Some Dell and HP PCs have disabled the H.265 hardware encoder and decoder, even if the processor itself supports it.
It has become a hot topic that Dell and HP are intentionally disabling the H.265 (HEVC) hardware encoder and decoder on some laptops. This has resulted in issues such as video playback issues in browsers and the inability to use background blur in video conferencing apps.
PSA: Be wary of purchasing Dell computers with Intel Core Ultra processors for GFN use : r/GeForceNOW
HP seems to be disabling HEVC Hardware Decode support on their laptops, creating problems. : r/sysadmin
https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/1opxue7/hp_seems_to_be_disabling_hevc_hardware_decode/
HP and Dell disable HEVC support built into their laptops' CPUs - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/hp-and-dell-disable-hevc-support-built-into-their-laptops-cpus/
On November 3, 2025, a user reported on the online message board Reddit that 'I bought a Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 and the H.265 (HEVC) hardware decoder was disabled.' The PC's Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor supports H.265 hardware encoding and decoding, but Dell appears to have disabled the feature. The user also reported that the hardware acceleration was unavailable only under Windows, but was functional under Linux.
Additionally, on November 6, 2025, a report was received that the H.265 hardware decoder had been disabled on an internal HP PC. According to the reporter, the PC reported issues such as 'H.265 content never finishing loading when accessed in a web browser,' 'H.265 content could be played in a local video playback app but was played using a software decoder,' 'the background blur feature in a video conferencing app was not working,' and '(using H.265-related features) overall system performance significantly decreased.' The reporter also discovered a warning about H.265 in the specifications for the HP ProBook 460 G11 (PDF file), HP ProBook 465 G11 (PDF file), and EliteBook 665 G11 (PDF file) .
If you check the specifications sheet for the HP ProBook 460 G11, you will see a note in the graphics specifications section that reads, 'Hardware acceleration for CODEC H.265/HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) is disabled on this platform.'
Technology media Ars Technica speculates that Dell and HP have disabled the H.265 hardware encoder and decoder because, 'When hardware manufacturers sell products equipped with H.265 hardware decoders, they are required to pay license fees based on the number of units sold, depending on the contract. They may have imposed restrictions to reduce these license fees.'
While the reasons for Dell and HP's restrictions are unclear, Dell acknowledged that some models lack hardware acceleration, providing a statement to Ars Technica: 'HEVC video playback is available on select models, including Dell's premium systems. Other standard and base systems do not support HEVC video playback, but users can access HEVC content using third-party apps.' HP also acknowledged the restrictions, stating, 'In 2024, we disabled the HEVC (H.265) codec hardware on some devices, including the 600 Series G11, 400 Series G11, and 200 Series G9. If you need to encode or decode HEVC content on affected models, please use third-party software.'
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in Hardware, Posted by log1o_hf