Test blocks with NotchBlockVerifier

Updated: 29 Apr 2026

Introduction #

NotchBlockVerifier is a small application for testing Notch blocks. It is the ground-truth for Notch block integration and performance.

It provides:

• GUI to test exposed parameters
• Profiler to see how the block performs on the given hardware
• Viewport to see the render and any watermarks that may be occurring.

NotchBlockVerifier is often used for diagnosing functional, performance & licensing issues on media servers.

Download #

NotchBlockVerifierD3D11.exe is included in the Notch Builder installer under C:\Program Files\Notch 1.0

You can also download it separately.

Using NotchBlockVerifier #

1. Run NotchBlockVerifierD3D11.exe
2. Set the target resolution in the Output Width & Output Height
3. Click ‘Load Bock…’ and select the .dfxdll Notch Block you wish to test

Key points:

• Once the block is loaded, it will instantly start playing.
• You can manipulate the exposed parameters by clicking a value and dragging it left and right.
• Any exposed Video inputs will be provided with a flat colour texture at the same size as the output resolution set.
• You can load multiple blocks simultaneously to observe GPU load. [NB: Blocks will be rendered at the same resolution]

Monitoring Performance #

NotchBlockVerifier will show you the following key performance metrics:

• VRAM (GPU memory) used by your block
• Frame rendering time in milliseconds (ms) at the set resolution
• The effective frame rate of the block

NotchBlockVerifier is a super light host application. Its only workload is to render the blocks. This differs from media-servers who have to perform other functions that take overhead (such as video playback, compositing, output management, etc).

Spotting Licensing issues #

Watermarks appearing over a blocks output are the result of:

• The Block being exported from Notch Builder Base or Pro
• No Full Playback license being present on a connected dongle

In each case, you will be given a reason in white text in the blocks rendered output.

SDK Dependencies #

Certain features of Notch require additional SDKs to be installed and DLLs placed alongside NotchBlockVerifierD3D11.exe. Full details are available on the SDK Dependencies when using Media Servers page.

Command Line Options: #