A new major release, FFmpeg 7.0 “Dijkstra”, is now available for download. The most noteworthy changes for most users are a native VVC decoder (currently experimental, until more fuzzing is done), IAMF support, or a multi-threaded
ffmpegCLI tool.This release is not backwards compatible, removing APIs deprecated before 6.0. The biggest change for most library callers will be the removal of the old bitmask-based channel layout API, replaced by the
FFmpeg websiteAVChannelLayoutAPI allowing such features as custom channel ordering, or Ambisonics. Certain deprecatedffmpegCLI options were also removed, and a C11-compliant compiler is now required to build the code.
I don’t think many of directly interface with FFmpeg, but we’re most likely all using it one way or another. Even Microsoft (here‘s the referenced bug report).
FFmpeg…one of my favorite FOSS tools, but the unstable API has been the bane of every project of mine that depends on it. Every time I update the source, something new gets broken. I’m thankful to have such comprehensive open source decoders…but boy do I wish they would stop breaking it and pick a damn lane!
The plague of FOSS. Imagine the trouble for Microsoft’s API builders like Win32 ou DirectX that stand the test of time.
In sweden there is “privatkopiera”. it lets you download any tv or radio show legally from the SVT and SR sites. it requires you to install FFMPEG manually to work, as the program does not in swedish law has no right to include it in their package so lots of swedes are very used to installing that program.
There is even a firefox browser extension to automate the process of downloading the shows that does not need the privatkopiera application, but still requires you to have ffmpeg installed.
I hope the update does not break either as it did in 5.0, and the government is notoriously slow to update their privatkopiera application.