MSU VQMT, the Video Quality Measurement Tool from the Moscow State University Graphics and Media Lab Video Group, is the reference dedicated quality tool: it computes the same metrics as FFmpeg but wraps them in a workbench. It runs around two dozen metrics in one pass - VMAF, PSNR, SSIM, MS-SSIM, VQM, NIQE and others, plus HDR variants for high-dynamic-range content that standard metrics misread - with GPU acceleration via OpenCL and CUDA, batch and region-of-interest measurement, CSV and JSON export, and three interfaces (GUI, command line, and Python package). Its signature value is letting you see where quality dropped: a per-frame plot exposes a dip the mean hides, you jump to that frame to compare source and encode, and a difference (residue) heatmap localizes the artifact in space. The metric math is identical to FFmpeg's; what you pay for is the investigation around it. A frequent catch is the name collision with the unrelated open-source rolinh/VQMT, which has no GUI and no VMAF.
The handbook · 7 volumes
Fora Soft Video Engineering Handbook
MSU VQMT bundles about two dozen metrics with frame inspection and heatmaps, which speeds up analysis compared with stitching FFmpeg scripts. We wrote seven volumes covering the whole video stack, and for MSU VQMT start with Volume 1: VMAF, SSIM and PSNR, HDR metrics, compression artifacts and encoder comparisons. Written by Nikolay Sapunov, CEO at Fora Soft.
Deciding whether MSU VQMT or an FFmpeg pipeline should run your quality checks?
Tell us your workflow and volume: we compare MSU VQMT with an FFmpeg setup and recommend the tool and process for your team. 250+ video products shipped since 2005.
