Modify Stream buffer over time for big input video files about h264bsd HOT 3 OPEN

The library will either read a portion of an H.264 Annex B byte stream, or a single NAL (network abstraction layer) unit. That second mode means it's possible to feed it a byte buffer with a single NAL unit (excluding any start code) and expect it to consume the full buffer.

This Stack Overflow answer has some details on NAL units and start codes: https://stackoverflow.com/a/24890903/660982

In order to feed individual NAL units, you need to have some other code keeping track of them. That job is usually left up to the container library (like MP4file, RTP, or something custom)

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Is there not a way to just have the library request more data when it runs out?

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Not really. The library is low level for decoding pictures from the stream. It doesn't handle timing, wrapping each Network Access Layer unit in some other format or other thing a streaming library would provide. It only handles decoding one image at a time.

So you give it a NAL unit and it will either give you an image or nothing (if there is no new image).

The Annex B decoder is only slightly higher level, where you can give it a bunch of NAL units (separated by 0x0001) and it will decode the first NAL unit and return the location where it stopped.

If you want something higher level for streaming you should look at FFMPEG. It provides the unwrapping, timing, and other functionality for streaming.

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