AMD Intra Refresh (GDR) for HEVC not working (Xbox user)

[Eftimin70]

Bug Symptoms

In the latest versions of Vibeshine/Vibepollo AMD Intra Refresh (GDR) for HEVC does not work, even though the log reads otherwise. It looks like die AMF encoder is not configured correctly for that purpose and the infamous artefacts in still/slow moving scenes still occur.

As a suggestion of how to fix it I made a prove of concept. I took the most recent Vibeshine (1.18.3) as the basis and with the help of Google I came up with 2 inserts for amf_d3d11.cpp. My prototype now works perfectly for me, 4k HDR 60fps, real AMF GDR intra refresh is at work and no additional stutters have been introduced. The dreaded Xbox artefacts in slow moving scenes are gone.

In the following are the changes I made, but keep in mind that this version is not polished in any way and has intra refresh hard coded and not as an option:

First part:

  if (config.pa_initial_qp_after_scene_change &&
      !set_verified_int64(
        AMF_PA_INITIAL_QP_AFTER_SCENE_CHANGE,
        *config.pa_initial_qp_after_scene_change,
        "PA initial scene-change QP")) return false;
  if (config.pa_activity_type && !set_verified_int64(AMF_PA_ACTIVITY_TYPE, *config.pa_activity_type, "PA activity type")) return false;
}

//BEGIN INSERT1
BOOST_LOG(info) << "AMF: Force encoder into HEVC Intra-Refresh (GDR) Mode (gop_size = 120 und ctu_size = 64)";

encoder->SetProperty(AMF_VIDEO_ENCODER_IDR_PERIOD, 0);

int64_t gop_size = 120; 
encoder->SetProperty(AMF_VIDEO_ENCODER_HEVC_GOP_SIZE, gop_size);

int64_t ctu_size = 64;
int64_t ctu_height = (encode_height + (ctu_size - 1)) / ctu_size;

int64_t ctu_rows_per_frame = (ctu_height + gop_size - 1) / gop_size;
if (ctu_rows_per_frame < 1) ctu_rows_per_frame = 1; // Mindestens eine Zeile pro Frame

encoder->SetProperty(AMF_VIDEO_ENCODER_HEVC_INTRA_REFRESH_NUM_CTBS_PER_SLOT, ctu_rows_per_frame);
// END INSERT1

// NOTE: LOWLATENCY_MODE is intentionally NOT forced here.
//
// Previously this block hard-coded AMF_VIDEO_ENCODER_(HEVC_)LOWLATENCY_MODE = true

Second part:

    if (effective_ltr_slots_snapshot > 1) {
      next_ltr_slot_to_commit = current_ltr_slot + 1;
      if (next_ltr_slot_to_commit >= effective_ltr_slots_snapshot) {
        next_ltr_slot_to_commit = 1;
      }
    }
  }
}

//BEGIN INSERT2
if (force_idr) {
  surface->SetProperty(AMF_VIDEO_ENCODER_HEVC_FORCE_PICTURE_TYPE, AMF_VIDEO_ENCODER_HEVC_PICTURE_TYPE_NONE);
  surface->SetProperty(AMF_VIDEO_ENCODER_HEVC_INSERT_HEADER, true);
} else {
  surface->SetProperty(AMF_VIDEO_ENCODER_HEVC_FORCE_PICTURE_TYPE, AMF_VIDEO_ENCODER_HEVC_PICTURE_TYPE_NONE);
}
// =========================================================================
//END INSERT2


auto disable_rfi_after_property_failure = [&](const char *property_label, AMF_RESULT property_result) {
  BOOST_LOG(warning) << "AMF: failed to apply " << property_label << " (error=" << property_result

Expected Behavior

Working Intra Refresh for AMD HEVC

Windows Version

22H2

Package

Windows - exe installer

GPU Type

AMD

GPU Model

RX 9070

GPU Driver Version

32.0.31035.1003

Capture Method

None

Apps

Logs (Optional but Recommended)

No response

Screenshot (Optional)

[j-scrizz]

I’m seeing what sounds like the same issue on AMD HEVC with an Xbox client.

Native AMF is working and the logs appear to indicate intra-refresh/GDR is enabled, but in practice I still get the familiar slow/still-scene artefacts on Xbox. It is most noticeable in low-motion scenes where the image should be stable, but blocks/artifacts linger instead of being cleaned up properly.

My setup is:

GPU: RX 7900 XT
Client: Xbox Series X / Moonlight
Codec: HEVC
HDR: enabled
Encoder: native amdvce
Rate control: vbr_latency
PreAnalysis: off
Usage: ultralowlatency
Quality: balanced

The proof-of-concept above sounds very relevant, especially the part about forcing proper HEVC GDR / intra-refresh rather than only having the log say it is enabled. It would be great if this could be looked at, because the rest of the native AMD encoder feels good, but the Xbox HEVC artefacts are still present.

Happy to provide logs or test a build if needed.

[Eftimin70]

I opened the following PR for review: #257

[j-scrizz]

Just checking whether there’s anything useful I can provide from my side to help move this along.

I’m still seeing the same Xbox HEVC slow/still-scene artefacts on RX 7900 XT with native amdvce, HDR enabled, vbr_latency, PreAnalysis off, ultralowlatency, balanced quality.

The rest of the native AMD encoder is working well for me, so this feels like the remaining Xbox-specific HEVC/GDR issue. I’m happy to test a build from PR #257 if one becomes available, especially at 1440p/120 HDR and Xbox Series X/Moonlight.

No pressure — just wanted to confirm there is another RDNA3/Xbox user available for testing if that helps.

[Eftimin70]

It has not been recognized here yet. I hope the fix will eventually find its way in the master. In the meanwhile you can check out https://github.com/Eftimin70/vibeshine where I built a test version and you can see, if it also works for you.

[ejnark]

@Eftimin70 Thanks for your work. I'd like to test your version on my Xbox setup because I am seeing artifacts on a 9070 XT in combination with the Xbox app. Is release 1.18.4-stable.3Xboxfix.3 still the one to go with, or should I build from your latest commit?

[Eftimin70]

@ejnark The basic concept should work with all versions, so yes you can try my release. But you can also download Vibeshine Pre Release (https://github.com/Nonary/vibeshine/releases/tag/1.19.0-beta.3), it is also included there. Be sure you change your encoder to "AMD AMF/VCE (Experimental)"