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retractant0916

Member

Registered: 2024-09-17

Posts: 10

[SOLVED] Can't use VA-API on nouveau, even though hardware supports it

I'm on NVIDIA GeForce GT 720M, using Nouveau drivers, running an X11 session. FreeDesktop's video decoding page states that it uses VP5 engine, which Nouveau supports: https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/VideoDecoding.html
I installed the firmware from here: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/nouveau-fw, set LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME=nouveau in xinitrc and tried to play a video of H.264 format with mpv --hwdec=vaapi, but I'm getting the following error:
[vaapi] libva: /usr/lib/dri/nouveau_drv_video.so init failed
Any reason why this could be happening?

Last edited by retractant0916 (2026-07-13 15:36:38)

Lone_Wolf

Administrator

From: Netherlands, Europe

Registered: 2005-10-04

Posts: 15,218

Re: [SOLVED] Can't use VA-API on nouveau, even though hardware supports it

Even if enabled, hardware decoding is still only white-listed for some codecs.

If you want to test available hardware decoding methods, pass --hwdec=auto --hwdec-codecs=all and look at the terminal output.

Please also post the output of vainfo .

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seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 76,815

Re: [SOLVED] Can't use VA-API on nouveau, even though hardware supports it

using Nouveau drivers, running an X11

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 6#p2214176 ?

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retractant0916

Member

Registered: 2024-09-17

Posts: 10

Re: [SOLVED] Can't use VA-API on nouveau, even though hardware supports it

Even if enabled, hardware decoding is still only white-listed for some codecs.

If you want to test available hardware decoding methods, pass --hwdec=auto --hwdec-codecs=all and look at the terminal output.

Please also post the output of vainfo .

Trying display: wayland
Trying display: x11
libva error: /usr/lib/dri/nouveau_drv_video.so init failed
vaInitialize failed with error code 2 (resource allocation failed),exit

I tried mpv --hwdec=auto --hwdec-codecs=all and it picked up vaapi-copy, but there are artifacts in the first couple of seconds of the video, and this is the output terminal produces:

[vaapi] libva: /usr/lib/dri/nouveau_drv_video.so init failed
[ffmpeg] Vulkan: Instance creation failure: VK_ERROR_INCOMPATIBLE_DRIVER
[ffmpeg] CUDA: Cannot load libcuda.so.1
[ffmpeg] CUDA: Could not dynamically load CUDA
[ffmpeg/video] h264: Failed to upload decode parameters: 2 (resource allocation failed).
[ffmpeg/video] h264: Failed to end picture decode after error: 5 (invalid VAContextID).
[ffmpeg/video] h264: hardware accelerator failed to decode picture

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 6#p2214176

I don't have xf86-video-nouveau installed. I am using the modesetting driver, according to ~/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 76,815

Re: [SOLVED] Can't use VA-API on nouveau, even though hardware supports it

Please post the Xorg log and the output of "printenv" - do you use mesa or mesa-amber? (ie /usr/lib/dri/nouveau_drv_video.so actually exists?)

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retractant0916

Member

Registered: 2024-09-17

Posts: 10

Re: [SOLVED] Can't use VA-API on nouveau, even though hardware supports it

Xorg log:
https://pastebin.com/66KxgiNt
printenv:
https://pastebin.com/Du5nKpML

I am using mesa, not mesa-amber. /usr/lib/dri/nouveau_drv_video.so is present, and so is the file it links to:
https://pastebin.com/jQVicACN

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 76,815

Re: [SOLVED] Can't use VA-API on nouveau, even though hardware supports it

[  2986.551] (--) PCI:*(0@0:2:0) 8086:0166:1043:124d rev 9, Mem @ 0xf7400000/4194304, 0xd0000000/268435456, I/O @ 0x0000f000/64, BIOS @ 0x????????/131072
[  2986.551] (--) PCI: (1@0:0:0) 10de:1140:1043:124d rev 161, Mem @ 0xf6000000/16777216, 0xe0000000/268435456, 0xf0000000/33554432, I/O @ 0x0000e000/128, BIOS @ 0x????????/524288

You're running on the IGP,

DRI_PRIME=1 vainfo

Edit: cursory google says the HD4000 Ivy Bridge accelerates MPEG2, VC1, WMV9 und H264 - why are you trying to use the nvidia chip?

Last edited by seth (2026-07-13 14:28:51)

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retractant0916

Member

Registered: 2024-09-17

Posts: 10

Re: [SOLVED] Can't use VA-API on nouveau, even though hardware supports it

DRI_PRIME=1 vainfo

It works when setting DRI_PRIME to 1, but when I play a video, the colors are wrong.
Setting LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME=i965 and installing libva-intel-driver to use video acceleration on the integrated graphics card works as expected. Thank you!