--- name: "kvazaar" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "kvazaar" version: "2.3.2-2" release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/kvazaar" --- # kvazaar(1) open source HEVC encoder ## NAME kvazaar - open source HEVC encoder ## SYNOPSIS **kvazaar** -i \ --input-res \x\ -o \ ## DESCRIPTION ### Required: - **-i**, **--input \** **Input file** - **--input-res \** **Input resolution \[auto\]**\ **- auto: Detect from file name.**\ **- \x\: width times height** - **-o**, **--output \** **Output file** ### Presets: - **--preset \** **Set options to a preset \[medium\]**\ **- ultrafast, superfast, veryfast, faster,**\ **fast, medium, slow, slower, veryslow**\ **placebo** ### Input: - **-n**, **--frames \** **Number of frames to code \[all\]** - **--seek \** **First frame to code \[0\]** - **--input-fps \\[/\\]** **Frame rate of the input video \[25\]** - **--source-scan-type \** **Source scan type \[progressive\]**\ **- progressive: Progressive scan**\ **- tff: Top field first**\ **- bff: Bottom field first** - **--input-format \** **P420 or P400 \[P420\]** - **--input-bitdepth \** **8-16 \[8\]** - **--loop-input** **Re-read input file forever.** - **--input-file-format \** **Input file format \[auto\]**\ **- auto: Check the file ending for format**\ **- y4m (skips frame headers)**\ **- yuv** ### Options: - **--help** **Print this help message and exit.** - **--version** **Print version information and exit.** - **--(no-)aud** **Use access unit delimiters. \[disabled\]** - **--debug \** **Output internal reconstruction.** - **--(no-)cpuid** **Enable runtime CPU optimizations. \[enabled\]** - **--hash \** **Decoded picture hash \[checksum\]**\ **- none: 0 bytes**\ **- checksum: 18 bytes**\ **- md5: 56 bytes** - **--(no-)psnr** **Calculate PSNR for frames. \[enabled\]** - **--(no-)info** **Add encoder info SEI. \[enabled\]** - **--(no-)enable-logging** **Enable logging for regular encoder performance,** **error messages are always disblayed. \[enabled\]** - **--crypto \** **Selective encryption. Crypto support must be** **enabled at compile-time. Can be 'on' or 'off' or** **a list of features separated with a '+'. \[off\]**\ **- on: Enable all encryption features.**\ **- off: Disable selective encryption.**\ **- mvs: Motion vector magnitudes.**\ **- mv\_signs: Motion vector signs.**\ **- trans\_coeffs: Coefficient magnitudes.**\ **- trans\_coeff\_signs: Coefficient signs.**\ **- intra\_pred\_modes: Intra prediction modes.** - **--key \** **Encryption key \[16,213,27,56,255,127,242,112,**\ **97,126,197,204,25,59,38,30\]** - **--stats-file-prefix** **A prefix used for stats files that include** **bits, lambda, distortion, and qp for each ctu.** **These are meant for debugging and are not** **written unless the prefix is defined.** ### Video structure: - **-q**, **--qp \** **Quantization parameter \[22\]** - **-p**, **--period \** **Period of intra pictures \[64\]**\ **- 0: Only first picture is intra.**\ **- 1: All pictures are intra.**\ **- N: Every Nth picture is intra.** - **--vps-period \** **How often the video parameter set is re-sent \[0\]**\ **- 0: Only send VPS with the first frame.**\ **- N: Send VPS with every Nth intra frame.** - **-r**, **--ref \** **Number of reference frames, in range 1..15 \[4\]** - **--gop \** **GOP structure \[16\]**\ **- 0: Disabled**\ **- 8: B-frame pyramid of length 8**\ **- 16: B-frame pyramid of length 16**\ **- lp-\: Low-delay P/B-frame GOP**\ **(e.g. lp-g8d4t2, see README)** - **--intra-qp-offset \: QP offset for intra frames \[-51..51\] \[auto\]** **- N: Set QP offset to N.**\ **- auto: Select offset automatically based**\ **on GOP length.** - **--(no-)open-gop** **Use open GOP configuration. \[enabled\]** - **--cqmfile \** **Read custom quantization matrices from a file.** - **--scaling-list \: Set scaling list mode. \[off\]** **- off: Disable scaling lists.**\ **- custom: use custom list (with --cqmfile).**\ **- default: Use default lists.** - **--bitrate \** **Target bitrate \[0\]**\ **- 0: Disable rate control.**\ **- N: Target N bits per second.** - **--rc-algorithm \: Select used rc-algorithm. \[lambda\]** **- lambda: rate control from:**\ **DOI: 10.1109/TIP.2014.2336550** \ **- oba: DOI: 10.1109/TCSVT.2016.2589878** - **--(no-)intra-bits** **Use Hadamard cost based allocation for intra** **frames. Default on for gop 8 and off for lp-gop** - **--(no-)clip-neighbour** **On oba based rate control whether to clip** **lambda values to same frame's ctus or previous'.** **Default on for RA GOPS and disabled for LP.