Pipelines¶

Pipelines are the core of Flex Video, defining how video is ingested, processed, and delivered.

Pipeline Types¶

SimplePipeline¶

SimplePipeline provides a high-level configuration interface:

{
  "id": "camera-1",
  "mode": "simple",
  "source": { ... },
  "encoding": { ... },
  "output": { ... }
}

Best for:

Standard transcoding workflows
Users who don't need GStreamer knowledge
Consistent, maintainable configurations

AdvancedPipeline¶

AdvancedPipeline accepts raw GStreamer pipeline strings:

{
  "id": "custom-pipeline",
  "mode": "advanced",
  "raw_pipeline": "videotestsrc ! videoconvert ! x264enc ! rtph264pay ! udpsink host=239.1.1.1 port=5004"
}

Best for:

Custom processing requirements
Unusual source/sink combinations
GStreamer experts

Source Configuration¶

Supported Sources¶

Scheme	Description	Example
`rtsp://`	RTSP stream	`rtsp://camera.local:8554/live`
`udp://`	UDP unicast/multicast	`udp://239.1.1.1:5004`
`file://`	Local file	`file:///video/sample.ts`
`test://`	Test pattern	`test://smpte`

RTSP Sources¶

"source": {
  "uri": "rtsp://192.168.1.100:8554/live",
  "latency_ms": 200
}

Latency tuning:

Network	Recommended `latency_ms`
Wired LAN	50-100
WiFi	200-500
WAN/Internet	500-2000

UDP Multicast Sources¶

"source": {
  "uri": "udp://239.1.1.1:5004",
  "network_interface": "eth0"
}

Network Interface

Set network_interface when using multicast to ensure packets arrive on the correct interface.

Test Patterns¶

Available patterns for testing without a real source:

Pattern	Description
`smpte`	SMPTE color bars
`ball`	Bouncing ball
`snow`	Random noise
`black`	Solid black
`checkers-1`	1px checkerboard
`circular`	Circular pattern
`zone-plate`	Zone plate

Encoding Configuration¶

"encoding": {
  "codec": "h264",
  "bitrate": 2000,
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080,
  "fps": 30,
  "quality": 7
}

Codecs¶

Codec	License	Efficiency	Compatibility
`h264`	Free	Good	Excellent
`h265`	Licensed	Better	Good
`av1`	Free	Best	Limited

Bitrate Guidelines¶

Resolution	Low	Medium	High
720p	1000 kbps	2000 kbps	4000 kbps
1080p	2000 kbps	4000 kbps	8000 kbps
4K	8000 kbps	15000 kbps	25000 kbps

Quality Preset¶

The quality setting (1-10) balances encoding speed vs. output quality:

Range	Use Case
1-3	Real-time, low latency
4-6	Balanced (recommended)
7-10	High quality, archival

Output Configuration¶

RTSP Output (Recommended)¶

"output": {
  "uri": "rtsp://0.0.0.0:8731/stream-name",
  "mtu": 1400
}

Outputs to the built-in RTSP server. Clients connect to rtsp://server-ip:8731/stream-name.

UDP Multicast Output¶

"output": {
  "uri": "udp://239.1.1.1:5004",
  "network_interface": "eth0",
  "mtu": 1400
}

MTU Settings¶

Value	Use Case
1200	VPN, tunnels
1400	Default, safe
1500	Standard Ethernet
9000	Jumbo frames

Optional Features¶

Overlays¶

Add text or timestamp overlays:

"overlay": {
  "show_timestamp": true,
  "text": "Camera 1 - Main Entrance"
}

Transform¶

Apply video transformations:

"transform": {
  "mirror": false,
  "rotate": 90,
  "grayscale": false
}

Rotation values: 0, 90, 180, 270

Crop¶

Crop the video frame:

"crop": {
  "top": 100,
  "right": 0,
  "bottom": 100,
  "left": 0
}

Geolocation¶

Set static or dynamic position:

"geolocation": {
  "latitude": 38.8977,
  "longitude": -77.0365,
  "altitude": 100.0,
  "heading": 45.0,
  "is_dynamic": false
}

Set is_dynamic: true when position will be updated from KLV metadata.

Pipeline Lifecycle¶

┌─────────┐     play      ┌─────────┐
│  ready  │──────────────►│ playing │
└─────────┘               └─────────┘
     ▲                         │
     │         stop            │
     └─────────────────────────┘

On-Demand vs Auto-Start¶

Setting	Behavior
`on_demand: true`	Pipeline created in `ready` state, must call `/play`
`on_demand: false`	Pipeline starts immediately on creation

Pipeline Limits¶

Pipeline limits are controlled by your license:

Check limits: GET /flex/licensed
Exceeding limits returns HTTP 402

Best Practices¶

Use descriptive IDs: entrance-cam-h264 not pipe1
Match resolution to source: Don't upscale unnecessarily
Set appropriate latency: Higher for unreliable networks
Use RTSP output: Better client compatibility than UDP
Monitor pipeline state: Use SSE for real-time updates