> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/jellyfin/jellyfin/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Transcoding Configuration

> Configure media transcoding, codecs, quality settings, and encoding options

Transcoding allows Jellyfin to convert media on-the-fly to formats compatible with client devices. Proper configuration ensures optimal quality, performance, and compatibility.

## Encoding Configuration File

Transcoding settings are stored in `encoding.xml`:

```bash theme={null}
/var/lib/jellyfin/config/encoding.xml
```

## FFmpeg Configuration

### FFmpeg Path

Jellyfin requires FFmpeg for transcoding. Configure the path:

```xml theme={null}
<EncoderAppPath>/usr/bin/ffmpeg</EncoderAppPath>
<EncoderAppPathDisplay>/usr/bin/ffmpeg</EncoderAppPathDisplay>
```

* `EncoderAppPath`: Path set by user via UI
* `EncoderAppPathDisplay`: Currently used path displayed on transcode page

<Info>Jellyfin automatically detects FFmpeg if installed in standard locations.</Info>

### FFmpeg Probe Settings

Configure via environment variables:

```bash theme={null}
JELLYFIN_FFmpeg_probesize=1G
JELLYFIN_FFmpeg_analyzeduration=200M
```

These settings control how FFmpeg analyzes media files:

* `probesize`: Amount of data to analyze (default: 1G)
* `analyzeduration`: Duration to analyze (default: 200M)

<Tip>Increase these values for files with complex or delayed streams.</Tip>

## Video Encoding

### H.264 Encoding

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="CRF (Quality)">
    Constant Rate Factor controls encoding quality:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <H264Crf>23</H264Crf>
    ```

    * Lower values = higher quality, larger files
    * Higher values = lower quality, smaller files
    * Range: 0-51 (default: 23)
    * Recommended: 18-28
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Software Encoder">
    Default software encoder: `libx264`

    ```xml theme={null}
    <EnableHardwareEncoding>false</EnableHardwareEncoding>
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Hardware Encoders">
    Available hardware H.264 encoders:

    * `h264_nvenc` (NVIDIA)
    * `h264_qsv` (Intel Quick Sync)
    * `h264_amf` (AMD)
    * `h264_vaapi` (VA-API)
    * `h264_videotoolbox` (Apple)
    * `h264_v4l2m2m` (Video4Linux)
    * `h264_rkmpp` (Rockchip)
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### H.265/HEVC Encoding

```xml theme={null}
<H265Crf>28</H265Crf>
<AllowHevcEncoding>false</AllowHevcEncoding>
```

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enable HEVC">
    HEVC provides better compression but requires more processing:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <AllowHevcEncoding>true</AllowHevcEncoding>
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="CRF Configuration">
    HEVC typically uses higher CRF values than H.264:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <H265Crf>28</H265Crf>
    ```

    * Default: 28
    * Recommended: 24-32
    * CRF 28 (HEVC) ≈ CRF 23 (H.264) in quality
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hardware Support">
    Ensure client devices support HEVC decoding before enabling.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### AV1 Encoding

```xml theme={null}
<AllowAv1Encoding>false</AllowAv1Encoding>
```

AV1 provides excellent compression but is computationally intensive:

```xml theme={null}
<AllowAv1Encoding>true</AllowAv1Encoding>
```

<Warning>AV1 encoding requires significant CPU/GPU resources and is slower than H.264/HEVC.</Warning>

### Encoder Presets

```xml theme={null}
<EncoderPreset>veryfast</EncoderPreset>
```

Available presets (from fastest to slowest):

* `ultrafast` - Fastest, lowest quality
* `superfast`
* `veryfast` - Good balance for real-time transcoding
* `faster`
* `fast`
* `medium` - Default, balanced quality/speed
* `slow`
* `slower`
* `veryslow` - Best quality, very slow

<Tip>For real-time transcoding, use `veryfast` or `faster`. For offline encoding, use `slow` or `slower`.</Tip>

## Audio Encoding

### Audio VBR

```xml theme={null}
<EnableAudioVbr>false</EnableAudioVbr>
```

Variable Bit Rate for audio encoding provides better quality at lower bitrates.

