Is it safe to remove nvidia VDPAU lib from Arch running on intel box

ArchEr9 · 2025-06-23 15:21:19

I have a Intel core processor. I do not have AMD Radeon or NVidia GPU. When I run the command given below I get

$ pacman -Qs nvidia
local/libvdpau 1.5-3
    Nvidia VDPAU library
$

When I check the package libvdpau I realized that is has been installed as a dependency to ffmeg. I will be retaining ffmeg.

The question is can libvdpau be safely removed without impacting the functionality of other packages like ffmeg, mpv, mplayer and others? Does removing libvdpau result in any adverse impact on the working of the computer?

mackin_cheese · 2025-06-23 15:27:48

If a package has something listed as a dependency, it means it's required for it to work properly. ffmpeg will stop working if you remove libvdpau, doesn't matter if you have nvidia or not.

seth · 2025-06-23 17:01:57

Specifically

ldd /usr/bin/ffmpeg | grep -i vdpau

libvdpau is an interface library, you'd have to compile ffmpeg yourself w/o vdpau support.
What do you hope to achieve here? Free 284 kB on your hard drive?

ArchEr9 · 2025-06-24 01:55:01

What I hope to achieve is to remove unwanted stuff and run a lean and mean system.

So is the ffmeg present in Arch repositories compiled with libvdpau support inbuilt? Or is ffmeg coded in such a way that it will pick up the corresponding intel library if it is running on an intel only box? I see that ffmeg is maintained by Maxime Gauduin and Lukas Fleischer. Is there a way they or one of them can be reached?

Last edited by ArchEr9 (2025-06-24 01:55:24)

seth · 2025-06-24 06:14:13

run a lean and mean system.

=> gentoo.org
You need precise understanding of each specific case in detail if you wanted to ignore the package dependencies.
For all intents and purposes, if a package is listed as hard dependency, it most likely is.

So is the ffmeg present in Arch repositories compiled with libvdpau support inbuilt? Or is ffmeg coded in such a way that it will pick up the corresponding intel library if it is running on an intel only box?

That's not an either-or question and the answers are "yes" (otherwise nvidia users could not use vdpau even if they've the appropriate codecs installed) and "no" - ffmpeg does whatever you tell it, but I'm pretty sure it defaults to software.
Even if not, you'd still have to chose between vaapi and qsv and that will also require you to install the appropriate codecs.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Hardwa … tion#Intel - qsv needs intel-media-sdk but its performance benefits are fringe and minor (I actually just tested around the other day because I figured "mpeg2 cannot take that much cpu to decode!" but guess that the HW isn't very optimized for it)

Is there a way they or one of them can be reached?

If you want to know how ffmpeg works, it's extensively documented and if you've specific questions, you stand a better chance asking them on an ffmpeg related forum than some package mananger who makes sure it compiles and is up-to-date.
If you want to tell them that "hey, i don't want you to link nvidia-specific stuff or anything that's not strictly needed for MY hardware and MY usecases" they'll tell you to use gentoo (resp. if it was for an isolated package only, the https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Arch_build_system )

Arch Linux

#1 2025-06-23 15:21:19

Is it safe to remove nvidia VDPAU lib from Arch running on intel box

#2 2025-06-23 15:27:48

Re: Is it safe to remove nvidia VDPAU lib from Arch running on intel box

#3 2025-06-23 17:01:57

Re: Is it safe to remove nvidia VDPAU lib from Arch running on intel box

#4 2025-06-24 01:55:01

Re: Is it safe to remove nvidia VDPAU lib from Arch running on intel box

#5 2025-06-24 06:14:13

Re: Is it safe to remove nvidia VDPAU lib from Arch running on intel box

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