HP and Dell Disable HEVC Support in Laptops CPUs
- Rising costs and complexities surrounding High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) licenses, coupled with manufacturers dropping support for the codec, are causing frustration among users and raising questions about...
- HEVC,also known as H.265, promised significant improvements in video compression compared to its predecessor, H.264/AVC.
- To illustrate the scale of potential costs, gartner reported that in the third quarter of 2025, HP sold 15,002,000 laptops and desktops, while Dell sold 10,166,000 laptops and...
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HEVC Licensing Costs and Support Drops Spark User Concerns
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Rising costs and complexities surrounding High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) licenses, coupled with manufacturers dropping support for the codec, are causing frustration among users and raising questions about the future of video compression standards.
The HEVC Licensing Problem
HEVC,also known as H.265, promised significant improvements in video compression compared to its predecessor, H.264/AVC. Though, the licensing landscape for HEVC has been fraught with difficulties. Multiple patent pools – including MPEG LA, Velos Media, and Access Advance – claim ownership of essential HEVC patents, leading to a complex and expensive licensing structure for hardware and software developers. As of November 2023, licensing fees can reach up to $0.24 per device in the United States.
To illustrate the scale of potential costs, gartner reported that in the third quarter of 2025, HP sold 15,002,000 laptops and desktops, while Dell sold 10,166,000 laptops and desktops according to Gartner. These figures highlight the ample financial burden HEVC licensing places on manufacturers.
Synology Drops HEVC Transcoding Support
NAS (Network attached Storage) company Synology recently announced it would end support for HEVC, H.264/AVC, and VCI transcoding on its DiskStation Manager and BeeStation OS platforms as detailed in thier official proclamation. Synology justified this decision by stating that support for these video codecs is now widespread on common end-user devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, and smart TVs.
According to Synology, removing server-side transcoding for these codecs “reduces needless resource usage on the server and significantly improves media processing efficiency,” especially in environments with many users. This optimization shifts the decoding burden to client devices.
user Backlash and Concerns
Despite the technical rationale, Synology’s decision – and the broader trend of HEVC complications – has drawn criticism. Users express concern that removing support for widely available codecs will create compatibility issues and frustration, especially given the cost of “pro” level hardware. A Redditor commented, “This is pretty ridiculous, given these systems are $800+ a machine, are part of a ‘pro’ line… and more applications these days outside of Netflix and streaming TV are getting around to adopting HEVC.”
The core of the issue is that while HEVC offers better compression, the licensing costs and the increasing availability of alternative codecs like AV1 (which is royalty-free) are making HEVC less attractive for both manufacturers and consumers. AV1 is gaining traction as a viable alternative, supported by the Alliance for Open Media, a consortium including companies like Google, Apple, Netflix, and Amazon.
The Rise of AV1 and Future of Video Codecs
AV1 is emerging as a strong contender to replace HEVC. Its royalty-free nature eliminates the licensing headaches associated with HEVC, and it offers comparable or even better compression efficiency in many scenarios. However, AV1 requires more processing power to encode and decode than HEVC, which initially limited its adoption. As hardware support for AV1 improves – increasingly found in modern CPUs, GPUs, and streaming devices – its adoption is accelerating.
The move away from HEVC and towards royalty-free codecs like AV1 represents a significant shift in the video compression landscape. It highlights the importance of open standards and the challenges posed by complex and expensive licensing schemes. Manufacturers are increasingly prioritizing codecs that offer both performance and cost-effectiveness, and users are demanding compatibility and freedom from licensing restrictions.