![\"Mascote](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/compile-ffmpeg-nvenc-v2.webp\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
xdltF4HvfjE<\/code>) went offline. The DEBs from the oficinadotux repository (16\/18\/19) and the compilation gist from 2017 remain only as historical material at the end. Today the approach is the proprietary driver + FFmpeg with ffnvcodec<\/code> (headers 13.1.15, Linux driver \u2265 610) \u2014 and, most of the time, without<\/em> downloading the proprietary SDK.<\/div>\nNVENC is still the same NVIDIA hardware block: it takes H.264\/HEVC\/AV1 off the CPU and sends it to the GPU's ASIC. What changed is the packaging. In 2017 you compiled FFmpeg against the SDK. In 2026 FFmpeg talks to the driver through nv-codec-headers<\/a> (MIT). First check whether the binary you already have lists the encoders; compile only if they are missing.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
What changed since 2017<\/h2>\n\n- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ships FFmpeg 6.1.1<\/strong>; 26.04 LTS ships 8.0.1<\/strong> (universe).<\/li>\n
- The current Video Codec SDK is 13.1<\/strong>. The public headers are at
nv-codec-headers<\/code> 13.1.15 \u2014 minimum driver 610.<\/li>\n- Old presets (
llhq<\/code>, slow<\/code> as an NVENC preset name) gave way to p1<\/code>\u2026p7<\/code>.<\/li>\n- In addition to
h264_nvenc<\/code> and hevc_nvenc<\/code> there is av1_nvenc<\/code> (Ada \/ RTX 40 and newer).<\/li>\n- NPP in FFmpeg is deprecated with CUDA greater than 12.8. NVIDIA calls for
scale_cuda<\/code>, not scale_npp<\/code>. Avoid --enable-libnpp<\/code>.<\/li>\n- OBS on Linux talks to NVENC through the driver. Compiling FFmpeg is no longer<\/em> a prerequisite for recording\/streaming in OBS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Check the GPU and driver<\/h2>\n
Without the proprietary driver there is no NVENC. Nouveau does not count. Details on how the GPU works: How graphics cards work<\/a>.<\/p>\nnvidia-smi\n# Driver Version e o nome da GPU. Para headers 13.1: driver \u2265 610.\n\nffmpeg -hide_banner -encoders | grep nvenc\nffmpeg -hide_banner -decoders | grep cuvid\nffmpeg -hide_banner -hwaccels | grep -E 'cuda|nvdec'<\/code><\/pre>\nIf you see h264_nvenc<\/code> \/ hevc_nvenc<\/code> (and av1_nvenc<\/code> on Ada+), the system's FFmpeg is already suitable. Also install the driver's encode\/decode libraries:<\/p>\n# Ubuntu\nsudo apt install libnvidia-decode libnvidia-encode\n\n# Debian (nomes com sufixo 1)\nsudo apt install libnvcuvid1 libnvidia-encode1<\/code><\/pre>\nFor those who do not have the driver yet:<\/p>\n
ubuntu-drivers devices\nsudo ubuntu-drivers install\n# ou um ramo espec\u00edfico, ex.: sudo apt install nvidia-driver-570\nsudo reboot<\/code><\/pre>\nShortcut: Ubuntu's ffmpeg<\/h2>\nsudo apt update\nsudo apt install ffmpeg\nffmpeg -version\nffmpeg -hide_banner -encoders | grep nvenc<\/code><\/pre>\nDebian\/Ubuntu compile FFmpeg with libffmpeg-nvenc-dev<\/code> (MIT headers only). NVENC\/NVDEC are included through autodetection; the NVIDIA libraries are a suggested<\/em>, not mandatory, package dependency. That is why the binary lists the encoders even on a machine without a GPU \u2014 and fails at runtime if the driver is absent.<\/p>\nIf grep nvenc<\/code> returns nothing, you have a build without ffnvcodec (snap, an old static binary, an odd PPA). Then use jellyfin-ffmpeg or compile.<\/p>\nShortcut 2: jellyfin-ffmpeg<\/h2>\n
