• Sources: release notes, download page, discussion, Reddit thread
  • Summary: FFmpeg 9.0, codenamed "Lei", was released on 2026-08-04 from a branch cut on 2026-06-26. The download page lists new versions for the full set of core libraries.
  • Why it matters: FFmpeg sits under most media pipelines, and a major release bumps every core library soname at once, so downstream packagers and anything linking libavcodec face a rebuild.

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