VTIsHardwareDecodeSupported says no for H.264 although H.264 decodes in hardware #4
watchthelight 2026-10-18
VTIsHardwareDecodeSupported(kCMVideoCodecType_H264) returns false, while VTIsHardwareDecodeSupported(kCMVideoCodecType_HEVC) returns true. A real H.264 decode session nevertheless reports kVTDecompressionPropertyKey_UsingHardwareAcceleratedVideoDecoder = true and decodes 1080p at about 140 fps.
Apps that check VTIsHardwareDecodeSupported before choosing a path (browsers, players) may therefore pick software decoding for H.264.
Tested on RTX 5070 Laptop (GB206, 10DE:2D18), Lenovo Legion 5 15IAX10, macOS 26.7.1 (25G241), stock 2.3.7. Evidence: project-legion evidence/native/featuretest-2026-10-18/A/vid.vt.txt.