gst-inspect-1.0
Inspect GStreamer elements, plugins, and capabilities
TLDR
Print information on a plugin
List hardware transcoding capabilities of your device
SYNOPSIS
gst-inspect-1.0 [OPTIONS] [ELEMENT_NAME]
PARAMETERS
ELEMENT_NAME
The name of the GStreamer element to inspect. If omitted, `gst-inspect-1.0` lists all available elements.
-h, --help
Show help options
--gst-help
Show GStreamer help options
-v, --verbose
Output properties in verbose mode, showing details like minimum/maximum values and allowed flags.
--plugin-info
Display information about the plugin itself rather than the elements it contains.
--print-plugin-auto-install-info
Print auto-install information in a machine readable format
--version
Output the GStreamer version.
DESCRIPTION
The `gst-inspect-1.0` command is a powerful utility provided by the GStreamer multimedia framework. It allows users to inspect the properties, capabilities, and usage details of GStreamer elements (plugins). GStreamer elements are the fundamental building blocks of pipelines, handling tasks like decoding audio or video, applying filters, or writing data to a file. `gst-inspect-1.0` is essential for developers and advanced users who need to understand the inner workings of GStreamer and build custom pipelines. It provides detailed information on:
* Available elements (plugins) and their descriptions.
* The properties that can be configured for each element, including their types and default values.
* The pads (input and output points) that an element uses to connect to other elements.
* The supported capabilities (data formats) for each pad.
* The ranking of each element, which influences pipeline construction when using autoplugging.
By examining this information, users can troubleshoot pipeline issues, optimize performance, and leverage the full potential of GStreamer.
This utility reads installed GStreamer plugins to create pipeline, verify elements are available and determine available data processing formats.
CAVEATS
The output of `gst-inspect-1.0` can be quite verbose, especially when inspecting complex elements. Using grep or other text processing tools can help filter the output to find specific information.
Some plugins might have dependencies that need to be installed separately. If `gst-inspect-1.0` cannot find a plugin, ensure that all necessary dependencies are installed.
<B>ELEMENT RANKING</B>
GStreamer elements have a ranking that determines their priority during automatic pipeline construction. Higher-ranked elements are preferred. `gst-inspect-1.0` displays the ranking of each element, which is crucial for understanding how GStreamer will choose elements when building pipelines automatically.
<B>PADS AND CAPABILITIES</B>
Pads are the input and output connection points of a GStreamer element. Each pad has a set of supported capabilities, which define the data formats it can handle. `gst-inspect-1.0` provides detailed information about the pads of each element, including their direction (source or sink) and the supported capabilities.
Understanding pads and capabilities is essential for connecting elements correctly in a pipeline.
<B>EXIT STATUS</B>
0
Success.1
Failure (e.g., element not found).
HISTORY
The `gst-inspect` command (now `gst-inspect-1.0` for GStreamer 1.0 and later) has been a core part of the GStreamer framework since its inception. It was developed alongside GStreamer to provide a means of introspection and understanding of the available elements. The command is fundamental for both developers building GStreamer applications and users configuring pipelines. As GStreamer has evolved, so has `gst-inspect-1.0`, with new features and improvements added to reflect the changing capabilities of the framework. It's used to verify if an element is installed correctly.
SEE ALSO
gst-launch-1.0(1), gst-discoverer-1.0(1)