Install rocDecode

Install rocDecode#

2026-08-28

3 min read time

Applies to Linux

Before you begin, verify that your system is supported. For more information, see ROCm Core SDK components.

For advanced workflows, source builds, or custom configurations, see Build and install rocDecode from source.

Note

To use the rocDecode samples and tutorials, the ROCM_PATH environment variable needs to point to the location of your ROCm installation:

export ROCM_PATH=path_to_your_ROCm_installation

Set this variable after installation.

Install the ROCm Core SDK#

rocDecode is included with the ROCm Core SDK on Linux. For the most complete installation, we recommend that developers use the amdrocm-core-sdk meta package.

For instructions, see Install AMD ROCm. Use the selector panel on that page to view instructions appropriate for your system environment.

Install rocDecode on Linux#

Alternatively, if you want to install rocDecode as part of the ROCm video decode package (a subset of the ROCm Core SDK amdrocm-core-sdk) without additional ROCm libraries and tools, install the amdrocm-decode package. This includes the ROCm runtime and system dependencies.

  1. Complete the ROCm installation prerequisites to install dependencies and configure GPU access permissions.

  2. Install the ROCm video decode package that matches your desired ROCm version. Package names use the following format:

    amdrocm-decode-<dev/devel><rocm_version>

    Where:

    • <dev/devel> specifies whether to install library files and headers. Omit this suffix to only install runtime packages.

      • -dev is used on Debian-based distributions, including Ubuntu.

      • -devel is used on RPM-based distributions, including RHEL and SLES.

    • <rocm_version> is the ROCm Core SDK version to install. Omit this suffix to install the latest available version.

    For example, to install the latest ROCm video decode package release for supported GPU architectures:

    sudo apt install amdrocm-decode-dev

    sudo dnf install amdrocm-decode-devel

    sudo zypper install amdrocm-decode-devel

Locating build utilities and samples#

Building applications against rocDecode, or building and running the samples and CTest-based tests, requires the CMake helper modules, utility sources, and sample sources that are installed to $ROCM_PATH/share/rocdecode/:

  • share/rocdecode/cmake/ - FindFFmpeg, FindLibva, and FindLibdrm_amdgpu helper modules (ships with the development package)

  • share/rocdecode/utils/ - utility classes and HIP kernels shared by the samples (for example, RocVideoDecoder and VideoDemuxer)

  • share/rocdecode/samples/ - sample application sources

  • share/rocdecode/video/ and share/rocdecode/frames/ - test media and reference frames

  • share/rocdecode/test/ - CTest definitions and test scripts

The rocDecode runtime library, development headers, and the CMake helper modules (share/rocdecode/cmake/) come with a standard ROCm Core SDK install (the amdrocm-core-sdk meta package) and the development package. However, the remaining share/rocdecode/ files listed above — the utils/ sources, the samples/ sources, and the test media — do not ship with the Core SDK or the development package. When installing with a package manager, they are provided by the amdrocm-decode-test package. Install it if you need the utility sources or samples to build against rocDecode (for example, when building rocAL). The amdrocm-decode package names apply to ROCm 7.13 and later; earlier ROCm releases use different package naming.

sudo apt install amdrocm-decode-test

sudo dnf install amdrocm-decode-test

sudo zypper install amdrocm-decode-test

Note

In the generic (.tar.zst) artifacts published by TheRock, the utils/, samples/, and test media under share/rocdecode/ are packaged in the rocdecode-test artifact (for example, rocdecode_test_generic) rather than the rocdecode-dev artifact. If you obtain rocDecode from those artifacts, install or extract the rocdecode-test artifact in addition to rocdecode-dev.

Install a nightly build#

The TheRock build system also publishes nightly builds for the ROCm Core SDK and its components, including rocDecode. See Nightly release status for details.

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