diff --git a/doc/APIchanges b/doc/APIchanges
index 519709eff1567ec31c843f8f6670c80aa27629f4..e00a241aa5e9ed497778502f6cc53eff4e64729d 100644
--- a/doc/APIchanges
+++ b/doc/APIchanges
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ libavutil:     2012-10-22
 
 API changes, most recent first:
 
+2013-11-xx - xxxxxxx - lavc 55.26.0 - vdpau.h
+  Add av_vdpau_get_profile().
+
 2013-11-xx - xxxxxxx - lavc 55.25.0 - avcodec.h
   Add ITU-R BT.2020 and other not yet included values to color primaries,
   transfer characteristics and colorspaces.
diff --git a/libavcodec/vdpau.c b/libavcodec/vdpau.c
index 9bcbc2e11b865456bfcdd354c0fcd99190e3d9e5..cc0bcffc5f2688d49c71983faf0a1315c38c1513 100644
--- a/libavcodec/vdpau.c
+++ b/libavcodec/vdpau.c
@@ -90,4 +90,47 @@ int ff_vdpau_add_buffer(Picture *pic, const uint8_t *buf, uint32_t size)
     return 0;
 }
 
+int av_vdpau_get_profile(AVCodecContext *avctx, VdpDecoderProfile *profile)
+{
+#define PROFILE(prof)       \
+do {                        \
+    *profile = prof;        \
+    return 0;               \
+} while (0)
+
+    switch (avctx->codec_id) {
+    case AV_CODEC_ID_MPEG1VIDEO:               PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_MPEG1);
+    case AV_CODEC_ID_MPEG2VIDEO:
+        switch (avctx->profile) {
+        case FF_PROFILE_MPEG2_MAIN:            PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_MPEG2_MAIN);
+        case FF_PROFILE_MPEG2_SIMPLE:          PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_MPEG2_SIMPLE);
+        default:                               return AVERROR(EINVAL);
+        }
+    case AV_CODEC_ID_H263:                     PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_MPEG4_PART2_ASP);
+    case AV_CODEC_ID_MPEG4:
+        switch (avctx->profile) {
+        case FF_PROFILE_MPEG4_SIMPLE:          PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_MPEG4_PART2_SP);
+        case FF_PROFILE_MPEG4_ADVANCED_SIMPLE: PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_MPEG4_PART2_ASP);
+        default:                               return AVERROR(EINVAL);
+        }
+    case AV_CODEC_ID_H264:
+        switch (avctx->profile) {
+        case FF_PROFILE_H264_CONSTRAINED_BASELINE:
+        case FF_PROFILE_H264_BASELINE:         PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_H264_BASELINE);
+        case FF_PROFILE_H264_MAIN:             PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_H264_MAIN);
+        case FF_PROFILE_H264_HIGH:             PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_H264_HIGH);
+        default:                               return AVERROR(EINVAL);
+        }
+    case AV_CODEC_ID_WMV3:
+    case AV_CODEC_ID_VC1:
+        switch (avctx->profile) {
+        case FF_PROFILE_VC1_SIMPLE:            PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_VC1_SIMPLE);
+        case FF_PROFILE_VC1_MAIN:              PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_VC1_MAIN);
+        case FF_PROFILE_VC1_ADVANCED:          PROFILE(VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_VC1_ADVANCED);
+        default:                               return AVERROR(EINVAL);
+        }
+    }
+    return AVERROR(EINVAL);
+}
+
 /* @}*/
diff --git a/libavcodec/vdpau.h b/libavcodec/vdpau.h
index 4035f6304e97d9ca129e22fed18f3f92a1d0e76d..bf8c8e8b2c3ced0cb5c8b22c7eeac79ef95540ce 100644
--- a/libavcodec/vdpau.h
+++ b/libavcodec/vdpau.h
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@
 
 #include "libavutil/attributes.h"
 
+#include "avcodec.h"
 #include "version.h"
 
 #if FF_API_BUFS_VDPAU
@@ -125,6 +126,19 @@ typedef struct AVVDPAUContext {
 #endif
 } AVVDPAUContext;
 
+/**
+ * Get a decoder profile that should be used for initializing a VDPAU decoder.
+ * Should be called from the AVCodecContext.get_format() callback.
+ *
+ * @param avctx the codec context being used for decoding the stream
+ * @param profile a pointer into which the result will be written on success.
+ *                The contents of profile are undefined if this function returns
+ *                an error.
+ *
+ * @return 0 on success (non-negative), a negative AVERROR on failure.
+ */
+int av_vdpau_get_profile(AVCodecContext *avctx, VdpDecoderProfile *profile);
+
 #if FF_API_CAP_VDPAU
 /** @brief The videoSurface is used for rendering. */
 #define FF_VDPAU_STATE_USED_FOR_RENDER 1
diff --git a/libavcodec/version.h b/libavcodec/version.h
index 993d57ac9c8dceb2bbc73d2226caa6cbbba6143a..55ff2c1f4f565884a5ac6ce35cd8afeb1090c37e 100644
--- a/libavcodec/version.h
+++ b/libavcodec/version.h
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
  */
 
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR 55
-#define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MINOR 25
+#define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MINOR 26
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MICRO  0
 
 #define LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_INT  AV_VERSION_INT(LIBAVCODEC_VERSION_MAJOR, \