated. MS needs a better alternative!

 

It is a very simple system: does your GPU have hardware decoding? If yes, then you don't need anything. If not, you need to get a software decoder (that Microsoft has available or most likely your player comes with). Want it done on the GPU/CPU (if Intel) video side? Get one that has it (any from the last few years). Other than that, you're doing software decoding and that will never happen on the same place your GPU native decoders and encoders live, because they can't (since it is a physical piece inside the hardware).

 

Outdated compared to what?