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vfp_compare - Video Fingerprint Comparison Tool

📦 Source Code: View on GitHub

Overview

vfp_compare is a command-line tool that compares two video fingerprint files to determine if the videos are similar or identical. It's useful for detecting duplicate videos, finding similar content, or verifying video integrity.

Features

  • Compare pre-generated video fingerprints
  • Fast comparison without re-processing videos
  • Configurable similarity threshold
  • Returns numerical difference score

Usage

vfp_compare -f "fingerprint1.vsigx" -s "fingerprint2.vsigx" [options]

Required Parameters

  • -f, --f1 : Path to the first fingerprint file
  • -s, --f2 : Path to the second fingerprint file

Optional Parameters

  • -d, --md : Maximum acceptable difference (default: 500)
  • -l, --license : VisioForge license key (default: "TRIAL")

Examples

Basic comparison

vfp_compare -f "video1.vsigx" -s "video2.vsigx"

Comparison with custom threshold

vfp_compare -f "original.vsigx" -s "copy.vsigx" -d 100

Using license key

vfp_compare -f "file1.vsigx" -s "file2.vsigx" -l "YOUR-LICENSE-KEY"

Output

The tool outputs: - Difference score (lower = more similar) - Comparison result based on threshold - Processing time

Understanding Difference Scores

  • 0-5: Nearly identical videos (same content, minor encoding differences)
  • 5-15: Very similar videos (same content, different quality/compression)
  • 15-30: Similar videos (same content with edits, logos, or watermarks)
  • 30-100: Related content with significant differences
  • 100-300: Different videos with some similar scenes
  • 300+: Completely different videos

Use Cases

  1. Duplicate Detection: Find exact copies of videos in different formats
  2. Quality Comparison: Compare different encodings of the same video
  3. Edit Detection: Identify if a video has been modified
  4. Copyright Verification: Check if content matches original source

Workflow Example

  1. Generate fingerprints for videos: 

    vfp_gen -i "original.mp4" -o "original.vsigx" -t compare
vfp_gen -i "suspect.mp4" -o "suspect.vsigx" -t compare

  2. Compare the fingerprints: 

    vfp_compare -f "original.vsigx" -s "suspect.vsigx"

Performance Notes

  • Comparison is nearly instantaneous
  • Memory usage is minimal (loads fingerprints only)
  • No video decoding required

Error Handling

The tool will exit with an error if: - Either fingerprint file doesn't exist - Fingerprint files are corrupted - Fingerprints were generated with incompatible settings

Best Practices

  • Use "compare" type fingerprints (generated with -t compare) for best results
  • Keep fingerprints with their source videos for reference
  • Document the difference threshold used for your use case
  • vfp_gen : Generate fingerprints from video files
  • vfp_search : Search for fragments within videos
  • DVS : GUI tool for finding duplicate videos in folders