QuickSync on Intel Core Ultra 2 series 226v changing target usage from 1 to 2

[Mark62]

I'm using quicksync via 3rd party software (rigaya QSVEnc) website here:- https://github.com/rigaya/QSVEnc

This 3rd party program has been used for many years in the global community for use in QuickSync tasks. I have been using this program for several years and have encoded hundreds of videos in that time. Never seen the target usage changed by the driver like this.

The issue I have is that the "target usage" or "TU" is being changed by the intel graphics driver from 1 to 2 (from "Best" to "Higher") for no obvious reason.  I have never seen this before. Version of graphics driver is latest (32.0.101.8136). Command script is shown below. I have highlighted in bold italics the relevant parts:-

--------------------------- Video encoding ---------------------------

QSVEncC 8.01

C:\StaxRip\Apps\Encoders\QSVEncC\QSVEncC64.exe --avhw --cqp 32:34:35 --qp-offset 2:4:8 --codec hevc --quality best --profile main10 --output-depth 10 --bframes 16 --b-pyramid --b-adapt --i-adapt --adapt-ltr --open-gop --sao none --hevc-gpb --lowlatency --no-tskip --function-mode FF -i "T:\GOT\Game of Thrones - S01E01.mkv" -o "T:\GOT\Game of Thrones - S01E01_temp\Game of Thrones - S01E01_hevc_cqp_ff_new_out.hevc"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T:\GOT\Game of Thrones - S01E01_temp\Game of Thrones - S01E01_hevc_cqp_ff_new_out.hevc
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
videoPrm.mfx.TargetUsage value changed 1 -> 2 by driver
cop.SingleSeiNalUnit value changed off -> auto by driver
QSVEncC (x64) 8.01 (r3824) by rigaya, Sep 29 2025 12:39:52 (VC 1944/Win)
OS Windows 11 x64 (26200) [UTF-8]
CPU Info Intel Core Ultra 5 226V [4.25GHz] (4P+4E,8C/8T) <Lunarlake>
GPU Info Intel Arc 130V GPU (8GB) (56EU) 100-1850MHz (32.0.101.8136)
Media SDK QuickSyncVideo API v2.15, FF, 1st(i) GPU
Async Depth 1 frames
Hyper Mode off
Buffer Memory d3d11, 35 work buffer
Input Info avqsv: H.265/HEVC, 1920x1080, 24000/1001 fps
AVSync auto
Output H.265/HEVC(yuv420 10bit) main10 @ Level 5 (high tier)
1920x1080p 1:1 23.976fps (24000/1001fps)
Target usage 2 - higher
Encode Mode Constant QP (CQP)
CQP Value I:32 P:34 B:35
QP Limit min: 22, max: 63
Ref frames 6 frames
Bframes 16 frames, B-pyramid: on
Max GOP Length 240 frames
Ext. Features WeightP WeightB GPB QPOffset AdaptiveLTR ctu:64 sao:none

Many thanks for your attention.

[Mark62]

I should add that encoding with AV1 does not have this issue.

[Mark62]

Thanks very much for getting back so quickly.

I'll answer your questions and attach the SSU data.

1. When did this behavior start, and what was your previous Intel graphics driver version? New laptop - so started from new. Driver version unchanged.
2. Does the override happen immediately at the start of encoding or during the encoding process? Happens at the start of encoding process.
3. Can you reproduce this issue with a completely different video file? Yes - all files affected.
4. Does the issue occur in other QuickSync applications or only in QSVEnc? Yes - I also have Handbrake v1.9.2 installed and that does the same thing.

I should state that (for myself) this is a minor issue. There is very little difference between target usage 1 and 2 as far as output quality is concerned.

[KentRusselP_Intel]

Hi Mark62,

Thank you for reaching out to the Intel Community Forum. I appreciate your message and want to assure you that I’m here to assist you with your concern. To better understand the issue and provide accurate support, could you please share the following details:

1. When did this behavior start, and what was your previous Intel graphics driver version?
2. Does the override happen immediately at the start of encoding or during the encoding process?
3. Can you reproduce this issue with a completely different video file?
4. Does the issue occur in other QuickSync applications or only in QSVEnc?

Additionally, to help us better understand your system configuration and provide accurate support, we kindly request that you share the Intel® System Support Utility (SSU) logs from your device. These logs contain important details about your hardware and software environment, which are crucial for troubleshooting.

Please follow these steps:

1. Download and run the Intel® SSU application.
2. The tool will generate a text file containing your system information.
3. Refer to this guide for detailed instructions: Help Guide for the Intel® System Support Utility
4. Once completed, please attach the generated file to your response.

If you have any additional questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

Kent Russel P.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Mark62]

Just some more info. 

Rigaya whose software is used, pointed out to me that he has an Intel Arc B580 card and for him the number of "levels" has been reduced from 7 to 4 for HEVC. I can confirm the same happens on the Intel 130V GPU on my laptop.

