stopped converting VOB to DV

[redux]

I'm a NOOB, so please bear with me...

Downloaded and installed latest ffmpegX. Downloaded and installed binaries according to instructions.
I converted one file just fine, was able to edit and play with it in iMovie, export it, etc.
And now I can't.
It simply will not convert another file. I know the VOB file is there and good, it will play in both ffmpegX and VLC.
But when I try to convert it, it will 'ding' and I get an empty file (zero size).
I tried reinstalling the app. I tried reinstalling the binaries. What do I try next?

thank you

[tomlee59]

Post the contents of the logfile (click on the blue "i" in the Progress pane).

[redux]

M'KAY!
here tis

Encoding started on Fri Jan 2 19:03:27 PST 2009
Input #0, mpeg, from '/Users/xxxxxxx/Movies/VTS_01_1.VOB':
Duration: 00:24:14.6, start: 1423.369567, bitrate: 3784 kb/s
Stream #0.0: Audio: ac3, 48000 Hz, stereo, 96 kb/s
Stream #0.1: Video: mpeg2video, 720x480, 29.97 fps
Codec type mismatch for mapping #0.0 -> #0.0

That last line looks like it means trouble, but I have no idea what...

[Case]

Codec type mismatch for mapping #0.0 -> #0.0

Tick the Invert mapping checkbox in the Audio tab, and try again.

[redux]

Coool! That worked!

Now could you please explain why, so I can understand what's going on?

[Case]

Now could you please explain why, so I can understand what's going on?

The ffmpeg engine works with numbered streams. By default it tries to convert stream #0.0 in the source file to video stream #0.0 in the output file, and convert stream #0.1 in the source file to audio stream #0.1 in the output file. If the video and audio streams have reversed stream numbering, then the ffmpeg encoder finds a mismatch, as it can't convert audio to video. If you tell ffmpegX to invert the stream mapping, then these kind of source files will encode with mapping: #0.1 -> #0.0 and #0.0 -> #0.1 , so that video maps to video and audio to audio.
(Perhaps the ffmpeg documentation explains it more thoroughly.)

NB: this only applies to ffmpeg presets, not mencoder presets or mpeg2enc presets.

[redux]

Thanks!

(Perhaps the ffmpeg documentation explains it more thoroughly.)

AH! Quite helpful. The fmpegX page doesn't seem to have any obvious links to the ffmpeg site. I wonder why?

[Case]

The fmpegX page doesn't seem to have any obvious links to the ffmpeg site. I wonder why?

The ffmpegX website does link to the ffmpeg project on the frontpage, in the About paragraph. Whether you consider that "obvious" or not, is a judgment call. It also states that the ffmpegX project is not associated with the ffmpeg project. Perhaps that clarifies it a bit.