Valve Introduces Pyrowave Video Codec for Low-Latency Steam Remote Play
New experimental codec uses GPU encoding and supports HDR, but requires five to ten times more bandwidth than conventional streaming.
What to know
- Valve's new Pyrowave codec prioritizes ultra-low latency for Steam Remote Play by using GPU-accelerated encoding, but requires 5–10× more bandwidth than standard codecs.
- The codec supports HDR and YUV 4:4:4 color precision; users need at least Gigabit Ethernet and fast local networks for optimal performance.
- Pyrowave is experimental and disabled by default, available now in Steam beta on Windows and macOS, and on Linux/SteamOS through the optional SteamRT3 client.
- Future support for the Steam Link mobile app is planned but not yet released.
Valve Developer of Pyrowave codecHans-Kristian Arntzen Creator of Pyrowave codec
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Pyrowave specifications and design details surface
Pyrowave was created by Hans-Kristian Arntzen and designed for very low streaming latency by using GPU for encoding and decoding. It supports HDR and YUV 4:4:4 color, with bandwidth requirements of 100–500 Mbit/s depending on frame rate and quality settings—five to ten times higher than conventional codecs. The codec is not enabled by default and requires fast local networks with Gigabit Ethernet connections.
“Pyrowave can use five to ten times more bandwidth than conventional streaming codecs and recommends connecting both systems directly to the router via at least Gigabit Ethernet.”
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Valve is testing Pyrowave, a new low-latency Steam Remote Play codec available on Linux and SteamOS through the experimental SteamRT3 client. https:// linuxiac.com/steam-tests-new-p yrowave-codec-on-linux-and-steamos/ # valve # steam # gaming
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Valve adds Pyrowave codec to Steam beta
Valve's Steam client beta introduced Pyrowave as an experimental video codec for high-bandwidth, low-latency video streaming. The codec is available on Windows and macOS in the current beta, with Linux and SteamOS support through the experimental SteamRT3 client.