GStreamer VP9/AV1 Codec Validation — Approach#

Refs: #36|Draft

Goal#

Validate that GStreamer VP9 and AV1 codecs are present in the Flatpak runtime before attempting video playback, with graceful fallback.

Proposed approach#

1. Add codec detection at startup using GStreamer GstRegistry or gst-inspect-1.0
2. If VP9/AV1 missing: show warning, video playback unavailable
3. If codecs present: proceed with video playback as normal
4. Log detected codecs for debugging

Files to touch#

• bootc_installer/utils/codec_check.py (new — GStreamer codec detection)
• bootc_installer/views/progress.py (codec check before video init)
• org.bootcinstaller.Installer.json (ensure GStreamer codec plugins)

Open questions#

• Which GStreamer plugins provide VP9/AV1? (gst-plugins-good, gst-plugins-bad?)
• Detection via Python gi.repository.Gst or subprocess gst-inspect?
• Fallback UX — silent or user-visible warning?