Hardware & transcoding
How hard does your server work?
Most playback is direct — the server barely lifts a finger. Transcoding only kicks in when a device needs something different. Here is what that means for the hardware you run.
Direct play vs transcoding
Direct play — the ideal path
When your client can already decode the file, Quven streams it untouched: full quality, instant start, and almost no work for the server.
Transcoding — only when needed
If a device needs a different codec, container or bitrate, the server converts the stream on the fly. That is the work a faster CPU or a GPU speeds up.
What you need to run the server
- OS
- Windows 10 1809+ / macOS 13+ / Linux
- CPU
- Windows: x86-64 or ARM64; Linux: x86-64 or ARM64; macOS: Intel (x64) or Apple silicon (ARM64). A GPU helps for transcoding
- RAM
- 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended
- Disk
- ~1 GB for the app + room for metadata & artwork
- Runtime
- Everything included — nothing else to install
- Network
- A LAN for local play; internet for first sign-in, token refresh, metadata and cloud features
Getting the most from your hardware
- Native clients direct-play the widest range of formats, so they transcode the least.
- A dedicated GPU accelerates transcoding and HDR tone-mapping; the CPU path is always there as a universal fallback.
- Every simultaneous transcode wants more CPU or GPU headroom — direct play scales much further on the same box.
- Keep your library on the same machine or a fast network share so scanning and playback stay snappy.
Bring your library home.
Free for home use and yours to run on your own hardware. Install it in minutes.