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ffmpeg-quality-metrics

ffmpeg-quality-metrics is available in the NetActuate Marketplace as a one-click, open-source appliance you can deploy into any NetActuate PoP. Headless CLI for video quality metrics: VMAF, PSNR, SSIM, VIF and MSAD scoring. It is grouped under the Media & Streaming category.

What It Does​

ffmpeg-quality-metrics is an open-source command-line tool for measuring full-reference video quality. Given a distorted encode and its reference source, it computes VMAF (Netflix's perceptual quality model), PSNR, SSIM, VIF and MSAD, with per-frame values and a global statistical summary (mean, min, max, median, stdev) for each metric.

Key features

  • VMAF, PSNR, SSIM, VIF and MSAD in a single run, output as JSON or CSV
  • Bundled static FFmpeg n7.1 built with libvmaf and built-in VMAF models, so VMAF runs out of the box with no runtime model download
  • Handles resolution/frame-rate scaling and offset alignment between the two inputs
  • A tiny reference/distorted sample pair ships with the appliance for an instant demo
  • Fully headless: drive it over SSH; there is no login and no web console

Use cases

  • Encoding-ladder and codec evaluation (compare x264/x265/AV1 settings by VMAF)
  • Regression-testing a transcode pipeline against a golden reference
  • Ad hoc QoE spot checks on delivered vs. source video

Why run it on the NetActuate edge VMAF and the other metrics are CPU-intensive; running them on a right-sized VM in a NetActuate PoP keeps large source and distorted files close to where they are produced or stored, avoiding slow uploads to a laptop or a distant cloud region.

Deployed from the NetActuate marketplace, the appliance runs a fail-closed first-boot self-check (FFmpeg runnable, the libvmaf filter present, the tool importable) and surfaces the result on a co-located landing page and a /health endpoint. SSH in and run ffmpeg_quality_metrics distorted.mp4 reference.mp4 to get started; a bundled sample pair under /usr/local/share/ffmpeg-quality-metrics/samples lets you confirm a real VMAF run immediately.

Vendor and Project​

ffmpeg-quality-metrics is an open-source project, offered here under the Open Source listing with best-effort community support.

NetActuate supports the underlying infrastructure. Application-level support follows the listing SLA class (open-source, best effort).

Sizing​

vCPURAMDisk
Minimum11 GB10 GB
Recommended44 GB20 GB

No VPU (hardware acceleration) is required for this appliance. Choose a size at deploy based on your expected load.

Configuration Fields​

When you deploy, you provide these fields. They are written into the appliance at first boot.

FieldRequiredDefaultNotes
Landing page portNo8080TCP port for the co-located nginx landing/instructions page and /health endpoint (default 8080). The tool itself is headless and used over SSH.

Using the Appliance​

Get started in minutes

  1. Confirm it is healthy. Browse to http://YOUR_VM_IP:8080/ for the instructions/landing page, which shows the first-boot self-check (FFmpeg, libvmaf, tool version). A machine-readable status is at http://YOUR_VM_IP:8080/health (HTTP 200 healthy, 503 if the self-check failed).
  2. SSH in and run it. The command is ffmpeg_quality_metrics. Argument order is distorted then reference: ffmpeg_quality_metrics distorted.mp4 reference.mp4 -m vmaf psnr ssim
  3. Try the bundled sample. ffmpeg_quality_metrics /usr/local/share/ffmpeg-quality-metrics/samples/dist.mp4 /usr/local/share/ffmpeg-quality-metrics/samples/ref.mp4 -m vmaf prints a real VMAF score. Use -of csv for CSV, -o out.json to write a file, and ffmpeg_quality_metrics --help for all options.

There is no login: this is a headless CLI appliance. The landing page is served by a small co-located nginx on the management port (default 8080, set by mkt_landing_port).

FAQ​

Is there a software license fee? No. ffmpeg-quality-metrics is open source and free to run. You pay only for the NetActuate infrastructure and bandwidth.

Which port does the appliance serve on? The primary service is published on port 8080 by default; see the configuration fields for any adjustable ports.

Who supports it? NetActuate operates the underlying infrastructure. The application itself is community-supported open source (best-effort SLA class).

Version and Changelog​

VersionStatusReleased
3.12.0Current (default)2026-07-14

Deploy​

Need Help?​

Contact support@netactuate.com or open a support ticket from the portal.