The jellyfin-ffmpeg<\/a> is FFmpeg 7.1.x \/ 8.1.x already linked with NVENC, QSV, and VA-API. You can install the package by itself, without the Jellyfin server. In 2026: jellyfin-ffmpeg7<\/code> (7.1.4) and jellyfin-ffmpeg8<\/code> (8.1.1).<\/p>\ncurl -fsSL https:\/\/repo.jellyfin.org\/install-debuntu.sh | sudo bash\nsudo apt install jellyfin-ffmpeg7 libnvidia-decode libnvidia-encode\n\n\/usr\/lib\/jellyfin-ffmpeg\/ffmpeg -hide_banner -encoders | grep nvenc<\/code><\/pre>\nThe binary lives in \/usr\/lib\/jellyfin-ffmpeg\/ffmpeg<\/code>, it does not replace Ubuntu's \/usr\/bin\/ffmpeg<\/code> . Use the full path (or an alias) when you want guaranteed NVENC support.<\/p>\nCompiling: official NVIDIA 13.1 recipe<\/h2>\n
Documentation: Using FFmpeg with NVIDIA GPU Hardware Acceleration<\/a> (SDK 13.1). Official FFmpeg repositories are now at code.ffmpeg.org<\/code>.<\/p>\nUseful when you want FFmpeg 8 on 24.04, CUDA filters, or an isolated prefix without touching the system package.<\/p>\n
sudo apt update\nsudo apt -y install git build-essential pkg-config nasm clang \n libx264-dev libx265-dev libopus-dev libvpx-dev libmp3lame-dev \n libass-dev libfreetype6-dev libgnutls28-dev\n\nmkdir -p ~\/src && cd ~\/src\n\ngit clone https:\/\/code.ffmpeg.org\/FFmpeg\/nv-codec-headers.git\ncd nv-codec-headers\n# driver < 610: git checkout n12.2.72.0\nsudo make install\ncd ..\n\ngit clone https:\/\/code.ffmpeg.org\/FFmpeg\/FFmpeg.git\ncd FFmpeg\n# master quebra de vez em quando; pin numa release:\n# git checkout n8.0.1\n\n.\/configure --prefix=\"$PWD\/build\" \n --enable-gpl --enable-nonfree \n --disable-static --enable-shared \n --nvcc=clang \n --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libopus \n --enable-libvpx --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libass --enable-gnutls\n\nmake -j\"$(nproc)\"\nmake install\n\nexport PATH=\"$PWD\/build\/bin:$PATH\"\nexport LD_LIBRARY_PATH=\"$PWD\/build\/lib:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:-}\"\n\nffmpeg -hide_banner -encoders | grep nvenc\nffmpeg -hide_banner -filters | grep cuda<\/code><\/pre>\nThe flag --enable-nonfree<\/code> is included because FFmpeg treats NVENC as nonfree when redistributing the binary. The headers are MIT; the proprietary blob is the driver. Do not enable --enable-libnpp<\/code>. The CUDA runtime is not mandatory \u2014 FFmpeg uses the driver API.<\/p>\nTo persist the local prefix, add this to ~\/.bashrc<\/code>:<\/p>\nexport PATH=\"$HOME\/src\/FFmpeg\/build\/bin:$PATH\"\nexport LD_LIBRARY_PATH=\"$HOME\/src\/FFmpeg\/build\/lib:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH:-}\"<\/code><\/pre>\nDo not install in \/usr<\/code> on top of the package ffmpeg<\/code>. The prefix build\/<\/code> avoids fighting with apt.<\/p>\nUsing the encoders<\/h2>\n
Entire pipeline on the GPU (CUDA decode \u2192 NVENC encode), without going back through RAM:<\/p>\n
ffmpeg -y -hwaccel cuda -hwaccel_output_format cuda \n -i entrada.mp4 \n -c:v h264_nvenc -preset p4 -b:v 5M -fps_mode passthrough \n -c:a copy \n saida.mp4<\/code><\/pre>\nHEVC (Maxwell 2nd gen+) and AV1 (Ada \/ RTX 40+):<\/p>\n
