[FFe] For Focal, build ffmpeg 4 with external headers for NVENC

[Mikhail Novosyolov]

See https://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ffnvcodec-headers/

ffmpeg -codecs 2>/dev/null | grep nvenc
should show available codecs and does show on Ubuntu 18.04, I think it does not on 19.04, because ffmpeg has moved compat/nvenc to a separate git repository, and you have to explicitly enable --enable-nvenc --enable-nvdec after packaging those headers.

[FFe rational for focal]

Full description can be found in the needs-packaging bug for the external headers.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1866709

I am using this bug for the FFe, so as to preserve the history of the needs-packaging bug for future ref.

While technically a new feature for implementation of ffmpeg4 series in Ubuntu, and for anyone upgrading from Eoan who did come via previous upgrades, this is restoring a feature that was available in Bionic.

Martin Wimpress has prepared and tested packages in this PPA.

https://launchpad.net/~flexiondotorg/+archive/ubuntu/ffmpeg

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[flip101 (flip101)]

On ubuntu 18.10 the hevc_nvenc codec is also missing. ffmpeg doesn't list --enable-nvenc as one of it's configure flags that was used.

[Luca Osvaldo Mastromatteo (lukycrociato)]

Hi, I was wondering the same question. Why did it worked in the past and now not anymore?

[PaJoe (flhtcu)]

Is there a detailed work around for this?

I tried adding and recompiling ffmpeg worked ok 18.10 but doing the same after upgrading to 19.04 did not work for me, not sure if I did something wrong.

sudo apt-get install make git
mkdir $HOME/nv-codec-headers_build && cd $HOME/nv-codec-headers_build
git clone https://git.videolan.org/git/ffmpeg/nv-codec-headers.git
cd nv-codec-headers
make && sudo make install

ffmpeg:

https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/CompilationGuide/Ubuntu

original help:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/778100/how-to-install-compile-nvenc-in-ubuntu

[DiegoRivera (diego-rivera)]

The help at https://askubuntu.com/questions/778100/how-to-install-compile-nvenc-in-ubuntu is how I got to build working packages in my system (19.04 fresh install).

Hopefully this gets fixed shortly. Maybe come up with a .deb that includes the NVENC headers so they're easier to incorporate into the base build? Dunno if any licensing issues would apply, though...

Cheers.

[Mikhail Novosyolov (mikhailnov)]

NVENC now have a seperate upstream and are a build dependency of other packages, not onl;y ffmpeg, but e.g. also e.g. handbrake

[DiegoRivera (diego-rivera)]

All the more reason this issue should be easily fixable by referencing that package as a builddep... again, unless licensing issues come into play.

[Mikhail Novosyolov (mikhailnov)]

Yes, it is very simple to fix, I built all that for ROSA Linux, nothing unusual

[Rik Mills (rikmills)]

nv-codec-headers is now in Focal proposed pocket (pending new binary acceptance) LP: #1866709

A ffmpeg upload is being prepared to re-enable things again once that clears the checks.

[DiegoRivera (diego-rivera)]

Will this be backported to Eoan?

[Łukasz Zemczak (sil2100)]

Since the NEW package has been reviewed and ACKed by an AA, this looks good to go. Approving the FFe.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package ffmpeg - 7:4.2.2-1ubuntu1

---------------
ffmpeg (7:4.2.2-1ubuntu1) focal; urgency=medium

  * Build with external nv-codec-headers for NVENC accelerated video
    encoding. (LP: #1810649)
    - debian/control:
      + Add B-D libffmpeg-nvenc-dev
    - debian/rules:
      + Add --enable-nvenc for amd64 only

 -- Martin Wimpress <email address hidden> Sat, 07 Mar 2020 08:39:35 +0000