diff --git a/libavcodec/hevc.c b/libavcodec/hevc.c
index d801a472708cc8d570690b489d026a2354441bf4..d9c9c7104ddfe3c03dd4ed3a764bd141dcfcc37e 100644
--- a/libavcodec/hevc.c
+++ b/libavcodec/hevc.c
@@ -546,6 +546,8 @@ static int hls_slice_header(HEVCContext *s)
             return AVERROR_INVALIDDATA;
         }
 
+        // when flag is not present, picture is inferred to be output
+        sh->pic_output_flag = 1;
         if (s->pps->output_flag_present_flag)
             sh->pic_output_flag = get_bits1(gb);
 
diff --git a/libavcodec/hevc_refs.c b/libavcodec/hevc_refs.c
index 2fbe9e787cc4be9becc4a91e343769e60fe7e9d1..c924227e5012a8ae9076be150cd09e24eb288290 100644
--- a/libavcodec/hevc_refs.c
+++ b/libavcodec/hevc_refs.c
@@ -143,8 +143,12 @@ int ff_hevc_set_new_ref(HEVCContext *s, AVFrame **frame, int poc)
     *frame = ref->frame;
     s->ref = ref;
 
+    if (s->sh.pic_output_flag)
+        ref->flags = HEVC_FRAME_FLAG_OUTPUT | HEVC_FRAME_FLAG_SHORT_REF;
+    else
+        ref->flags = HEVC_FRAME_FLAG_SHORT_REF;
+
     ref->poc      = poc;
-    ref->flags    = HEVC_FRAME_FLAG_OUTPUT | HEVC_FRAME_FLAG_SHORT_REF;
     ref->sequence = s->seq_decode;
     ref->window   = s->sps->output_window;