** - **--(no-)lossless** **Use lossless coding. \[disabled\]** - **--mv-constraint \** **Constrain movement vectors. \[none\]**\ **- none: No constraint**\ **- frametile: Constrain within the tile.**\ **- frametilemargin: Constrain even more.** - **--roi \** **Use a delta QP map for region of interest.** **Reads an array of delta QP values from a file.** **Text and binary files are supported and detected** **from the file extension (.txt/.bin). If a known** **extension is not found, the file is treated as** **a text file. The file can include one or many** **ROI frames each in the following format:** **width and height of the QP delta map followed** **by width \* height delta QP values in raster** **order. In binary format, width and height are** **32-bit integers whereas the delta QP values are** **signed 8-bit values. The map can be of any size** **and will be scaled to the video size. The file** **reading will loop if end of the file is reached.** **See roi.txt in the examples folder.** - **--set-qp-in-cu** **Set QP at CU level keeping pic\_init\_qp\_minus26.** **in PPS and slice\_qp\_delta in slize header zero.** - **--(no-)erp-aqp** **Use adaptive QP for 360 degree video with** **equirectangular projection. \[disabled\]** - **--level \** **Use the given HEVC level in the output and give** **an error if level limits are exceeded. \[6.2\]**\ **- 1, 2, 2.1, 3, 3.1, 4, 4.1, 5, 5.1, 5.2, 6,**\ **6.1, 6.2** - **--force-level \** **Same as --level but warnings instead of errors.** - **--high-tier** **Used with --level. Use high tier bitrate limits** **instead of the main tier limits during encoding.** **High tier requires level 4 or higher.** - **--(no-)vaq \** **Enable variance adaptive quantization with given** **strength, in range 1..20. Recommended: 5.** **\[disabled\]** ### Compression tools: - **--(no-)deblock \** **Deblocking filter. \[0:0\]**\ **- beta: Between -6 and 6**\ **- tc: Between -6 and 6** - **--sao \** **Sample Adaptive Offset \[full\]**\ **- off: SAO disabled**\ **- band: Band offset only**\ **- edge: Edge offset only**\ **- full: Full SAO** - **--(no-)rdoq** **Rate-distortion optimized quantization \[enabled\]** - **--(no-)rdoq-skip** **Skip RDOQ for 4x4 blocks. \[disabled\]** - **--(no-)signhide** **Sign hiding \[disabled\]** - **--(no-)smp** **Symmetric motion partition \[disabled\]** - **--(no-)amp** **Asymmetric motion partition \[disabled\]** - **--rd \** **Mode search complexity \[0\]**\ **- 0: Skip intra if inter is good enough.**\ **- 1: Rough intra mode search with SATD.**\ **- 2: Refine mode search with SSE.**\ **- 3: More SSE candidates for inter and**\ **chroma mode search for 4x4 intra.**\ **- 4: Even more SSE candidates for both.**\ **- 5: Try all intra modes.** - **--(no-)mv-rdo** **Rate-distortion optimized motion vector costs** **\[disabled\]** - **--(no-)zero-coeff-rdo** **If a CU is set inter, check if forcing zero** **residual improves the RD cost. \[enabled\]** - **--(no-)full-intra-search** **Try all intra modes during rough search.** **\[disabled\]** - **--(no-)intra-chroma-search** **Test non-derived intra chroma modes.**\ **\[disabled\]** - **--(no-)transform-skip** **Try transform skip \[disabled\]** - **--me \** **Integer motion estimation algorithm \[hexbs\]**\ **- hexbs: Hexagon Based Search**\ **- tz: Test Zone Search**\ **- full: Full Search**\ **- full8, full16, full32, full64**\ **- dia: Diamond Search** - **--me-steps \** **Motion estimation search step limit. Only** **affects 'hexbs' and 'dia'. \[-1\]** - **--subme \** **Fractional pixel motion estimation level \[4\]**\ **- 0: Integer motion estimation only**\ **- 1: + 1/2-pixel horizontal and vertical**\ **- 2: + 1/2-pixel diagonal**\ **- 3: + 1/4-pixel horizontal and vertical**\ **- 4: + 1/4-pixel diagonal** - **--(no-)fast-bipred** **Only perform fast bipred search. \[enabled\]** - **--pu-depth-inter \-\** **Inter prediction units sizes \[0-3\]**\ **- 0, 1, 2, 3: from 64x64 to 8x8**\ **- Accepts a list of values separated by ','**\ **for setting separate depths per GOP layer**\ **(values can be omitted to use the first**\ **value for the respective layer).** - **--pu-depth-intra \-\** **Intra prediction units sizes \[1-4\]**\ **- 0, 1, 2, 3, 4: from 64x64 to 4x4**\ **- Accepts a list of values separated by ','**\ **for setting separate depths per GOP layer**\ **(values can be omitted to use the first**\ **value for the respective layer).