Hardware encoding on AMD/AMF is broken

[Makoto]

Steam version: 1709846872
AMD drivers version: Adrenalin 24.2.1 (tested with 23.12.1: no change)
Games tested: GrandBlue Fantasy Relink, The outer wilds, Monster Hunter World
Card used: 7900XTX
OS: Windows 10 22H2

Hardware encoding enabled on the server side for AMD/AMF/VCE.

Issue: No matter the client settings (resolution, bitrate, HEVC or not etc...), Remote play seems to revert back instantly to software x264 encoding.
Given the log, it seems to identify it at first but fails to keep the AMD encoder and triggers an encoder change.

Steps to reproduce:
- Launch steam on the server and client
- Use client to stream from the server
- Using a Gb ethernet connexion, local network.

I also tried to reinstall steam from scratch, rollback drivers to a known working version (using DDU), nothing seems to work.

Other streaming system like Moonlight/Sunshine works correctly with Hardware encoding in H264/H265/AV1.

Log:

[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.362048] =====================================================================
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.362076] Game: Granblue Fantasy: Relink (881020)
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.362120] Setting target bitrate to 15000 Kbit/s, burst bitrate is 75000 Kbit/s
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.364094] Streamed game has created a window
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.364340] Bringing streamed game to foreground - success
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.395365] Changing record window: 0002097C
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.395695] Window title set to Granblue Fantasy: Relink
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.407802] >>> Starting desktop stream
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.408134] SynchronizeClientState(): setting capture size 1920x1080
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.408212] SynchronizeClientState(): setting title to Granblue Fantasy: Relink
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.408259] SynchronizeClientState(): setting icon 32x32
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.408323] SynchronizeClientState(): setting cursor to 65563
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.408355] SynchronizeClientState(): setting keymap
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.408403] SynchronizeClientState(): setting activity to k_EStreamActivityGame: Granblue Fantasy: Relink
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.409813] Recording system audio
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.411741] CDesktopCaptureDWM: Reinitializing D3D for adapter 0x18066
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.411779] Video adapter: AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, vendor ID: 0x1002, device ID: 0x744c
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.412488] Recording on device: 🎞 Steam (Steam Streaming Speakers)
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.413642] Audio client mix format:
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.413677] 	format: 65534
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.413711] 	channels: 6
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.413736] 	samples/sec: 48000
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.413762] 	bytes/sec: 1152000
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.413786] 	alignment: 24
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.413810] 	bits/sample: 32
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.413842] 	channel mask: 0x60f
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.413873] 	data format: {00000003-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.414042] Initializing audio with 6 channels and 48000 samples/sec
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.452070] CDesktopCaptureDWM: desktop duplication enabled
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.467785] >>> Switching video stream from NONE to Desktop_MovieStream
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.504190] Changing adapter [old=0][new=98406]
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.532963] CGameStreamVideoStageAMF: Using minimum number of reference frames: 1
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.576135] Video Encoder Changed
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.576999] >>> Capture method set to Desktop DWM NV12 + AMF H264
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.577761] >>> Capture resolution set to 1920x1080
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.577778] >>> Capture colorspace set to BT.601 limited range
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.606859] CLIENT: Couldn't set QoS: Paramètre incorrect.
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.606901] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetQoS
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.606923] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetTargetBitrate
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.606948] CLIENT: Starting audio stream: frequency=48000, channels=6
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.606980] CLIENT: Opened audio device: format=2, channels=6, frequency=48000
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607006] CLIENT: Initialized audio decoder: codec=3, sample rate=48000, channels=6
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607035] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlStartAudioData
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607060] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetSpectatorMode
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607086] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetCaptureSize
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607112] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetTitle
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607168] CLIENT: Queued 110 ms, clearing audio stream
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607209] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetIcon
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607254] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetCursor
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607295] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetKeymap
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607325] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetActivity
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607355] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetCursorImage
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607380] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlStartVideoData
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.607408] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlVideoEncoderInfo
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.608309] >>> Client video decoder set to DXVA2 hardware decoding
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.608341] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlSetCursorScale
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.608366] CLIENT: ffmpeg verbose: Using application D3D9 device.
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.608388] CLIENT: DXVA2 hardware decoding
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.613558] Detected 24 logical processors, using 4 threads
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.613589] Configuring encoder: [threads=4][width=1920][height=1080][preset=superfast][tune=zerolatency]
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.617729] Video Encoder Changed
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.618194] >>> Capture method set to Desktop DWM NV12 + libx264 main (4 threads)
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.651854] Detected 24 logical processors, using 4 threads
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.651885] Configuring encoder: [threads=4][width=1920][height=1080][preset=superfast][tune=zerolatency]
[2024-03-20 13:51:42][25.654079] Video Encoder Changed
[2024-03-20 13:51:43][25.727542] CLIENT: Got control packet k_EStreamControlVideoEncoderInfo
[2024-03-20 13:51:43][25.727571] CLIENT: ffmpeg verbose: Decoder GUIDs reported as supported:
[2024-03-20 13:51:43][25.727586] CLIENT: ffmpeg verbose: {c58b9a06-7e89-11e1-bb00-70b34824019b}
[2024-03-20 13:51:43][25.727602] CLIENT: ffmpeg verbose:  0
...

[J-Scrizz]

Yep I have this exact issue also. Except im using moonlight and parsec.

[emiellr]

I have this issue as well. I have tried using different clients and a reinstall of Steam.

[Baby Yeezus]

Switched to using Moonlight and Sunshine, works perfectly for me on Windows 11 with my 7900 GRE. I'm convinced Steam Remote Play has a bug with HEVC encoding on 7000 series AMD cards.

[Makoto]

I don't think Steam remote play is maintained anymore, Sunshine/Moonlight is far superior anyway.

[StatiC]

Same issue. I wish I had found this first. The symptoms were random pausing of video during remote play. Sometimes a minute up to 3 minutes or so it will be fine and then the video pauses. Wait about a minuteor so and video resumes. Disabling hardware acceleration for encoding in Remote Play settings on the PC fixed it. I hope this is fixed at some point so that even on AMD you can have acceleration enabled. I have a Saphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX.

Switched to my old nvidia 2700 Super and Remote Play works with hardware acceleration encoding enabled. Definitely something up with that setting and AMD cards.

[wolf74]

11/12/2024 (mm/dd/yyyy) Still see this Problem. RX 7900xt with 11/08/24 Drivers

[wolf74]

3 of us tried to use the steam "Remote Play Together" for the game Brotato. The Two of us that own that game both of us have AMD RX7000 Family of Video Cards (with the 11/08/24 Driver Release) the Video Frame would Freeze for the Remote Player. The Host could still see that the Input would come in but the Remote player screen looked frozen.