vSrc

vSrc, short for video source, is a term used in multimedia software to denote the abstraction that provides video frames to a processing pipeline. It represents the source of incoming video data, which can come from cameras, video files, network streams, or synthetic generators. The vSrc object or module is typically responsible for configuring the source, initiating capture or read operations, and delivering frames to downstream elements in a consistent interface.

In most implementations, a vSrc exposes a standard set of operations and events. Common methods include open or initialize to configure the source, start or begin streaming, read or pull to obtain the next frame, and stop or close to terminate the stream. Many designs use callbacks or events to signal the arrival of a new frame, along with metadata such as timestamps, frame rate, resolution, and color space. Some vSrc variants also allow parameter adjustments on the fly, such as exposure, gain, or cropping, and support for seeking in file-based sources.

Sources that can be represented by vSrc fall into several categories: device-based sources like cameras, file-based sources reading from video files or archives, network-based sources streaming over protocols such as RTSP or HTTP, and synthetic or test sources that generate frames for testing or replay. In complex pipelines, vSrc is often paired with downstream components such as video processors or sinks, forming a graph or chain that processes frames in real time or near-real time.

The term vSrc is commonly used in custom multimedia frameworks and codebases as a concise shorthand for a video source component. It is not a formal industry standard, but the concept remains a fundamental building block in video processing architectures.