ffmpegrtspframe-ratelibavpyav

pyav / libav / ffmpeg what happens when frame from live source are not processed fast enough

I am using pyav to process a live RTSP stream:

import av
import time

URL = "RTSP_url"
container = av.open(
            url, 'r',
            options={
                'rtsp_transport': 'tcp',
                'stimeout': '5000000',
                'max_delay': '5000000',
            }
        )

for packet in self.container.demux(video=0):
    for frame in packet.decode():
        # do something
        time.sleep(10)

What happens if I do something too slow? Are frames / packets dropped or are they buffered?

I guess the same question would apply to libav or ffmpeg.

Solution

  • In my experience gstreamer could store in a buffer old frames and return them even minutes later. Not sure if PyAv would do the same.