搭载Kaby Lake处理器的macOS High Sierra设备能否配置FFmpeg实现HEVC硬件编码？

Hey there! Let's tackle your questions about FFmpeg and HEVC hardware acceleration on your Kaby Lake MacBook Pro running macOS High Sierra (10.12). I’ve worked through similar setups before, so here’s what you need to know:

Absolutely—this is not only possible, but it’s the go-to way for fast, low-CPU HEVC encoding on macOS. Here’s how it works:

• VideoToolbox vs libx265: libx265 is a pure software encoder that produces great quality but eats up a ton of CPU and is slow. VideoToolbox leverages your Kaby Lake processor’s Intel Quick Sync Video hardware to handle HEVC encoding, which is drastically faster and leaves your CPU free for other tasks.
• Easy setup with Homebrew: If you install FFmpeg via Homebrew (the simplest method for macOS), it comes pre-configured with VideoToolbox support. Just run:

  brew install ffmpeg
  

• Sample encoding command: Replace libx265 with the hevc_videotoolbox encoder in your FFmpeg command. For example:

  ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v hevc_videotoolbox -b:v 4M -tag:v hvc1 output_hevc.mp4
  

  The -tag:v hvc1 flag ensures compatibility with more players and devices (some tools require this tag to recognize HEVC content properly).

Yes, full hardware-accelerated HEVC transcoding is supported, and it’s game-changing for speed. This means both decoding the input video and encoding the output HEVC file will use your Kaby Lake’s hardware, rather than relying on CPU power.

• Sample hardware-accelerated transcoding command: For example, converting an H.264 video to HEVC with full hardware acceleration:

  ffmpeg -c:v h264_videotoolbox -i input_h264.mp4 -c:v hevc_videotoolbox -b:v 3M -tag:v hvc1 output_hevc.mp4
  

  Here, -c:v h264_videotoolbox enables hardware decoding for the input H.264 file, and hevc_videotoolbox handles hardware encoding for the HEVC output.
• HEVC-to-HEVC transcoding: If you’re adjusting the bitrate/resolution of an existing HEVC file, use hevc_videotoolbox for both decoding and encoding:

  ffmpeg -c:v hevc_videotoolbox -i input_hevc.mp4 -c:v hevc_videotoolbox -b:v 2M -tag:v hvc1 output_hevc_lowbitrate.mp4
  

• Custom compilation: If you need to build FFmpeg from source (for specific features), make sure to add the --enable-videotoolbox flag to your configure command to enable hardware acceleration support.
• Profile support: Kaby Lake’s hardware encoding supports the HEVC Main Profile, which covers most everyday use cases. For Main 10 (10-bit) encoding, check your macOS version—High Sierra/Sierra should support it, but you may need to add additional parameters like -profile:v main10 if needed.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Misha