Valve has integrated the open-source Pyrowave codec into its Steam Beta client to enable ultra-low latency game streaming on local area networks. The codec prioritizes speed over bandwidth efficiency, achieving sub-millisecond encoding performance by utilizing discrete wavelet transforms.
The integration of Pyrowave signals a shift in local streaming strategy, moving away from high-compression standards like H.264 to favor raw speed on high-capacity home networks. By utilizing discrete wavelet transforms, Valve is addressing the primary barrier to cloud and remote gaming: input lag. This development challenges the dominance of traditional codecs in low-latency environments and provides a high-performance alternative for users with gigabit infrastructure. As an open-source project, Pyrowave could soon appear in third-party tools like Moonlight, further fragmenting the codec landscape for specialized streaming use cases. Watch for whether Valve moves this codec to the stable Steam client as the default for wired connections.
Valve has integrated the open-source Pyrowave codec into its Steam Beta client to enable ultra-low latency local streaming. By utilizing discrete wavelet transforms, the update achieves encoding speeds under 0.25ms for 4K video. This shift prioritizes raw speed over bandwidth efficiency, directly addressing input lag for users with gigabit home networks.
The Pyrowave codec enables sub-millisecond encoding and decoding, achieving speeds as low as 0.25ms for 4K 4:2:0 video on high-end GPUs.
Yes, Pyrowave requires five to ten times more bandwidth than traditional codecs like H.264 or AV1, with requirements reaching up to 500 Mbps for YUV 4:4:4 HDR streams.
The technology is currently available in the Steam Beta client and the RT3 client for Steam Machine and Steam Deck.
The Pyrowave codec was developed by Hans-Kristian Arntzen, who utilized discrete wavelet transforms and GPU-optimized bit packing to minimize processing overhead.
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