I'm currently working on a web-app from my mac using XAMPP etc...

[Tom2me]

I'm currently working on a web-app from my mac using XAMPP etc...
I needed to create some video from pictures and then merge all the videos and I decided to use ffmpeg and mencoder together.
Here is an example of my first command line :

/opt/local/bin/ffmpeg -f image2 -r 0.48 -i img1.png img2.png --r 24 -b 2000 -y render/img1.mpg

This is creating a video file of 50 frames into mpeg1video muxed.

I'm doing this several time and apply the following code to merge the video.

/opt/local/bin/mencoder -oac copy -ovc copy -idx -o video/myfile.mpg render/img1.mpg render/img1.mpg

I would like then to encode this mpeg1 file into something else mpeg4/rawvideo or else.
And here is my problem :
I tried everything into mencoder or ffmpeg to reencode this file but NOTHING want to work even reencoding this file into mpeg1 (same format !) => same things happen if I try to convert to mpeg4

FFmpeg version CVS, Copyright (c) 2000-2004 Fabrice Bellard
Mac OSX universal build for ffmpegX
configuration: --enable-memalign-hack --enable-mp3lame --enable-gpl --disable-vhook --disable-ffplay --disable-ffserver --enable-a52 --enable-xvid --enable-faac --enable-faad --enable-amr_nb --enable-amr_wb --enable-pthreads --enable-x264
libavutil version: 49.0.0
libavcodec version: 51.9.0
libavformat version: 50.4.0
built on Apr 15 2006 04:58:19, gcc: 4.0.1 (Apple Computer, Inc. build 5250)
Input #0, avi, from '290710_1521_seq2.mpg':
Duration: 00:00:39.2, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 524 kb/s
Stream #0.0, 24.00 fps(r): Video: mpeg1video, 375x210, 104857 kb/s
File 'essai.mpg' already exists. Overwrite ? [y/N] y
Output #0, mpeg, to 'essai.mpg':
Stream #0.0, 24.00 fps(c): Video: mpeg1video, yuv420p, 375x210, q=2-31, 200 kb/s
Stream mapping:
Stream #0.0 -> #0.0
Press [q] to stop encoding
frame= 0 q=0.0 Lsize= 0kB time=10000000000.0 bitrate= 0.0kbits/s
video:0kB audio:0kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead nan%

I don't know what to do here. I don't understanf what is the problem. What's missing or what I can do.

HELPPPP.

[redwudz]

Tom2me, in the future please use a title that reflects the subject, as per our rules.

Moderator redwudz

[Case]

/opt/local/bin/ffmpeg -f image2 -r 0.48 -i img1.png img2.png --r 24 -b 2000 -y render/img1.mpg

My copy of ffmpeg doesn't understand "--24".
Why do you have "-r 0.48" if you want 24 fps?

This is creating a video file of 50 frames into mpeg1video muxed.

Do you have a special reason for going with MPEG-1?

/opt/local/bin/mencoder -oac copy -ovc copy -idx -o video/myfile.mpg render/img1.mpg render/img1.mpg

mencoder's merging creates an AVI file (when using this syntax). It doesn't matter if you name it ".mpg". MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video in an AVI file can create lots of incompatibilities for players or converter apps.

Input #0, avi, from '290710_1521_seq2.mpg':

Note that ffmpeg detects the AVI file format.

Output #0, mpeg, to 'essai.mpg':
Stream #0.0, 24.00 fps(c): Video: mpeg1video, yuv420p, 375x210, q=2-31, 200 kb/s

Encoders prefer (sometimes require) a frame size that is multiples of 16. Do you have a special reason for going with 375x210 ? Would e.g. 368x208 work for you?

Press [q] to stop encoding
frame= 0 q=0.0 Lsize= 0kB time=10000000000.0 bitrate= 0.0kbits/s
video:0kB audio:0kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead nan%

Strange that there is no error message...

[Case]

Creating an MPEG-4 AVI from all the PNG files in the current directory, in one go:

mencoder mf://*.png -mf w=368:h=208:fps=24:type=png -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4:mbd=2:trell -oac copy -o output.avi

[Tom2me]

Why do you have "-r 0.48" if you want 24 fps?

The -0.48 refer to the value of one image as a frame. Therefore inputFps*outputfps = length of the final movie in this case 0.48*24=50frames the movie will be 50 frames at the end in 24fps. The --24 is just a writing mistake.

Do you have a special reason for going with MPEG-1?

No ! No reason but I tried with .avi and it seems that mencoder doesn't take anything else in my case.

mencoder's merging creates an AVI file (when using this syntax). It doesn't matter if you name it ".mpg". MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video in an AVI file can create lots of incompatibilities for players or converter apps.