### Downmixing Configuration

```xml theme={null}
<DownMixAudioBoost>2</DownMixAudioBoost>
<DownMixStereoAlgorithm>None</DownMixStereoAlgorithm>
```

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Audio Boost">
    Apply volume boost when downmixing surround to stereo:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <DownMixAudioBoost>2</DownMixAudioBoost>
    ```

    * Range: 0-10
    * Default: 2
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Downmix Algorithm">
    Choose stereo downmix algorithm:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <DownMixStereoAlgorithm>None</DownMixStereoAlgorithm>
    ```

    Options:

    * `None` - FFmpeg default
    * `Dave750` - Dave750 algorithm
    * `NightMode` - Night mode compression
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Audio Codec Limitations

Jellyfin enforces channel limits for certain encoders:

| Codec       | Max Channels |
| ----------- | ------------ |
| libmp3lame  | 2 (stereo)   |
| libfdk\_aac | 6 (5.1)      |
| ac3         | 6 (5.1)      |
| eac3        | 6 (5.1)      |
| AAC         | 8            |
| FLAC        | 8            |
| ALAC        | 8            |
| Opus        | 8            |
| Vorbis      | 8            |

## Transcoding Behavior

### Threading

```xml theme={null}
<EncodingThreadCount>-1</EncodingThreadCount>
```

* `-1`: Auto (uses all available CPU cores)
* `0`: FFmpeg default
* `1-N`: Specific thread count

<Info>Setting to -1 allows FFmpeg to utilize all CPU resources for faster transcoding.</Info>

### Throttling

```xml theme={null}
<EnableThrottling>false</EnableThrottling>
<ThrottleDelaySeconds>180</ThrottleDelaySeconds>
```

<Warning>Throttling is deprecated and disabled by default. Modern clients handle buffering automatically.</Warning>

### Segment Management

```xml theme={null}
<EnableSegmentDeletion>false</EnableSegmentDeletion>
<SegmentKeepSeconds>720</SegmentKeepSeconds>
```

For HLS streaming, configure segment retention:

* `EnableSegmentDeletion`: Auto-delete old segments
* `SegmentKeepSeconds`: How long to keep segments (default: 720)

### Muxing Queue

```xml theme={null}
<MaxMuxingQueueSize>2048</MaxMuxingQueueSize>
```

Buffer size for muxing operations (default: 2048).

## Temporary Transcoding Path

```xml theme={null}
<TranscodingTempPath>/var/lib/jellyfin/transcodes</TranscodingTempPath>
```

Specify where temporary transcode files are stored:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Default Location">
    If not specified, uses system temp directory.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fast Storage">
    Use SSD or RAM disk for better performance:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <TranscodingTempPath>/mnt/ramdisk/jellyfin-transcodes</TranscodingTempPath>
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Disk Space">
    Ensure adequate space (4K transcoding can use 10-20 GB temporarily).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>Using a RAM disk for transcoding significantly improves performance and reduces SSD wear.</Tip>

## Subtitle Configuration

### Subtitle Extraction

```xml theme={null}
<EnableSubtitleExtraction>true</EnableSubtitleExtraction>
<SubtitleExtractionTimeoutMinutes>30</SubtitleExtractionTimeoutMinutes>
```

Configure how subtitles are extracted from media:

* `EnableSubtitleExtraction`: Allow extracting embedded subtitles
* `SubtitleExtractionTimeoutMinutes`: Maximum time to spend extracting

### Fallback Fonts

```xml theme={null}
<EnableFallbackFont>false</EnableFallbackFont>
<FallbackFontPath>/usr/share/fonts/truetype/dejavu/DejaVuSans.ttf</FallbackFontPath>
```

Specify fallback font for subtitle rendering.

