VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR(3)

# VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR(3) Manual Page

## Name

VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR - Structure to set encode stream rate control parameters

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## C Specification

The `VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR` structure is defined as:

    // Provided by VK_KHR_video_encode_queue
    typedef struct VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR {
        VkStructureType                                sType;
        const void*                                    pNext;
        VkVideoEncodeRateControlFlagsKHR               flags;
        VkVideoEncodeRateControlModeFlagBitsKHR        rateControlMode;
        uint32_t                                       layerCount;
        const VkVideoEncodeRateControlLayerInfoKHR*    pLayers;
        uint32_t                                       virtualBufferSizeInMs;
        uint32_t                                       initialVirtualBufferSizeInMs;
    } VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR;

## Members

- `sType` is a VkStructureType value identifying this structure.

- `pNext` is `NULL` or a pointer to a structure extending this structure.

- `flags` is reserved for future use.

- `rateControlMode` is a VkVideoEncodeRateControlModeFlagBitsKHR value specifying the rate control mode.

- `layerCount` specifies the number of rate control layers to use.

- `pLayers` is a pointer to an array of `layerCount` VkVideoEncodeRateControlLayerInfoKHR structures, each specifying the rate control configuration of the corresponding rate control layer.

- `virtualBufferSizeInMs` is the size in milliseconds of the virtual buffer used by the implementation’s rate control algorithm for the leaky bucket model, with respect to the average bitrate of the stream calculated by summing the values of the `averageBitrate` members of the elements of the `pLayers` array.

- `initialVirtualBufferSizeInMs` is the initial occupancy in milliseconds of the virtual buffer used by the implementation’s rate control algorithm for the leaky bucket model.

## Description

If `layerCount` is zero then the values of `virtualBufferSizeInMs` and `initialVirtualBufferSizeInMs` are ignored.

This structure can be specified in the following places:

- In the `pNext` chain of VkVideoBeginCodingInfoKHR to specify the current rate control state expected to be configured when beginning a video coding scope.

- In the `pNext` chain of VkVideoCodingControlInfoKHR to change the rate control configuration of the bound video session.

Including this structure in the `pNext` chain of VkVideoCodingControlInfoKHR and including VK_VIDEO_CODING_CONTROL_ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL_BIT_KHR in VkVideoCodingControlInfoKHR::`flags` enables updating the rate control configuration of the bound video session. This replaces the entire rate control configuration of the bound video session and may reset the state of all enabled rate control layers to an initial state according to the codec-specific rate control semantics defined in the corresponding sections listed below.

When `layerCount` is greater than one, multiple rate control layers are configured, and each rate control layer is applied to the corresponding video coding layer identified by the index of the corresponding element of `pLayer`.

- If the video session was created with the video codec operation VK_VIDEO_CODEC_OPERATION_ENCODE_H264_BIT_KHR, then this index specifies the H.264 temporal layer ID of the video coding layer the rate control layer is applied to.

- If the video session was created with the video codec operation VK_VIDEO_CODEC_OPERATION_ENCODE_H265_BIT_KHR, then this index specifies the H.265 temporal ID of the video coding layer the rate control layer is applied to.

- If the video session was created with the video codec operation VK_VIDEO_CODEC_OPERATION_ENCODE_AV1_BIT_KHR, then this index specifies the AV1 temporal ID of the temporal layer the rate control layer is applied to.

Additional structures providing codec-specific rate control parameters can be included in the `pNext` chain of `VkVideoCodingControlInfoKHR` depending on the video profile the bound video session was created. For further details see:

- Video Coding Control

- H.264 Encode Rate Control

- H.265 Encode Rate Control

- AV1 Encode Rate Control

The new rate control configuration takes effect when the corresponding vkCmdControlVideoCodingKHR is executed on the device, and only impacts video encode operations that follow in execution order.