Normally each of the 7 levels are independent and can be chosen separately. Now what is seen is the following:-

1=Best                      changed to level 2 by driver

2=Higher                  changed to level 2 by driver

3=High                     changed to level 4 by driver 

4=Balanced             changed to level 4 by driver

5=Fast                      changed to level 4 by driver

6=Faster                   unchanged 

7=Fastest                 unchanged

[Mark62]

I should probaly change my comment about this being a minor issue. That was because I now use AV1 encoding primarily now. As stated, AV1 encoding does keep the 7 levels separate. HEVC encoding is where this merging of levels is occurring. I would think this is a more serious issue as HEVC is extremely popular.

[ArchieD_Intel]

Hi Mark62,

Thank you for the feedback. I am currently trying to reproduce the issue that you're currently experiencing. I will be updating you as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Best regards,

Archie D.

Intel Customer Support Engineer

[KentRusselP_Intel]

Hi Mark62,

Thanks so much for your patience! We tried to replicate the issue on our end using a similar setup, but we weren’t able to see the same behavior. To help us dig a little deeper, could you please confirm the following:

• Have you used Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to completely remove the previous graphics driver before installing or updating the new one?
• Have you changed any settings within the application itself? If so, it would be super helpful if you could share the steps you took so we can try to reproduce the issue — we might’ve missed something.

If you have any other questions or need help with anything else, feel free to reach out anytime. We're here to help!

Best regards,

Kent Russel P.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Mark62]

Hi,

Which application settings are you referring to? Rigaya's QSVEnc or Handbrake v1.9.2?

Thanks

PS. Just updated the driver to 32.0.101.8247 and issue still exists.

[Mark62]

If you are using rigaya's QSVEnc program:-

Open up a DOS command prompt and change the directory to the location where you have QSVEnc installed. On my PC it is "C:\StaxRip\Apps\Encoders\QSVEncC". So command in DOS below:-

cd C:\StaxRip\Apps\Encoders\QSVEncC

You will need an input video file (mine is called "input.mkv" on the "C:" drive. This is just a test video file - can be x264 or any video codec - doesn't matter. Then run the following command from inside the DOS window. This will invoke QSVEnc to transcode the input file to the "hevc" 10-bit format. The extra options should not have any effect - these are just my own options to maximize quality and compression:-

QSVEncC64.exe --avhw --cqp 32:34:35 --qp-offset 2:4:8 --codec hevc --quality best --profile main10 --output-depth 10 --bframes 16 --b-pyramid --b-adapt --i-adapt --adapt-ltr --open-gop --sao none --hevc-gpb --lowlatency --no-tskip --function-mode FF -i "C:\input.mkv" -o "C:\output.hevc"

Almost immediately you should see the following log in your DOS screen. I have highlighted "Target Usage" in the log below, as that should say "Target usage 1 - best". In the command above I specified  "--quality best" and that equates to "Target usage 1 - best". You will see the log shows "videoPrm.mfx.TargetUsage value changed 1 -> 2 by driver". This is the issue being reported.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C:\output.hevc
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
videoPrm.mfx.TargetUsage value changed 1 -> 2 by driver
cop.SingleSeiNalUnit value changed off -> auto by driver
QSVEncC (x64) 8.01 (r3824) by rigaya, Sep 29 2025 12:39:52 (VC 1944/Win)
OS Windows 11 x64 (26200) [UTF-8]
CPU Info Intel Core Ultra 5 226V [3.61GHz] (4P+4E,8C/8T) <Lunarlake>
GPU Info Intel Arc 130V GPU (8GB) (56EU) 100-1850MHz (32.0.101.8247)
Media SDK QuickSyncVideo API v2.15, FF, 1st(i) GPU
Async Depth 1 frames
Hyper Mode off
Buffer Memory d3d11, 46 work buffer
Input Info avqsv: H.264/AVC, 1456x1080, 24000/1001 fps
VPP ColorFmtConvertion: nv12 -> p010
AVSync auto
Output H.265/HEVC(yuv420 10bit) main10 @ Level 4 (high tier)
1456x1080p 1:1 23.976fps (24000/1001fps)
Target usage 2 - higher
Encode Mode Constant QP (CQP)
CQP Value I:32 P:34 B:35
QP Limit min: 22, max: 63
Ref frames 6 frames
Bframes 16 frames, B-pyramid: on
Max GOP Length 240 frames
Ext. Features WeightP WeightB GPB QPOffset AdaptiveLTR ctu:64 sao:none

[Mark62]

I downloaded and ran DDU to clean out my graphics system, then re-installed latest graphics driver (32.0.101.8247) and still get same issues with HEVC.

[Mark62]

I also have an older PC (11th gen TigerLake - i5-1135-g7) that runs QuickSync using Iris Xe Graphics. Using same versions of the software (Rigaya QSVEnc v8.01 or Handbrake v1.9.2) on this PC has no issues with changing of the Target Usage from 1 to 2 for HEVC encodes.

Graphics driver version is 32.0.101.7076 which is the latest version.

[Mark62]

Should have phrased that last part better - Target usage remains unchanged from what the user selected. All 7 levels of quality are available and not reduced to 4 (as with LunarLake PC).

[KentRusselP_Intel]

Hi Mark62,

Thanks for getting back to me! I appreciate your response and want to let you know that I’m here to support you with your concern. I’ll go over the details you’ve shared and start looking into the issue right away.

In the meantime, if you have any other questions or if there’s anything else you’d like to add, feel free to reach out anytime.

Best regards,

Kent Russel P.

Intel Customer Support Technician