MATLAB: Does “VideoReader” require just the Gstreamer library or does it also require associated codecs or plugins

Question

Does "VideoReader" require just the Gstreamer library or does it also require associated codecs or plugins? Can I also get a list of the actual components that MATLAB requires for the "Videoreader" functionality to work?

Answer 1

MATLAB requires just the Gstreamer library. Gstreamer library is responsible to load the codecs that came in the original system installation. .MP4 file should work without any additional codec installation if the installation of the library is successful.

For a list of components that MATLAB requires to use "VideoReader", you can refer to the following doc page:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/import_export/supported-video-file-formats.html

From the doc:

"To read a video file, any application must:

1. Recognize the container format (such as AVI).

2. Have access to the codec that can decode the video data stored in the file. Some codecs are part of standard Windows® and Macintosh system installations, and allow you to play video in Windows Media® Player or QuickTime. In MATLAB®, VideoReader can access most, but not all, of these codecs.

3. Properly use the codec to decode the video data in the file. VideoReader cannot always read files associated with codecs that were not part of your original system installation."

Also see this MATLAB Central link :

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/265545-using-videoreader-on-mp4-files-on-linux-using-matlab2015a