RX 9070 XT (RDNA4): HEVC/AV1 encoder init crashes GPU driver on startup (Adrenalin 26.6.4)

Nobody has claimed this yet.

### Is there an existing issue for this?

- [x] I have searched the existing issues

### Is your issue described in the documentation?

- [x] I have read the documentation

### Is your issue present in the latest beta/pre-release?

None

### Describe the Bug

Starting/restarting the Sunshine Windows service causes the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT to hang during encoder session initialization. Sunshine attempts to sequentially create H.264, HEVC, and AV1 AMF encoder sessions on startup. The H.264 session initializes successfully, but the HEVC session creation fails with a D3D11 device error, and shortly after the GPU becomes completely unreachable via DXGI. This triggers AMD's own "Crash Defender" driver watchdog, which puts the GPU into a reduced-functionality protected mode — two of my three monitors go black, and a Windows reboot is required to restore full hardware acceleration.

This did **not** occur on AMD driver 25.9.1. It started after upgrading to AMD Adrenalin 26.6.4.

[sunshine.log](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/29714651/sunshine.log)

### Expected Behavior

Sunshine should either succeed in creating all requested encoder sessions, or fail gracefully on unsupported/unavailable ones without triggering a driver-level hang that affects the whole system (including unrelated displays).

### Additional Context

- Sunshine service starts (or is restarted).
- H.264 AMF encoder session initializes successfully.
- HEVC AMF encoder session fails: `Failed to create encoder D3D11 device [0x80004005]`
- AV1 AMF encoder session fails with the same error.
- ~2 minutes later, DXGI can no longer locate any GPU output device; Sunshine falls back to the Microsoft Basic Render Driver (software, 0 MB VRAM).
- Two of three physical monitors go black; the AMD Software "Crash Defender" tool shows a popup stating a display driver timeout was detected and the GPU is now running in protected/reduced mode.
- A full system reboot is required to restore normal GPU function.

