From 0ea343c25f2ec2ff7ddece5288410e043283dcef Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "Prof. Andy Couturier" <andy.couturier@umoncton.ca>
Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2026 15:50:16 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] Improved hardware decoding

---
 README.md | 40 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------
 1 file changed, 31 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bf342d6..46f92a2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@
 Install everything in one step:
 
 ```bash
-yay -S obs-gstreamer
+yay -S obs-gstreamer gst-plugins-bad-libs gst-plugin-va gst-plugin-qsv gst-libav
 ```
 
-No further setup needed. Skip to the OBS pipelines below.
+Skip to the OBS pipelines below.
 
 ---
 
@@ -54,19 +54,41 @@ Restart OBS if it was running.
 
 Add a **GStreamer Source** in OBS and paste the appropriate pipeline. Replace `<IP>` with the server IP address, which will be provided during the event.
 
-**Game stream** (H.265 over TCP with audio, NVIDIA GPU):
+### H.265 decoder reference
 
-```
-tcpclientsrc port=5000 host=<IP> ! matroskademux name=demux ! queue ! h265parse ! nvh265dec ! videorate ! videoconvert ! video.  demux. ! queue ! audiorate ! audioconvert ! audio.
-```
+Use the tables below to find the right decoder element for your hardware. Replace `<DECODER>` in the game stream pipeline with your chosen element. Prefer vendor-specific over generic, and generic HW over software.
+
+#### Linux
+
+| Hardware | Type | Vendor-Specific | Generic HW | Software Fallback |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| NVIDIA GPU (Maxwell+) | dGPU | `nvh265dec` | - | `avdec_h265` |
+| Intel iGPU (Skylake+) | iGPU | `qsvh265dec` | `vah265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
+| Intel Arc | dGPU | `qsvh265dec` | `vah265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
+| AMD iGPU (Ryzen 2000G+) | iGPU | `vah265dec` | - | `avdec_h265` |
+| AMD dGPU (Polaris+) | dGPU | `vah265dec` | - | `avdec_h265` |
+| No GPU / F-series / non-G Ryzen | CPU | - | - | `avdec_h265` |
+
+#### Windows
+
+| Hardware | Type | Vendor-Specific | Generic HW | Software Fallback |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| NVIDIA GPU (Maxwell+) | dGPU | `nvh265dec` | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
+| Intel iGPU (Skylake+) | iGPU | `qsvh265dec` | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
+| Intel Arc | dGPU | `qsvh265dec` | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
+| AMD iGPU (Ryzen 2000G+) | iGPU | - | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
+| AMD dGPU (Polaris+) | dGPU | - | `d3d11h265dec` | `avdec_h265` |
+| No GPU / F-series / non-G Ryzen | CPU | - | - | `avdec_h265` |
+
+### Game stream pipeline
 
-**Game stream** (H.265 over TCP with audio, no NVIDIA GPU):
+**Game stream** (H.265 over TCP with audio):
 
 ```
-tcpclientsrc port=5000 host=<IP> ! matroskademux name=demux ! queue ! h265parse ! avdec_h265 ! videorate ! videoconvert ! video.  demux. ! queue ! audiorate ! audioconvert ! audio.
+tcpclientsrc port=5000 host=<IP> ! matroskademux name=demux ! queue ! h265parse ! <DECODER> ! videorate ! videoconvert ! video.  demux. ! queue ! audiorate ! audioconvert ! audio.
 ```
 
-The first pipeline uses `nvh265dec` for NVIDIA hardware decoding. The second uses `avdec_h265` for software decoding and works on any system (AMD, Intel, or no dedicated GPU). Software decoding uses more CPU but requires no specific graphics card.
+Replace `<DECODER>` with the element from the tables above (e.g. `nvh265dec`, `qsvh265dec`, `vah265dec`, `d3d11h265dec`, `avdec_h265`).
 
 **Webcam** (MJPEG over TCP):