Inject Dolby Vision Metadata with SVT-AV1

This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to inject Dolby Vision dynamic metadata into an AV1 video stream using the SVT-AV1 encoder (libsvtav1). You will learn how to extract the Dolby Vision Reference Picture Unit (RPU) from a source video and pass it to the encoder using FFmpeg or the standalone SVT-AV1 application to produce a HDR10-compatible Dolby Vision AV1 file.

Prerequisites

To inject Dolby Vision metadata using SVT-AV1, you need: * SVT-AV1 (v1.4.0 or higher): Older versions do not support Dolby Vision RPU parsing. * FFmpeg compiled with libsvtav1 support. * dovi_tool: A command-line utility used to read, write, and edit Dolby Vision metadata (RPU files). * A Dolby Vision source file (typically Profile 5, Profile 7, or Profile 8).

Step 1: Extract the Dolby Vision RPU

Before encoding, you must extract the Dolby Vision metadata (the RPU file) from your source video.

Using dovi_tool, run the following command to extract the RPU:

dovi_tool extract-rpu input_source.mkv -o rpu.bin

This command parses the source file and outputs a raw metadata file named rpu.bin.

Step 2: Encode and Inject RPU using FFmpeg

You can pass the extracted rpu.bin directly to the libsvtav1 encoder wrapper in FFmpeg using the -svtav1-params flag.

FFmpeg Command

ffmpeg -i input_source.mkv -pix_fmt yuv420p10le -c:v libsvtav1 \
-svtav1-params "dolby-vision-rpu=rpu.bin:dolby-vision-profile=81" \
-c:a copy output.mkv

Parameter Breakdown:

-pix_fmt yuv420p10le: Forces 10-bit color depth, which is required for Dolby Vision and HDR10.
dolby-vision-rpu=rpu.bin: Specifies the path to the extracted RPU metadata file.
dolby-vision-profile=81: Specifies the Dolby Vision profile. Profile 81 (Profile 8.1) is highly recommended for AV1 because it offers fallback compatibility with standard HDR10 players. Other supported profiles include 10 (Profile 10, typically used for AV1 without HDR10 fallback).

Step 3: Alternative Method via Standalone SvtAv1EncApp

If you prefer to use the standalone SVT-AV1 encoder executable (SvtAv1EncApp) instead of FFmpeg, you can pipe decoded video from FFmpeg and specify the Dolby Vision arguments directly.

ffmpeg -i input_source.mkv -f yuv4mpegpipe -strict -1 - | \
SvtAv1EncApp -i stdin \
--dolby-vision-rpu rpu.bin \
--dolby-vision-profile 81 \
-b output.ivf

Once the .ivf file is generated, you can remux it back into an MKV or MP4 container along with the original audio using FFmpeg or MKVToolNix.

Verifying the Output

To verify that the Dolby Vision metadata was successfully injected into your newly encoded AV1 file, use MediaInfo to inspect the output file.

Look for the following lines in the video track properties:

HDR format : Dolby Vision, Version 1.0, dvhe.08.06, BL+RPU, HDR10 compatible

If MediaInfo displays “Dolby Vision” alongside “HDR10 compatible” (for Profile 8.1), the injection was successful.