NVDEC

NVDEC (formerly known as NVCUVID^[1]) is a feature in Nvidia graphics cards that performs video decoding, offloading this compute-intensive task from the CPU.^[2] NVDEC is a successor of PureVideo and is available in Kepler and later Nvidia GPUs.

It is accompanied by NVENC for video encoding in Nvidia's Video Codec SDK.^[2]

Technology

NVDEC can offload video decoding to full fixed-function decoding hardware (Nvidia PureVideo), or (partially) decode via CUDA software running on the GPU, if fixed-function hardware is not available.^[2]^[3]

Depending on the GPU architecture, the following codecs are supported:^[4]

MPEG-2
VC-1
H.264 (AVC)
H.265 (HEVC)
VP8
VP9
AV1

Versions

NVCUVID was originally distributed as part of the Nvidia CUDA Toolkit.^[3] Later, it was renamed to NVDEC and moved to the Nvidia Video Codec SDK.^[1]

Operating system support

NVDEC is available for Windows and Linux operating systems.^[2] As NVDEC is a proprietary API (as opposed to the open-source VDPAU API), it is only supported by the proprietary Nvidia driver on Linux.

Application and library support

Gstreamer has supported NVDEC since 2017.^[5]
FFmpeg has supported NVDEC since 2017.^[6]
mpv has supported NVDEC since 2017 by the use of FFmpeg.^[7]

GPU support

Hardware accelerated decode and encode are supported on Nvidia GeForce, Quadro, Tesla, and GRID products with Fermi or newer generation GPUs.^[8]

Board	Chip	NVDEC per chip	MPEG-2	VC-1	VP8	VP9			H.264 (AVCHD) (except High 10)	H.265 (HEVC) 4:2:0			H.265 (HEVC) 4:4:4			AV1 4:2:0
Board	Chip	NVDEC per chip	MPEG-2	VC-1	VP8	8 bit	10 bit	12 bit	H.264 (AVCHD) (except High 10)	8 bit	10 bit	12 bit	8 bit	10 bit	12 bit	8 bit	10 bit
GeForce 710A > 810A	GK208	1	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GT 723A / 740A			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GT 720M > 740M			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GT 630 / 635/ 640 / 710 / 730			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce 710A / 810M / 820M	GK107		Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GT 640M > 755M / GTX 660M			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GT 630 - 640 GeForce GTX 650 GeForce GT 740			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 645 -650 Ti Boost GeForce GT 740	GK106		Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 660 - 690 GeForce GTX 760 - 770	GK104		Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 760A/M > 880M	GK104		Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 680M/MX > 880M	GK104		Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 780 - 780 Ti	GK110		Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX Titan / Titan Black			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX Titan Z			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 745 - 750 Ti	GM107		Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce 840M / 845M / 940M / 940MX / 945M			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 850A > 960A			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 850M > 960M			Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce 830A > 945A	GM108	0	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce 830M > 945M			No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 920MX - 940MX			No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce MX110 / MX130			No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 750 / 950 - 960	GM206	1	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 965M	GM206		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 910M / 920M / 920A	GM208B		Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 980M / 980MX	GM204		Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 960 Ti / 970 / 980	GM204		Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 980 Ti	GM200		Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX Titan X	GM200		Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce MX150	GP108	0	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce MX230 / MX250 / MX330		0	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GT 1030		1	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 1050 / 1050 Ti / MX350	GP107		Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 1050 / 1050 Ti	GP106		Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 1060	GP106		Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 1060	GP104		Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 1070M / 1080M	GP104B		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 1070 / 1070 Ti / 1080	GP104		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 1080 Ti	GP102		Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX Titan X / Titan Xp	GP102		Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Titan V	GV100		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
GeForce GTX 1650 / MX450	TU117		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti / 1660 / 1660 Super	TU116		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
GeForce RTX 2060 / 2070 / 2060 Super	TU106		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
GeForce RTX 2080 / 2070 Super / 2080 Super	TU104		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti	TU102		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Titan RTX	TU102		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
A100	GA100		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
GeForce RTX 3050 Ti / RTX 3050	GA107		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
GeForce RTX 3060	GA106		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti / 3070 / 3070 Ti	GA104		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
GeForce RTX 3080 / 3090	GA102		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
GeForce RTX 4090	AD102	1	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Board	Chip	NVDEC per chip	MPEG-2	VC-1	VP8	VP9			H.264 (AVCHD)	H.265 (HEVC) 4:2:0			H.265 (HEVC) 4:4:4			AV1 4:2:0
Board	Chip	NVDEC per chip	MPEG-2	VC-1	VP8	8 bit	10 bit	12 bit	H.264 (AVCHD)	8 bit	10 bit	12 bit	8 bit	10 bit	12 bit	8 bit	10 bit