Little Stream Detector: A New Native Bitstream Analyzer

[eco-by-different]

Hi,

I have been working on a small portable Windows tool called Little Stream Detector, or LSD.

The basic idea is to provide detailed information about encoded video streams, including frame-level QP/DRF statistics, GOP structure, frame types, bitrate profiles and stream metadata.

Users familiar with AVInaptic may recognize the general direction, but LSD is an independent implementation. It performs native container and bitstream analysis and does not rely on FFmpeg, FFprobe or MediaInfo.

Supported video families currently include AVC, HEVC, VP9, AV1 and XviD, with Matroska/WebM, MP4/MOV and AVI container support.

Version 3.0 also includes a simple Current A / Reference B workflow for comparing two completed analyses.

GitHub: https://github.com/eco-by-different/Little-Stream-Detector

SourceForge: https://sourceforge.net/projects/little-stream-detector/

Feedback and unusual test samples are welcome.

[ProWo]

Tested, good work, thank you.

[mansuper]

Hi,

Supported video families currently include AVC, HEVC, VP9, AV1 and XviD, with Matroska/WebM, MP4/MOV and AVI container support.

Version 3.0 also includes a simple Current A / Reference B workflow for comparing two completed analyses.

GitHub: https://github.com/eco-by-different/Little-Stream-Detector-Snake

SourceForge: https://sourceforge.net/projects/little-stream-detector/

Feedback and unusual test samples are welcome.

Nice work. I've used tools like MediaInfo and AVInaptic for investigating video files, and having a lightweight Windows utility focused specifically on stream-level analysis is an interesting approach.

The ability to inspect GOP structure and frame-by-frame QP/DRF information should make it much easier to understand why two encodes with similar average bitrates can look noticeably different. The Current A / Reference B workflow is also a smart addition for comparing completed encodes. I’ll give LSD a try when I have some unusual AVC/HEVC samples to analyze.

[eco-by-different]

Thank you both, I appreciate the feedback. I’m glad the intended use of the native frame-level analysis and A/B comparison came across clearly. If you encounter any unusual or incorrectly parsed streams, especially AVC or HEVC samples, please let me know.

[eco-by-different]

I have added an interactive mouse-hover tooltip to the bitrate graph.
Moving the pointer across the graph now shows the time interval and the corresponding bitrate values for Current A and Reference B.

Example:

Time interval: 26:33 - 26:45
A / B bitrate: 274.891 kbps | 4.159 Mbps



Please redownload LSD.exe or LSD.ps1 to get the update.

[eco-by-different]

Small update...

Added initial native support for fragmented MP4 sample indexing as an isolated MP4 sub-route using mvex/trex and moof/traf/tfhd/tfdt/trun.
The existing standard MP4 sample-table path remains unchanged.

Please redownload LSD.exe or LSD.ps1 to test the updated version.

Feedback on unusual fragmented MP4 files is welcome.

Thanks!

[eco-by-different]

A small usability improvement has been added to the QP/DRF distribution view.

You can now click the header row to toggle the A/B values between percentages and actual frame counts (% / pcs).

The attached screenshot shows both display modes.


[Attachment 93838 - Click to enlarge]

If you have already downloaded version 3.0, please download it again to get the updated build.

[eco-by-different]

Added native VVC/H.266 analysis using a two-pass Collect / Resolve / Validate / Publish processing model.
Added native VVC vvcC, SPS, PPS, Picture Header, Slice Header, and reference-picture-list traversal.
Added native VVC I/P/B frame accounting and frame-level SliceQPY distribution with complete-picture validation.

If you have already downloaded version 3.0, please download it again to get the updated build.

[eco-by-different]

Added an optional Relative Q view for A/B comparisons.
When A and B use incompatible native quantizer metrics, such as AV1 Base Q Index and VVC SliceQPY, both distributions can now be mapped to separate codec-local 0–100% scales.

This provides an approximate comparison of distribution shape and relative quantization pressure. It does not represent equivalent visual quality or a direct conversion between codec metrics. Native Q values remain unchanged and available as before.

If you have already downloaded version 3.0, please download it again to get the updated build.

[eco-by-different]

A small update regarding the latest build

Available versions

- LSD.ps1
- LSD.exe
- LSD_mini.exe

There are currently three ways to use the tool:

PowerShell script

The original standalone PowerShell script. Its contents can be reviewed before execution, and it does not contain an executable wrapper.

IExpress package

The same PowerShell script packaged as an EXE using Microsoft IExpress. This version does not use MiniBuilder or the custom launcher. It currently produces the fewest antivirus detections in our testing, but uses the default IExpress icon.

Mini EXE

A compact executable of approximately 90 KB, created with MiniBuilder and our custom launcher. This version provides a custom EXE experience and includes our application icon, but it may trigger more heuristic antivirus detections.

All three versions perform the same basic task. The only differences are in packaging, appearance, and antivirus compatibility.

For maximum transparency, use the standalone PowerShell script. For convenient execution with fewer potential false positives, use the IExpress version. Choose the Mini EXE if you prefer the compact custom launcher and custom application appearance.