FFmpeg 7.0 released with experimental VCC decoder, IAMF support and multithreaded CLI tool

FFmpeg, the renowned cross-platform software for recording, converting, and streaming audio and video, has rolled out its 7.0 version, aptly code-named “Dijkstra”. This new version brings in a host of new features and enhancements.

The significant updates that users will find beneficial include a native VVC decoder, currently in the experimental stage, IAMF support, and a multithreaded FFmpeg CLI tool. However, users should note that this release is not backwards compatible, eliminating APIs that were deprecated prior to the 6.0 version.

The most substantial shift for library callers is the removal of the old bitmask-based channel layout API, which has been replaced by the AVChannelLayout API. This new feature allows for custom channel ordering and Ambisonics. In addition, some deprecated FFmpeg CLI options have been removed. A C11-compliant compiler is now mandatory for building the code.

As with previous releases, version 7.0 also introduces a variety of new supported formats and codecs, new filters, APIs, and numerous smaller features and bug fixes.