ffmpegX additional binaries - where the h*ll should they be?!

[nickelbump]

After banging my head in the wall for 2 hours after finding out what complete, utter, nonsensical, idiocy the design choice of REQUIRING administrator access to install ffmpegX's additional binaries (mencoder, mplayer, mpeg2enc) was, I have now calmed down enough to come here and ask - what location is ffmpegX trying to read these binaries from?

Also, do the "developers" of ffmpegX read this forum? If you do, why on earth have you taken this sick, twisted, pointless path of design, instead of letting the user specify a location of where to look for these binaries?

There is absolutely _no point what so ever_ for your design choice, it only impairs the users.

[Case]

The binaries installer asks you to point to your downloaded files. After pressing the Install button, these files are copied to /Library/Application Support/ffmpegX/, where they will be looked for at next launch. During this copy process they are also configured to be executable from the GUI.

One needs admin privs to copy files there.

I'm pretty sure this Application Support directory is what the developers of Mac OS X wanted 3rd party developers to use for helper files and such.

[nickelbump]

...

One needs admin privs to copy files there.

I'm pretty sure this Application Support directory is what the developers of Mac OS X wanted 3rd party developers to use for helper files and such.

No, it's not where they wanted 3rd party developers to store user specific files. That'd be ~/Library/Application Support/. Now, allowing a user the option to store these files there, LOCALLY, by first checking that user-specific location in case the user is not, and does not have access to an administrator, would be the recommended and sane way to proceed. ENFORCING these files into a global position REQUIRING administrator access, that's anything but sane, as it cripples the entire app for the non-admin users, going against every decent rule in the book of good usability. As they say in my parts, big fuckings to Major4 for his stupid choice, and the same time thanks for making the app even though it's useless for so many.

Also, many thanks for the info about the location of the files.

[Bill Tuttle]

I agree, the users library would be a better place.

I'm running into a related problem. I select the three binaries, enter the pw and Install. It copies the binaries. Next time I run ffmpegX it can't find them again. I have checked, they are in the folder you specify. But it goes to install every time I launch.

[typo]

I agree, the users library would be a better place.

I'm running into a related problem. I select the three binaries, enter the pw and Install. It copies the binaries. Next time I run ffmpegX it can't find them again. I have checked, they are in the folder you specify. But it goes to install every time I launch.

I'm having the same problem. It repeatedly asks to install mencoder and mplayer, when both are already in their proper folder.

[Case]

It repeatedly asks to install mencoder and mplayer, when both are already in their proper folder.

Did you extract those from ffmpegXbinaries20060307.zip ? Are they 16,655,780 and 15,869,784 bytes in size?

[typo]

It repeatedly asks to install mencoder and mplayer, when both are already in their proper folder.

Did you extract those from ffmpegXbinaries20060307.zip ? Are they 16,655,780 and 15,869,784 bytes in size?

Ah, I was just directing it to the .zip file, not the actual binaries. Oops.

Thanks!

[LeLaid]

I agree, the users library would be a better place.

I'm running into a related problem. I select the three binaries, enter the pw and Install. It copies the binaries. Next time I run ffmpegX it can't find them again. I have checked, they are in the folder you specify. But it goes to install every time I launch.

I'm having the same problem. It repeatedly asks to install mencoder and mplayer, when both are already in their proper folder.

I'm also having this problem and I'm not pointing to the .zip but to the decompressed binaries.
I don't understand why I have to reload the binaries everytime the application starts. Can someone help me?

LeLaid

[ocsalevniv]

i'm having the same thingy. i have a very, very old version of the binaries. must have downloaded it 3-4 years ago. i thought the reason it always asks for the binaries is because the version i have is not updated. i've been trying to re-download the binaries for the longest time but the site is down EVERYTIME i try. and yet i've never heard complains from anybody that the site is down.

can anybody clear up this issue please? i'm getting very confused. and if anybody has the updated version of the binaries, please, please, can you send it to me???? or maybe upload it somewhere.

last thing:
the reallibs for encoding RealVideo is not here
http://forms.helixcommunity.org/helix/builds/?category=helixdnaclient
WHERE ON EARTH CAN I FIND THEM???!!! :[

anybody, please????

[Levina]

I had the same problem. Installing, re-installing and still, everytime I launched the application, it asked for the darn binaries. I downloaded the binaries again, but now to my desktop (instead of to my download folder) and LEFT THEM ON MY DESKTOP. Then I re-installed ffmpegX, directed it to the binaries ON MY DESKTOP and that was it. The stuff was placed in the right folders somewhere in my library (am too lazy to go and look where exactly) and disappeared from my desktop (although, I believe that one item remained, which I just threw away then) and ffmpegX never complained again about not being able to find the binaries. So, downloading it to my desktop and leaving it there was the trick that did it for me.

edit: corrected a typing error.

[ambrosechapel]

For the record, if you have installed the binaries before and you get that message, you can just ignore it. I just cancelled it and it ran fine. It's asking you to get new versions, but if you cancel it will use the old ones. It's just a bit of a misleading message.