## Hardware Decoding

### Codec Selection

```xml theme={null}
<HardwareDecodingCodecs>
  <string>h264</string>
  <string>vc1</string>
</HardwareDecodingCodecs>
```

Specify which codecs use hardware decoding:

* `h264` - H.264/AVC
* `hevc` - H.265/HEVC
* `vc1` - VC-1
* `mpeg2video` - MPEG-2
* `vp8` - VP8
* `vp9` - VP9
* `av1` - AV1

### Advanced Decoding Options

```xml theme={null}
<EnableDecodingColorDepth10Hevc>true</EnableDecodingColorDepth10Hevc>
<EnableDecodingColorDepth10Vp9>true</EnableDecodingColorDepth10Vp9>
<EnableDecodingColorDepth10HevcRext>false</EnableDecodingColorDepth10HevcRext>
<EnableDecodingColorDepth12HevcRext>false</EnableDecodingColorDepth12HevcRext>
```

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="10-bit HEVC">
    Enable hardware decoding for 10-bit HEVC:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <EnableDecodingColorDepth10Hevc>true</EnableDecodingColorDepth10Hevc>
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="10-bit VP9">
    Enable hardware decoding for 10-bit VP9:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <EnableDecodingColorDepth10Vp9>true</EnableDecodingColorDepth10Vp9>
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="HEVC RExt">
    Advanced HEVC profiles (Range Extensions):

    ```xml theme={null}
    <EnableDecodingColorDepth10HevcRext>false</EnableDecodingColorDepth10HevcRext>
    <EnableDecodingColorDepth12HevcRext>false</EnableDecodingColorDepth12HevcRext>
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### NVIDIA Enhanced Decoder

```xml theme={null}
<EnableEnhancedNvdecDecoder>true</EnableEnhancedNvdecDecoder>
```

Enables enhanced NVDEC for Dolby Vision to SDR tone mapping.

### System Native Decoder

```xml theme={null}
<PreferSystemNativeHwDecoder>true</PreferSystemNativeHwDecoder>
```

Prefer OS-native hardware decoder (e.g., VideoToolbox on macOS).

## Deinterlacing

```xml theme={null}
<DeinterlaceDoubleRate>false</DeinterlaceDoubleRate>
<DeinterlaceMethod>yadif</DeinterlaceMethod>
```

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Method">
    Available deinterlacing algorithms:

    * `yadif` - Yet Another Deinterlacing Filter (recommended)
    * `bwdif` - Bob Weaver Deinterlacing Filter

    ```xml theme={null}
    <DeinterlaceMethod>yadif</DeinterlaceMethod>
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Double Rate">
    Output at double framerate:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <DeinterlaceDoubleRate>true</DeinterlaceDoubleRate>
    ```

    * `false`: 60i → 30p
    * `true`: 60i → 60p
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Tone Mapping

### Basic Tone Mapping

```xml theme={null}
<EnableTonemapping>false</EnableTonemapping>
<TonemappingAlgorithm>bt2390</TonemappingAlgorithm>
<TonemappingMode>auto</TonemappingMode>
<TonemappingRange>auto</TonemappingRange>
```

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enable Tone Mapping">
    Convert HDR content to SDR:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <EnableTonemapping>true</EnableTonemapping>
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Algorithm Selection">
    Choose tone mapping algorithm:

    ```xml theme={null}
    <TonemappingAlgorithm>bt2390</TonemappingAlgorithm>
    ```

    Options:

    * `bt2390` - ITU-R BT.2390 (recommended)
    * `hable` - Hable/Uncharted
    * `mobius` - Mobius
    * `reinhard` - Reinhard
  </Step>

  <Step title="Mode Configuration">
    ```xml theme={null}
    <TonemappingMode>auto</TonemappingMode>
    <TonemappingRange>auto</TonemappingRange>
    ```

