# FFmpeg 8.1 "Hoare" released with Vulkan compute codecs and D3D12 support

> **Key takeaway:** FFmpeg 8.1 introduces Vulkan compute-based ProRes and DPX support, along with expanded D3D12 hardware acceleration filters.

**Published:** 2026-10-24T15:04:16.093864+00:00 
**Source:** FFmpeg Official News & Releases 
**Category:** foss-apps 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/ffmpeg-81-hoare-released-with-vulkan-compute-codecs-and-d3d1.html 

## Summary
FFmpeg 8.1, codenamed "Hoare", has been officially released, bringing significant updates to hardware acceleration and codec support. Key improvements include Vulkan compute-based encoding and decoding for ProRes and DPX, and new D3D12 filters for H.264/AV1 encoding and deinterlacing. The release also adds Rockchip H.264/HEVC hardware encoding and experimental xHE-AAC Mps212 decoding. Additionally, the project is making progress on a major swscale rewrite and has optimized Vulkan-based components to remove runtime GLSL compilation dependencies.

## Technical advancements in FFmpeg 8.1
- **Vulkan Compute Integration:** ProRes encoding/decoding and DPX decoding now utilize Vulkan compute, with optimizations that remove runtime GLSL compilation to speed up initialization.
- **D3D12 Expansion:** New support for D3D12 H.264/AV1 encoding and specific filters including scale_d3d12, mestimate_d3d12, and deinterlace_d3d12.
- **Hardware Acceleration:** Added Rockchip H.264/HEVC hardware encoding support and experimental xHE-AAC Mps212 decoding.
- **Audio and Metadata:** Support for IAMF Ambisonic Audio Elements muxing/demuxing and LCEVC metadata parsing/forwarding.

## Why it matters
This release strengthens FFmpeg's position in cross-platform hardware acceleration, particularly through Vulkan and D3D12, benefiting developers building media tools for Linux and Windows. The move toward removing runtime GLSL compilation improves performance and reliability for high-performance video processing pipelines.