mirror of
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/gstreamer/gstreamer.git
synced 2024-12-21 07:46:38 +00:00
111 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
111 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
# Segments
|
|
|
|
A segment in GStreamer denotes a set of media samples that must be
|
|
processed. A segment has a start time, a stop time and a processing
|
|
rate.
|
|
|
|
A media stream has a start and a stop time. The start time is always 0
|
|
and the stop time is the total duration (or -1 if unknown, for example a
|
|
live stream). We call this the complete media stream.
|
|
|
|
The segment of the complete media stream can be played by issuing a seek
|
|
on the stream. The seek has a start time, a stop time and a processing
|
|
rate.
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
complete stream
|
|
+------------------------------------------------+
|
|
0 duration
|
|
segment
|
|
|--------------------------|
|
|
start stop
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
The playback of a segment starts with a source or demuxer element
|
|
pushing a `SEGMENT` event containing the start time, stop time and rate of
|
|
the segment. The purpose of this event is to inform downstream
|
|
elements of the requested segment positions. Some elements might produce
|
|
buffers that fall outside of the segment and that might therefore be
|
|
discarded or clipped.
|
|
|
|
## Use cases
|
|
|
|
### FLUSHING seek
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
filesrc ! avidemux ! videodecoder ! videosink
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
When doing a seek in this pipeline for a segment 1 to 5 seconds, avidemux
|
|
will perform the seek.
|
|
|
|
Avidemux starts by sending a `FLUSH_START` event downstream and upstream. This
|
|
will cause its streaming task to `PAUSED` because `_pad_pull_range()` and
|
|
`_pad_push()` will return `FLUSHING`. It then waits for the `STREAM_LOCK`,
|
|
which will be unlocked when the streaming task pauses. At this point no
|
|
streaming is happening anymore in the pipeline and a `FLUSH_STOP` is sent
|
|
upstream and downstream.
|
|
|
|
When avidemux starts playback of the segment from second 1 to 5, it pushes
|
|
out a segment with 1 and 5 as start and stop times. The `stream_time` in
|
|
the segment is also 1 as this is the position we seek to.
|
|
|
|
The video decoder stores these values internally and forwards them to the
|
|
next downstream element (videosink, which also stores the values)
|
|
|
|
Since second 1 does not contain a keyframe, the avi demuxer starts sending
|
|
data from the previous keyframe which is at timestamp 0.
|
|
|
|
The video decoder decodes the keyframe but knows it should not push the
|
|
video frame yet as it falls outside of the configured segment.
|
|
|
|
When the video decoder receives the frame with timestamp 1, it is able to
|
|
decode this frame as it received and decoded the data up to the previous
|
|
keyframe. It then continues to decode and push frames with timestamps >= 1.
|
|
When it reaches timestamp 5, it does not decode and push frames anymore.
|
|
|
|
The video sink receives a frame of timestamp 1. It takes the start value of
|
|
the previous segment and applies the following (simplified) formula:
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
render_time = BUFFER_TIMESTAMP - segment_start + element->base_time
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
It then syncs against the clock with this `render_time`. Note that
|
|
`BUFFER_TIMESTAMP` is always >= `segment_start` or else it would fall outside
|
|
of the configured segment.
|
|
|
|
Videosink reports its current position as (simplified):
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
current_position = clock_time - element->base_time + segment_time
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
See [synchronisation](additional/design/synchronisation.md) for a more detailed and
|
|
accurate explanation of synchronisation and position reporting.
|
|
|
|
Since after a flushing seek the `stream_time` is reset to 0, the new buffer
|
|
will be rendered immediately after the seek and the `current_position` will be
|
|
the `stream_time` of the seek that was performed.
|
|
|
|
The stop time is important when the video format contains B frames. The
|
|
video decoder receives a P frame first, which it can decode but not push yet.
|
|
When it receives a B frame, it can decode the B frame and push the B frame
|
|
followed by the previously decoded P frame. If the P frame is outside of the
|
|
segment, the decoder knows it should not send the P frame.
|
|
|
|
Avidemux stops sending data after pushing a frame with timestamp 5 and
|
|
returns `GST_FLOW_EOS` from the chain function to make the upstream
|
|
elements perform the EOS logic.
|
|
|
|
### Live stream
|
|
|
|
### Segment looping
|
|
|
|
Consider the case of a wav file with raw audio.
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
filesrc ! wavparse ! alsasink
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
FIXME!
|