Ok I tried to change the capsule format to .avi but then the file is corrupted (totally black)...
Here is the output I get :

mencoder -oac lavc -ovc lavc render/file1.mpg render/file2.mpg -o youhu.avi
MEncoder dev-CVS-060307-04:23-4.0.1 (C) 2000-2006 MPlayer Team
Mac OSX static build for ffmpegX
CPU: Intel Pentium III Katmai/Pentium III Xeon Tanner (Family: 6, Stepping: 10)
FIXME:Hardenabling SSE and SSE2 without detection
CPUflags: Type: 6 MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled for x86 CPU with extensions: MMX MMX2 SSE SSE2

success: format: 0 data: 0x0 - 0x18000
MPEG-PS file format detected.
MPEG: No audio stream found -> no sound.
VIDEO: MPEG1 368x208 (aspect 1) 24.000 fps 0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
[V] filefmt:2 fourcc:0x10000001 size:368x208 fps:24.00 ftime:=0.0417
Opening video filter: [expand osd=1]
Expand: -1 x -1, -1 ; -1, osd: 1, aspect: 0.000000, round: 1
================================================== ========================
Opening video decoder: [mpegpes] MPEG 1/2 Video passthrough
VDec: vo config request - 368 x 208 (preferred colorspace: Mpeg PES)
Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale...
Opening video filter: [scale]
The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec.
Try adding the scale filter, e.g. -vf spp,scale instead of -vf spp.
VDecoder init failed
Opening video decoder: [libmpeg2] MPEG 1/2 Video decoder libmpeg2-v0.4.0b
Selected video codec: [mpeg12] vfm: libmpeg2 (MPEG-1 or 2 (libmpeg2))
================================================== ========================
VDec: vo config request - 368 x 208 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
videocodec: libavcodec (368x208 fourcc=34504d46 [FMP4])
New_Face failed. Maybe the font path is wrong.
Please supply the text font file (~/.mplayer/subfont.ttf).
subtitle font: load_sub_face failed.
Pos: 0.0s 1f (99%) 0.00fps Trem: 0min 0mb A-V:0.000 [0:0]
1 duplicate frame(s)!
Writing header...
ODML: Aspect information not (yet?) available or unspecified, not writing vprp header.
Writing header...
ODML: Aspect information not (yet?) available or unspecified, not writing vprp header.
Writing header...2f (99%) 0.00fps Trem: 0min 0mb A-V:0.000 [0:0]
ODML: Aspect information not (yet?) available or unspecified, not writing vprp header.

1 duplicate frame(s)!
success: format: 0 data: 0x0 - 0x27800: 0min 0mb A-V:0.000 [161:0]
MPEG-PS file format detected.
MPEG: No audio stream found -> no sound.
VIDEO: MPEG1 368x208 (aspect 1) 24.000 fps 0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
[V] filefmt:2 fourcc:0x10000001 size:368x208 fps:24.00 ftime:=0.0417
Opening video filter: [expand osd=1]
Expand: -1 x -1, -1 ; -1, osd: 1, aspect: 0.000000, round: 1
================================================== ========================
Opening video decoder: [mpegpes] MPEG 1/2 Video passthrough
VDec: vo config request - 368 x 208 (preferred colorspace: Mpeg PES)
Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale...
Opening video filter: [scale]
The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec.
Try adding the scale filter, e.g. -vf spp,scale instead of -vf spp.
VDecoder init failed
Opening video decoder: [libmpeg2] MPEG 1/2 Video decoder libmpeg2-v0.4.0b
Selected video codec: [mpeg12] vfm: libmpeg2 (MPEG-1 or 2 (libmpeg2))
================================================== ========================
VDec: vo config request - 368 x 208 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
Pos: 1.6s 40f (99%) 0.00fps Trem: 0min 0mb A-V:0.000 [161:0]
1 duplicate frame(s)!
Pos: 1.7s 41f (99%) 0.00fps Trem: 0min 0mb A-V:0.000 [157:0]
1 duplicate frame(s)!
Pos: 4.5s 108f (99%) 0.00fps Trem: 0min 0mb A-V:0.000 [147:0]
Flushing video frames
Writing index...
Writing header...
ODML: Aspect information not (yet?) available or unspecified, not writing vprp header.

Video stream: 147.392 kbit/s (18424 B/s) size: 82908 bytes 4.500 secs 108 frames

After new test -vf and -aspect I found out I've still the same problem. But the video seems to work on VLC but not on QT.

Output #0, mpeg, to 'essai.mpg':
Stream #0.0, 24.00 fps(c): Video: mpeg1video, yuv420p, 375x210, q=2-31, 200 kb/s Encoders prefer (sometimes require) a frame size that is multiples of 16. Do you have a special reason for going with 375x210 ? Would e.g. 368x208 work for you?

I take note !

Press [q] to stop encoding
frame= 0 q=0.0 Lsize= 0kB time=10000000000.0 bitrate= 0.0kbits/s
video:0kB audio:0kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead nan%

Strange that there is no error message...

Yes and that's why I don't have any clue of what to do :'(

Creating an MPEG-4 AVI from all the PNG files in the current directory, in one go: mencoder mf://*.png -mf w=368:h=208:fps=24:type=png -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4:mbd=2:trell -oac copy -o output.avi

I know this solution but it's not what I want. I need to create to create a movie with just 1 non changing image. That's why I'm using this trick on ffmpeg. I just have to render to images and then specify the original framerate. I don't want to render 50frames which are always the same image. And thst's what mencoder requires.

[Case]

I need to create to create a movie with just 1 non changing image.

I would use QuickTime Pro for such a task.
1. Get an audio sample of the duration you want. You might use any sound editor to cut e.g. any existing mp3 to the correct length. It doesn't matter which audio file or format, because I only use it for matching the video to the same length.
2. Open the (shortened) audio file in QuickTime Pro.
3. Open the still frame image in QuickTime Pro. Select all. Copy.
4. Switch to the audio file. Select All.
5. menu Edit > Add to Selection & Scale. This will show the still image over the whole duration.
6. Export to MPEG-4. Set video framerate (to 24). Set audio to 'none' for a silent clip.