** - **--ml-pu-depth-intra** **Predict the pu-depth-intra using machine**\ **learning trees, overrides the**\ **--pu-depth-intra parameter. \[disabled\]** - **--(no-)combine-intra-cus: Whether the encoder tries to code a cu** **on lower depth even when search is not**\ **performed on said depth. Should only**\ **be disabled if cus absolutely must not**\ **be larger than limited by the search.**\ **\[enabled\]** - **--force-inter** **Force the encoder to use inter always.** **This is mostly for debugging and is not** **guaranteed to produce sensible bitstream or** **work at all. \[disabled\]** - **--tr-depth-intra \** **Transform split depth for intra blocks \[0\]** - **--(no-)bipred** **Bi-prediction \[enabled\]** - **--cu-split-termination \** **CU split search termination \[zero\]**\ **- off: Don't terminate early.**\ **- zero: Terminate when residual is zero.** - **--me-early-termination \** **Motion estimation termination \[on\]**\ **- off: Don't terminate early.**\ **- on: Terminate early.**\ **- sensitive: Terminate even earlier.** - **--fast-residual-cost \** **Skip CABAC cost for residual coefficients**\ **when QP is below the limit. \[0\]** - **--fast-coeff-table \** **Read custom weights for residual**\ **coefficients from a file instead of using**\ **defaults \[default\]** - **--fast-rd-sampling** **Enable learning data sampling for fast coefficient**\ **table generation** - **--fastrd-accuracy-check** **Evaluate the accuracy of fast coefficient**\ **prediction** - **--fastrd-outdir** **Directory to which to output sampled data or accuracy**\ **data, into \/0.txt to 50.txt, one file**\ **for each QP that blocks were estimated on** - **--(no-)intra-rdo-et** **Check intra modes in rdo stage only until** **a zero coefficient CU is found. \[disabled\]** - **--(no-)early-skip** **Try to find skip cu from merge candidates.** **Perform no further search if skip is found.** **For rd=0..1: Try the first candidate.** **For rd=2..** **Try the best candidate based**\ **on luma satd cost. \[enabled\]** - **--max-merge \** **Maximum number of merge candidates, 1..5 \[5\]** - **--(no-)implicit-rdpcm** **Implicit residual DPCM. Currently only supported** **with lossless coding. \[disabled\]** - **--(no-)tmvp** **Temporal motion vector prediction \[enabled\]** ### Parallel processing: - **--threads \** **Number of threads to use \[auto\]**\ **- 0: Process everything with main thread.**\ **- N: Use N threads for encoding.**\ **- auto: Select automatically.** - **--owf \** **Frame-level parallelism \[auto\]**\ **- N: Process N+1 frames at a time.**\ **- auto: Select automatically.** - **--(no-)wpp** **Wavefront parallel processing. \[enabled\]** **Enabling tiles automatically disables WPP.** **To enable WPP with tiles, re-enable it after** **enabling tiles. Enabling wpp with tiles is,** **however, an experimental feature since it is** **not supported in any HEVC profile.** - **--tiles \x\** **Split picture into width x height uniform tiles.** - **--tiles-width-split \\|u\** **- \: A comma-separated list of tile**\ **column pixel coordinates.**\ **- u\: Number of tile columns of uniform**\ **width.** - **--tiles-height-split \\|u\** **- \: A comma-separated list of tile**\ **row column pixel coordinates.**\ **- u\: Number of tile rows of uniform**\ **height.** - **--slices \** **Control how slices are used.**\ **- tiles: Put tiles in independent slices.**\ **- wpp: Put rows in dependent slices.**\ **- tiles+wpp: Do both.** - **--partial-coding \!\!\!\** **Encode partial frame.** **Parts must be merged to form a valid bitstream.** **X and Y are CTU offsets.** **Slice width and height must be divisible by CTU** **in pixels unless it is the last CTU row/column.** **This parameter is used by kvaShare.** ### Video Usability Information: - **--sar \** **Specify sample aspect ratio** - **--overscan \** **Specify crop overscan setting \[undef\]**\ **- undef, show, crop** - **--videoformat \** **Specify video format \[undef\]**\ **- undef, component, pal, ntsc, secam, mac** - **--range \** **Specify color range \[tv\]**\ **- tv, pc** - **--colorprim \** **Specify color primaries \[undef\]**\ **- undef, bt709, bt470m, bt470bg,**\ **smpte170m, smpte240m, film, bt2020** - **--transfer \** **Specify transfer characteristics \[undef\]**\ **- undef, bt709, bt470m, bt470bg,**\ **smpte170m, smpte240m, linear, log100,**\ **log316, iec61966-2-4, bt1361e,**\ **iec61966-2-1, bt2020-10, bt2020-12** - **--colormatrix \** **Specify color matrix setting \[undef\]**\ **- undef, bt709, fcc, bt470bg, smpte170m,**\ **smpte240m, GBR, YCgCo, bt2020nc, bt2020c** - **--chromaloc \** **Specify chroma sample location (0 to 5) \[0\]**