    Both default to `auto` for automatic detection.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Tone Mapping Parameters

```xml theme={null}
<TonemappingDesat>0</TonemappingDesat>
<TonemappingPeak>100</TonemappingPeak>
<TonemappingParam>0</TonemappingParam>
```

* `TonemappingDesat`: Desaturation strength (default: 0)
* `TonemappingPeak`: Peak luminance in nits (default: 100)
* `TonemappingParam`: Algorithm-specific parameter (default: 0)

### Hardware-Specific Tone Mapping

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Intel VPP">
    ```xml theme={null}
    <EnableVppTonemapping>false</EnableVppTonemapping>
    <VppTonemappingBrightness>16</VppTonemappingBrightness>
    <VppTonemappingContrast>1</VppTonemappingContrast>
    ```

    Intel Video Post Processing tone mapping.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Apple VideoToolbox">
    ```xml theme={null}
    <EnableVideoToolboxTonemapping>false</EnableVideoToolboxTonemapping>
    ```

    macOS/iOS hardware tone mapping.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Intel Quick Sync Configuration

```xml theme={null}
<QsvDevice></QsvDevice>
<EnableIntelLowPowerH264HwEncoder>false</EnableIntelLowPowerH264HwEncoder>
<EnableIntelLowPowerHevcHwEncoder>false</EnableIntelLowPowerHevcHwEncoder>
```

<Steps>
  <Step title="QSV Device">
    Specify QSV device (usually auto-detected):

    ```xml theme={null}
    <QsvDevice></QsvDevice>
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Low Power Mode">
    Enable low power encoding (Xe+ architecture):

    ```xml theme={null}
    <EnableIntelLowPowerH264HwEncoder>true</EnableIntelLowPowerH264HwEncoder>
    <EnableIntelLowPowerHevcHwEncoder>true</EnableIntelLowPowerHevcHwEncoder>
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## HLS Audio Seeking

```xml theme={null}
<HlsAudioSeekStrategy>DisableAccurateSeek</HlsAudioSeekStrategy>
```

Configure HLS audio seeking behavior:

* `DisableAccurateSeek` - Faster seeking, less accurate (default)
* `EnableAccurateSeek` - Slower seeking, more accurate

## Keyframe Extraction

```xml theme={null}
<AllowOnDemandMetadataBasedKeyframeExtractionForExtensions>
  <string>mkv</string>
</AllowOnDemandMetadataBasedKeyframeExtractionForExtensions>
```

Enable on-demand keyframe extraction for trickplay thumbnails in specific formats.

## Performance Optimization

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Use Hardware Encoding" icon="microchip">
    Enable hardware acceleration for 10-20x faster transcoding with lower CPU usage.
  </Card>

  <Card title="RAM Disk for Transcodes" icon="memory">
    Store temporary transcodes in RAM disk for faster I/O and reduced disk wear.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Optimize Thread Count" icon="server">
    Set `EncodingThreadCount` to -1 to use all CPU cores efficiently.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Adjust CRF Values" icon="sliders">
    Balance quality and performance by tuning CRF settings for your use case.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<Steps>
  <Step title="Transcoding Fails">
    Check:

    * FFmpeg is installed and path is correct
    * Sufficient disk space in transcode directory
    * Encoding settings are compatible with source media
  </Step>

  <Step title="Poor Quality Output">
    Adjust:

    * Lower CRF values for better quality
    * Use slower encoder preset
    * Increase bitrate limits
  </Step>

  <Step title="Slow Transcoding">
    Optimize:

    * Enable hardware encoding
    * Use faster encoder preset
    * Reduce thread count if CPU is overloaded
  </Step>

  <Step title="Audio Out of Sync">
    Verify:

    * Source file is not corrupted
    * Audio downmix settings are appropriate
    * HLS audio seek strategy is suitable
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Hardware Acceleration" icon="microchip" href="./hardware-acceleration">
    Set up GPU acceleration for optimal performance
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration" icon="gear" href="./configuration">
    Review general server configuration options
  </Card>
</CardGroup>