Valid Usage

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-rateControlMode-08248
  If `rateControlMode` is VK_VIDEO_ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL_MODE_DEFAULT_KHR or VK_VIDEO_ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL_MODE_DISABLED_BIT_KHR, then `layerCount` must be `0`

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-rateControlMode-08275
  If `rateControlMode` is VK_VIDEO_ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL_MODE_CBR_BIT_KHR or VK_VIDEO_ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL_MODE_VBR_BIT_KHR, then `layerCount` must be greater than `0`

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-rateControlMode-08244
  If `rateControlMode` is not VK_VIDEO_ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL_MODE_DEFAULT_KHR, then it must specify one of the bits included in VkVideoEncodeCapabilitiesKHR::`rateControlModes`, as returned by vkGetPhysicalDeviceVideoCapabilitiesKHR for the used video profile

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-layerCount-08245
  `layerCount` member must be less than or equal to VkVideoEncodeCapabilitiesKHR::`maxRateControlLayers`, as returned by vkGetPhysicalDeviceVideoCapabilitiesKHR for the used video profile

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-pLayers-08276
  For each element of `pLayers`, its `averageBitrate` member must be between `1` and VkVideoEncodeCapabilitiesKHR::`maxBitrate`, as returned by vkGetPhysicalDeviceVideoCapabilitiesKHR for the used video profile

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-pLayers-08277
  For each element of `pLayers`, its `maxBitrate` member must be between `1` and VkVideoEncodeCapabilitiesKHR::`maxBitrate`, as returned by vkGetPhysicalDeviceVideoCapabilitiesKHR for the used video profile

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-rateControlMode-08356
  If `rateControlMode` is VK_VIDEO_ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL_MODE_CBR_BIT_KHR, then for each element of `pLayers`, its `averageBitrate` member must equal its `maxBitrate` member

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-rateControlMode-08278
  If `rateControlMode` is VK_VIDEO_ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL_MODE_VBR_BIT_KHR, then for each element of `pLayers`, its `averageBitrate` member must be less than or equal to its `maxBitrate` member

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-layerCount-08357
  If `layerCount` is not zero, then `virtualBufferSizeInMs` must be greater than zero

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-layerCount-08358
  If `layerCount` is not zero, then `initialVirtualBufferSizeInMs` must be less than or equal to `virtualBufferSizeInMs`

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-videoCodecOperation-07022
  If the `videoCodecOperation` of the used video profile is VK_VIDEO_CODEC_OPERATION_ENCODE_H264_BIT_KHR, the `pNext` chain this structure is included in also includes an instance of the VkVideoEncodeH264RateControlInfoKHR structure, and `layerCount` is greater than `1`, then `layerCount` must equal VkVideoEncodeH264RateControlInfoKHR::`temporalLayerCount`

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-videoCodecOperation-07025
  If the `videoCodecOperation` of the used video profile is VK_VIDEO_CODEC_OPERATION_ENCODE_H265_BIT_KHR, the `pNext` chain this structure is included in also includes an instance of the VkVideoEncodeH265RateControlInfoKHR structure, and `layerCount` is greater than `1`, then `layerCount` must equal VkVideoEncodeH265RateControlInfoKHR::`subLayerCount`

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-videoCodecOperation-10351
  If the `videoCodecOperation` of the used video profile is VK_VIDEO_CODEC_OPERATION_ENCODE_AV1_BIT_KHR, the `pNext` chain this structure is included in also includes an instance of the VkVideoEncodeAV1RateControlInfoKHR structure, and `layerCount` is greater than `1`, then `layerCount` must equal VkVideoEncodeAV1RateControlInfoKHR::`temporalLayerCount`

Valid Usage (Implicit)

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-sType-sType
  `sType` must be VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_VIDEO_ENCODE_RATE_CONTROL_INFO_KHR

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-flags-zerobitmask
  `flags` must be `0`

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-rateControlMode-parameter
  If `rateControlMode` is not `0`, `rateControlMode` must be a valid VkVideoEncodeRateControlModeFlagBitsKHR value

- VUID-VkVideoEncodeRateControlInfoKHR-pLayers-parameter
  If `layerCount` is not `0`, `pLayers` must be a valid pointer to an array of `layerCount` valid VkVideoEncodeRateControlLayerInfoKHR structures

Structure Chaining

Extends the structures

  - VkVideoBeginCodingInfoKHR

  - VkVideoCodingControlInfoKHR

## See Also

VK_KHR_video_encode_queue, VkStructureType, VkVideoEncodeRateControlFlagsKHR, VkVideoEncodeRateControlLayerInfoKHR, VkVideoEncodeRateControlModeFlagBitsKHR

## Document Notes

For more information, see the Vulkan Specification.

This page is extracted from the Vulkan Specification. Fixes and changes should be made to the Specification, not directly.

## Copyright

Copyright 2014-2026 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0