codec

Valve has introduced Pyrowave, a new open-source video codec now available in beta through Steam, aimed at low latency streaming. The codec is expected to support features like Remote Play and game streaming, where responsiveness matters most. Coverage on Linux and developer forums highlights Valve's continued investment in open-source graphics and streaming technology, with commenters comparing it against existing codecs such as H.264 and AV1.

Valve has added a low-latency codec called Pyrowave to Steam Remote Play, its game-streaming feature. The new codec promises noticeably better image quality and responsiveness when streaming games over local networks, but at a steep cost: it can consume five to ten times more bandwidth than existing options, making it practical mainly for fast wired or Wi-Fi home setups.

The Register reports that a set of codec updates is being delayed, drawing a joking parallel in its headline to flight delays. Beyond the pun, the article indicates that planned software releases for the codec are slipping behind schedule, which affects developers and companies relying on the updated formats for video compression work.

The developers of the Halide camera app have published a detailed write-up on decoding WebP images in a memory-safe way, avoiding the class of buffer overflow bugs that have plagued the WebP format's widely used C library. The post explains how they reimplemented decoding with safety guarantees while keeping performance. Developers are discussing the trade-offs of rewriting established image codecs in safer code following the 2023 libwebp vulnerabilities.

Valve released a Steam Client Beta on October 1st bringing a batch of improvements to Remote Play built around its Pyrowave video codec. The update aims to make game streaming between devices smoother and higher quality. The news circulated among gaming communities, where users track Steam beta changelogs closely for streaming and performance fixes.