🎥 gstreamer-fps-monitor

A simple C application that uses GStreamer to play a video file and overlay real-time FPS (Frames Per Second) on the video window. This project helps monitor video rendering performance and serves as a beginner-friendly example of building GStreamer pipelines in C.

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📁 Project Structure

gstreamer-fps-monitor/
├── main.c              # C source file containing the pipeline
├── Makefile            # For compiling, running, and cleaning
├── sample.mp4          # Sample video file (must be added manually)
└── README.md           # Documentation and usage guide

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🧰 Requirements

Install the following dependencies before building:

Ubuntu / Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential pkg-config \
libgstreamer1.0-dev gstreamer1.0-plugins-base \
gstreamer1.0-tools gstreamer1.0-libav

Verify GStreamer installation:

gst-launch-1.0 --version

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🚀 Features

• Plays any video file supported by GStreamer
• Displays real-time FPS overlay
• Easy to compile and run using a Makefile
• Beginner-friendly GStreamer example in C

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🧪 Pipeline Overview

The application builds this GStreamer pipeline internally:

filesrc → decodebin → fpsdisplaysink → autovideosink

• filesrc: Reads video from disk
• decodebin: Automatically decodes input format
• fpsdisplaysink: Adds FPS overlay to the video
• autovideosink: Displays video in a native window

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⚙️ How to Compile and Run

Step 1: Add a Sample Video

Make sure to have a file named sample.mp4 in the root folder (or any .mp4 video renamed accordingly).

You can use any short test video.

Step 2: Compile the Project

Use the provided Makefile:

make

This creates an executable called gstreamer_fps_monitor.

Step 3: Run the Program

make run

Or manually:

./gstreamer_fps_monitor sample.mp4

Step 4: Clean the Build

make clean

This deletes the binary executable.

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📌 Notes

• The application supports any video format supported by GStreamer.
• FPS is displayed on the top-left of the video window.
• If the video file is missing or the format is unsupported, the program exits with an error.

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💡 Sample Makefile Commands

make        # Compile the program
make run    # Run the program with sample.mp4
make clean  # Remove the compiled binary

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