1963910 - (hevc-windows-support) HEVC support is not pre-installed by default on all Windows versions

Status: NEW

(Core :: Audio/Video: Playback, defect, P3)

Description

[Alastor Wu [:alwu][PTO until March 2nd]]

Based on [1], HEVC support is available on Windows 10 versions prior to 1709 (i.e., after version 1507 but before 1709), and again starting with Windows 11 version 22H2.

Therefore, users running Windows 10 version 1709 or later, or an earlier version of Windows 11 (before 22H2), will not be able to play HEVC content by default, as the required extension is not pre-installed by Microsoft.

Since Firefox relies on the HEVC Video Extensions via the Windows Media Foundation, these users will need to either update their Windows version or purchase the HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store to enable playback.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Efficiency_Video_Coding#:~:text=Notes%20%20,120

Comment 1

[jochemla]

Same here, resolution was not obvious at all.

Although I'm on Windows 11 Po N, 23H2, plus I had Media Feature Pack and K-Lite Codec Mega Pack installed, I had to buy the Microsoft HEVC extension licence on the msft store. There is also an alternative method if your GPU supports hardware decoding of the HEVC codec here

Comment 4

[Jeff Muizelaar [:jrmuizel]]

Alastor, can we get some telemetry to figure out how common this configuration is?

Comment 5

[Alastor Wu [:alwu][PTO until March 2nd]]

Filed bug 1990057.

Comment 6

[BugBot [:suhaib / :marco/ :calixte]]

The severity field is not set for this bug.
:jimm, could you have a look please?

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