# HEVC qualidade (arquivo, n\u00e3o live)\nffmpeg -y -hwaccel cuda -hwaccel_output_format cuda -i entrada.mp4 \n -c:v hevc_nvenc -preset p6 -tune hq -rc vbr -cq 23 -b:v 0 \n -c:a copy saida.mkv\n\n# AV1\nffmpeg -y -hwaccel cuda -hwaccel_output_format cuda -i entrada.mp4 \n -c:v av1_nvenc -preset p5 -tune hq -rc constqp -qp 28 \n -c:a copy saida.mkv<\/code><\/pre>\nResize on the GPU with scale_cuda<\/code> (replacement for scale_npp<\/code>):<\/p>\nffmpeg -y -hwaccel cuda -hwaccel_output_format cuda -i entrada.mp4 \n -vf scale_cuda=1280:720:interp_algo=bilinear \n -c:v h264_nvenc -preset p4 -b:v 4M -c:a copy saida.mp4<\/code><\/pre>\nPresets: p1<\/code> faster \/ lower quality, p7<\/code> slower \/ better. p4<\/code> is the default. Tune: hq<\/code> (file), ll<\/code> \/ ull<\/code> (live), uhq<\/code> (HEVC\/AV1, Turing+, more VRAM).<\/p>\nMultiple GPUs: -hwaccel_device 1<\/code> or CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=1<\/code>. List: nvidia-smi -L<\/code>.<\/p>\nOBS Studio<\/h2>\n
In current OBS, the \u201cNVIDIA NVENC\u201d encoder appears automatically when the proprietary driver is running. It does not depend on the FFmpeg you compiled. OBS Flatpak uses its own runtime: the NVIDIA Flatpak package (org.freedesktop.Platform.GL.nvidia-\u2026<\/code>) needs to match the host driver.<\/p>\nOn the CLI, the equivalent of \u201crecord the screen with NVENC\u201d is still FFmpeg; OBS is the UI. SimpleScreenRecorder has fallen behind \u2014 if you still use it, migrate to OBS or FFmpeg itself.<\/p>\n
Hardware by generation<\/h2>\n\nh264_nvenc<\/code> \u2014 Kepler (GTX 600) onward.<\/li>\nhevc_nvenc<\/code> \u2014 Maxwell 2nd gen (GTX 900) onward; 10-bit becomes decent on Pascal+.<\/li>\nav1_nvenc<\/code> \u2014 Ada (RTX 40) and Blackwell (RTX 50).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe limit of 3 simultaneous sessions on GeForce was removed in driver 456.71 (2020). If an encode refuses a session, update the driver before blaming FFmpeg.<\/p>\n
History (2017)<\/h2>\n
The workflow back then \u2014 SDK 6\/7, FFmpeg 3.2.1, a gist script, DEB for Ubuntu 16\/18\/19 \u2014 is archived at:<\/p>\n
\n- compilation gist (FFmpeg 3.2.1 + SDK 7.0.1)<\/a><\/li>\n
- oficinadotux<\/a> (16\/18\/19 binaries)<\/li>\n
- gitlab.com\/jniltinho\/docker-ffmpeg<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Do not use these binaries on Ubuntu 24.04\/26.04. The YouTube video accompanying the original post is no longer available.<\/p>\n
Summary: nvidia-smi<\/code> running, ffmpeg -encoders | grep nvenc<\/code> listed, encode with -hwaccel cuda -hwaccel_output_format cuda<\/code> and scale_cuda<\/code>. Compile only if Ubuntu's package or jellyfin-ffmpeg is not enough.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NVENC remains the same NVIDIA hardware block: it takes H.264\/HEVC\/AV1 off the CPU and sends it to the GPU\u2019s ASIC. What changed is the packaging. In 2017, you compiled FFmpeg against the SDK. In 2026, FFmpeg communicates \u2026 Read more<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,2,3],"tags":[36,37,134,38,4,205,152,34,35],"class_list":["post-112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-howtos","category-linux","category-ubuntu","tag-compile","tag-ffmpeg","tag-gpu","tag-gravar","tag-linux","tag-nvenc","tag-nvidia","tag-obs","tag-www"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1405,"href":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions\/1405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}