Overview

PyNvVideoCodec is NVIDIA's Python-based library that provides simple yet powerful Python APIs for hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding on NVIDIA GPUs.

PyNvVideoCodec is built on top of the Video Codec SDK and offers encode, decode, and transcode performance on par with it.

The library is distributed under MIT license and is officially supported by NVIDIA.

This release introduces several new features and enhancements designed to optimize video processing workflows in AI and multimedia applications.

Features

Current PyNvVideoCodec version supports following features:

Decode Features

• Seek and frame sampling: Provides efficient and flexible methods for fetching video frames in various modes, including sequential, random, periodic, indexed, batched, and sliced, as well as at a specified target frame rate.
• Decoder caching: Optimizes decoding of short video clips through decoder caching and reconfiguration.
• Threaded decoder: Supports decoding on a separate thread, delivering pre-decoded frames with near-zero latency, enabling high-performance video processing pipelines.
• Video processing from buffer: Supports video processing from memory buffers, reducing I/O overhead, enabling streaming applications.
• Low latency decode: Offers zero-latency decoding for video sequences that do not contain B-frames.
• SEI extraction: Supports the extraction of Supplemental Enhancement Information (SEI) messages, allowing access to additional information such as HDR information, timecodes, and custom user data.
• Stream metadata access: Enables access to stream metadata, including frame width, height, bit depth, and keyframe indices, to enhance content management.
• GIL handling: Improved multithreaded performance through better handling of Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) in C++ layer.
• Multi-GPU decode: Enables multi-GPU decoding to efficiently handle larger workloads.
• Extended codec support: Supports codecs H.264, HEVC, AV1, VP8, VP9, VC1, MPEG4, MPEG2, and MPEG1
• 4:2:2 decode: Supports 4:2:2 decoding for both H.264 and HEVC formats on Blackwell GPUs (NV16, P210 and P216 surface formats).
• Extended output formats : Decode to various output formats including NV12, YUV420, YUV444, NV16, P010, P016 and RGB24(interleaved and planar)

Encode Features

• Encoder reconfiguration: Supports encoder reconfiguration, enabling dynamic updating of encoding parameters without recreating encoder instances.
• SEI insertion: Allows insertion of SEI messages during encoding.
• GIL handling: Improved multithreaded performance through better handling of Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) in C++ layer.
• Multi-GPU encode: Enables multi-GPU encoding to efficiently handle larger workloads.
• Codec support: Support encoding to codec H.264, HEVC, and AV1.
• 4:2:2 encode: Supports 4:2:2 encoding for both H.264 and HEVC formats on Blackwell GPUs (NV16 and P210 surface formats).
• Extended input formats: Encode from various input formats including NV12, YV12, IYUV, YUV444, YUV420_10BIT, YUV444_10BIT, NV16, P210, ARGB, ABGR, ARGB10, and ABGR10.

Transcode Features

• Segment-based transcode: Enables transcoding of video segments based on timestamp ranges, ideal for content editing and partial processing.

Distribution

PyNvVideoCodec library is distributed in two formats: binary distribution via PyPI and source code distribution via NVIDIA NGC. In both cases, the library and its dependencies can be installed using a single pip install command.

The ready-to-use Python Wheel (WHL) files for PyNvVideoCodec, including sample applications that demonstrate the use of its API, are available on PyPI. To install PyNvVidecoCodec from PyPI, please open the shell prompt, and run the following command. This is the recommended way.

$ pip install PyNvVideoCodec

This package on NVIDIA NGC contains PyNvVideoCodec source code, its dependencies, Python sample applications and documents. To install the PyNvVideoCodec library from NVIDIA NGC please follow the steps below:

1. Download the zip file of the latest package of this NVIDIA NGC catalog page (located in the file browser tab) onto your local machine .
2. Open the bash/shell prompt from the same directory where zip was downloaded and run the following command, replacing "PyNvVideoCodec.zip" with the actual name of the downloaded zip file:

$ pip install PyNvVideoCodec.zip

3. You can access documents and Python sample applications from the package.

Use this method if you need any customization on PyNvVideoCodec Python module e.g. enabling NVTX markers for profiling.

In case you need to modify PyNvVideoCodec and build a customized version, please follow the steps below

1. Unzip the source package to a directory.
2. Do the necessary modifications to the source.
3. Open the bash/shell prompt from the same directory where setup.py is located, run the following command:

$ pip install .

Sample Applications and Documents

• Documents and Python Sample applications demonstrating the API usage can be easily accessed from the latest PyNvVideoCodec package on this NVIDIA NGC catalog page.
• For your convenience, these documents are also accessible online on NVIDIA Video Technologies page.