### Host Operating System

Windows

### Operating System Version

Windows 11 Pro 25H2 26200.8655

### Architecture

amd64/x86_64

### Package

Windows - exe installer

### GPU Type

AMD

### GPU Model

9070 XT

### GPU Driver/Mesa Version

26.6.4

### Capture Method

None

### Apps

```json

```

### Log output

```shell
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: Sunshine version: 2026.516.143833 commit: 14ffa6fdaa53f7b51512be2b3d24f3939695403c
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: Package Publisher: LizardByte
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: Publisher Website: https://app.lizardbyte.dev
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: Get support: https://app.lizardbyte.dev/support
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: config: 'amd_coder' = cabac
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: config: 'dd_config_revert_on_disconnect' = enabled
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: config: 'output_name' = {9acddf6d-43cc-576e-9aff-0c5fc80b4cc8}
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: config: 'dd_configuration_option' = ensure_only_display
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: config: 'encoder' = amdvce
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.666]: Info: Provided workaround settings for SettingsManager:
{
"hdr_blank_delay": null
}
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.672]: Info: Currently available display devices:
[
{
"device_id": "{66204d0d-b70d-53e8-8e96-bac7ff3f2bff}",
"display_name": "\\\\.\\DISPLAY1",
"edid": {
"manufacturer_id": "ACR",
"product_code": "06CF",
"serial_number": 2435901698
},
"friendly_name": "VG270U P",
"info": {
"hdr_state": null,
"origin_point": {
"x": 0,
"y": 0
},
"primary": true,
"refresh_rate": {
"type": "rational",
"value": {
"denominator": 1,
"numerator": 144
}
},
"resolution": {
"height": 1440,
"width": 2560
},
"resolution_scale": {
"type": "rational",
"value": {
"denominator": 100,
"numerator": 100
}
}
}
},
{
"device_id": "{f2ef91aa-e355-5a0c-ab09-efe4c689ecd1}",
"display_name": "\\\\.\\DISPLAY2",
"edid": {
"manufacturer_id": "ACR",
"product_code": "0AF2",
"serial_number": 1125159475
},
"friendly_name": "QG271 E",
"info": {
"hdr_state": null,
"origin_point": {
"x": 2560,
"y": 353
},
"primary": false,
"refresh_rate": {
"type": "rational",
"value": {
"denominator": 1,
"numerator": 100
}
},
"resolution": {
"height": 1080,
"width": 1920
},
"resolution_scale": {
"type": "rational",
"value": {
"denominator": 100,
"numerator": 100
}
}
}
},
{
"device_id": "{f978ccf1-5a51-58b2-9f24-db85f8cc1a3b}",
"display_name": "\\\\.\\DISPLAY3",
"edid": {
"manufacturer_id": "ACR",
"product_code": "0AF2",
"serial_number": 1132504501
},
"friendly_name": "QG271 E",
"info": {
"hdr_state": null,
"origin_point": {
"x": -1920,
"y": 353
},
"primary": false,
"refresh_rate": {
"type": "rational",
"value": {
"denominator": 1,
"numerator": 100
}
},
"resolution": {
"height": 1080,
"width": 1920
},
"resolution_scale": {
"type": "rational",
"value": {
"denominator": 100,
"numerator": 100
}
}
}
}
]
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.677]: Info: nvprefs: NvAPI_Initialize() failed, ignore if you don't have NVIDIA video card
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.679]: Info: Compiling shaders...
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.751]: Info: Compiled shaders
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.761]: Info: Trying encoder [amdvce]
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.852]: Info:
Device Description : AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
Device Vendor ID : 0x00001002
Device Device ID : 0x00007550
Device Video Mem : 16188 MiB
Device Sys Mem : 0 MiB
Share Sys Mem : 16182 MiB
Feature Level : 0x0000B100
Capture size : 2560x1440
Offset : 1920x0
Virtual Desktop : 6400x1440
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.852]: Info: Active GPU has HAGS enabled
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.852]: Info: Using realtime GPU priority
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.852]: Info:
Colorspace : DXGI_COLOR_SPACE_RGB_FULL_G22_NONE_P709
Bits Per Color : 8
Red Primary : [0.677734,0.30957]
Green Primary : [0.265625,0.663086]
Blue Primary : [0.148438,0.0527344]
White Point : [0.313477,0.329102]
Min Luminance : 0.5 nits
Max Luminance : 270 nits
Max Full Luminance : 270 nits
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.853]: Info: Desktop resolution [2560x1440]
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.853]: Info: Desktop format [DXGI_FORMAT_B8G8R8A8_UNORM]
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.853]: Info: Display refresh rate [144Hz]
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.853]: Info: Requested frame rate [60/1 exactly 60 fps]
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.856]: Info: Creating encoder [h264_amf]
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.856]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.856]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.856]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.879]: Info: Streaming bitrate is 1000000
[2026-07-06 20:10:17.887]: Info: [D3D11VA @ 000001efedf5aa80] AMF via D3D11.
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.287]: Info: Creating encoder [hevc_amf]
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.287]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.287]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.287]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.307]: Error: Failed to create encoder D3D11 device [0x80004005]
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.310]: Info: Creating encoder [av1_amf]
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.310]: Info: Color coding: SDR (Rec. 601)
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.310]: Info: Color depth: 8-bit
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.310]: Info: Color range: JPEG
[2026-07-06 20:10:21.325]: Error: Failed to create encoder D3D11 device [0x80004005]
[2026-07-06 20:12:37.277]: Error: Failed to locate an output device
[2026-07-06 20:12:37.713]: Error: DuplicateOutput() test failed [0x80070005]
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.234]: Info:
Device Description : Microsoft Basic Render Driver
Device Vendor ID : 0x00001414
Device Device ID : 0x0000008C
Device Video Mem : 0 MiB
Device Sys Mem : 0 MiB
Share Sys Mem : 16182 MiB
Feature Level : 0x0000B100
Capture size : 2560x1440
Offset : 0x0
Virtual Desktop : 2560x1440
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.235]: Info: Active GPU has HAGS disabled
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.235]: Info: Using realtime GPU priority
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.235]: Info:
Colorspace : DXGI_COLOR_SPACE_RGB_FULL_G22_NONE_P709
Bits Per Color : 8
Red Primary : [0,0]
Green Primary : [0,0]
Blue Primary : [0,0]
White Point : [0,0]
Min Luminance : 0 nits
Max Luminance : 0 nits
Max Full Luminance : 0 nits
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.243]: Error: Screen capture is not supported on this device for this release of Windows: failed to acquire device: [0x80070424]
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.451]: Info:
Device Description : Microsoft Basic Render Driver
Device Vendor ID : 0x00001414
Device Device ID : 0x0000008C
Device Video Mem : 0 MiB
Device Sys Mem : 0 MiB
Share Sys Mem : 16182 MiB
Feature Level : 0x0000B100
Capture size : 2560x1440
Offset : 0x0
Virtual Desktop : 2560x1440
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.451]: Info: Active GPU has HAGS disabled
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.452]: Info: Using realtime GPU priority
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.452]: Info:
Colorspace : DXGI_COLOR_SPACE_RGB_FULL_G22_NONE_P709
Bits Per Color : 8
Red Primary : [0,0]
Green Primary : [0,0]
Blue Primary : [0,0]
White Point : [0,0]
Min Luminance : 0 nits
Max Luminance : 0 nits
Max Full Luminance : 0 nits
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.453]: Info: Desktop resolution [2560x1440]
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.453]: Info: Desktop format [DXGI_FORMAT_B8G8R8A8_UNORM]
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.453]: Info: Display refresh rate [1Hz]
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.453]: Info: Requested frame rate [60/1 exactly 60 fps]
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.454]: Info: // Testing for available encoders, this may generate errors. You can safely ignore those errors. //
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.454]: Info:
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.454]: Info: // Ignore any errors mentioned above, they are not relevant. //
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.454]: Info:
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.454]: Info: Found H.264 encoder: h264_amf [amdvce]
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.460]: Info: Starting system tray
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.460]: Info: System tray thread initialized successfully
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.460]: Info: No main thread features enabled, skipping event loop
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.460]: Info: System tray thread started
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.470]: Info: Configuration UI available at [https://localhost:47990]
[2026-07-06 20:12:38.507]: Info: System tray created
[2026-07-06 20:12:39.232]: Info: Web UI: [127.0.0.1] -- not authorized
[2026-07-06 20:12:39.242]: Info: Registered Sunshine mDNS service
[2026-07-06 20:16:41.746]: Info: Interrupt handler called
[2026-07-06 20:16:41.746]: Error: Couldn't accept incoming connections: Der E/A-Vorgang wurde wegen eines Threadendes oder einer Anwendungsanforderung abgebrochen
[2026-07-06 20:16:41.747]: Info: System tray thread ended
[2026-07-06 20:16:41.748]: Info: Unregistered Sunshine mDNS service

```

### Online logs

_No response_

No source file or test is identified in the report. Start by tracing the Windows AMF encoder-session initialization for h264_amf, hevc_amf, and av1_amf, then reproduce with the supplied log on an RX 9070 XT using driver 26.6.4. Done means establishing whether Sunshine can avoid the driver-level hang and fail safely when HEVC or AV1 initialization fails.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.