Conversion Question-

[jgcalifornia]

Why does every video i try and convert end up with a file size of zero and doesn't play?

[Case]

In order to let other people help you, you would have to be specific. Source file details, target details, settings used, process information log.
(You may access the Process Information log by clicking the blue "i" in the ffmpegX Progress window, after a conversion attempt.)

[Bonie81]

Why does every video i try and convert end up with a file size of zero and doesn't play?

zero byte size means empty file, it will not play.
only reason i can think of is improper read-write permission for the directory where you want to save output file, or you do not have write permission for that directory as a particular user.

[Case]

only reason i can think of is improper read-write permission

... or when there is an error that the user isn't aware of.

[jgcalifornia]

well, upon rebooting, the first thing i noticed that the components self installer keeps telling me these 2 files are missing. ive downloaded them several times, rebooted, and it still shows me this, so maybe that would explain for a failed conversion?
(attached pic)

process info:
FIXME:Hardenabling SSE and SSE2 without detection
The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec.
Try adding the scale filter, e.g. -vf spp,scale instead of -vf spp.
Sun Dec 25 08:28:10 PST 2011
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)
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 - 0x49db4c
MPEG-PS file format detected.
VIDEO: MPEG1 640x480 (aspect 1) 25.000 fps 0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
[V] filefmt:2 fourcc:0x10000001 size:640x480 fps:25.00 ftime:=0.0400
================================================== ========================
Opening audio decoder: [mp3lib] MPEG layer-2, layer-3
AUDIO: 32000 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 64.0 kbit/6.25% (ratio: 8000->128000)
Selected audio codec: [mp3] afm: mp3lib (mp3lib MPEG layer-2, layer-3)
================================================== ========================
Opening video filter: [expand osd=1]
Expand: -1 x -1, -1 ; -1, osd: 1, aspect: 0.000000, round: 1
Opening video filter: [scale w=640 h=480]
================================================== ========================
Opening video decoder: [mpegpes] MPEG 1/2 Video passthrough
VDec: vo config request - 640 x 480 (preferred colorspace: Mpeg PES)
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))
================================================== ========================
Forcing output fourcc to 58564944 [DIVX]
MP3 audio selected
VDec: vo config request - 640 x 480 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
1 duplicate frame(s)!
SwScaler: using unscaled Planar YV12 -> Planar YV12 special converter
videocodec: libavcodec (640x480 fourcc=58564944 [DIVX])
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.
1 duplicate frame(s)!
Writing header...
ODML: Aspect information not (yet?) available or unspecified, not writing vprp header.
Skipping frame!
Skipping frame!
Skipping frame!
CBR audio: 16000 bytes/sec, 384 bytes/block
Flushing video frames
Writing index...
Writing header...
ODML: Aspect information not (yet?) available or unspecified, not writing vprp header.
Video stream: 1856.821 kbit/s (232102 B/s) size: 3063755 bytes 13.200 secs 333 frames
Audio stream: 128.000 kbit/s (16000 B/s) size: 211968 bytes 13.248 secs
Encoding completed on Sun Dec 25 08:28:12 PST 2011

[Bonie81]

unfortunately i can not help further with ffmpegX and it's component installation coz i never installed nor i use any ffmpeg and any of it's derivative.

Most of the time i get reply that commandline i suggest is not working coz i did not use ffmpeg since long, my memories for ffmpeg-cli commands is not updated with recent changes in recent release.

some one who uses ffmpegX successfully can assist you further with removal of present installationa and re-installation.
hope u will start rolling soon!

alternatively give AVIDemux a try!

SoRRY!

[jgcalifornia]

thanks for trying. im just looking for a simple video player that has compatibility to put 2 or 4 videos on one page.
thanks for the help though, appreciated

[Case]

the components self installer keeps telling me these 2 files are missing.
(attached pic)

Some users have tried to point the installer to the .zip file, which shouldn't be done. One should browse to the unzipped binaries. (But the log clearly shows that the correct mencoder is successfully used.)
Some users have tried to manually move the binaries, which shouldn't be done. Just leave them in the download location, and let the installer copy them to their special location. (After a successful install, the downloaded binaries may be deleted or archived.)
I don't know what else could go wrong.

process info:
MEncoder dev-CVS-060307-04:23-4.0.1 (C) 2000-2006 MPlayer Team
[...]
Video stream: 1856.821 kbit/s (232102 B/s) size: 3063755 bytes 13.200 secs 333 frames
Audio stream: 128.000 kbit/s (16000 B/s) size: 211968 bytes 13.248 secs
Encoding completed on Sun Dec 25 08:28:12 PST 2011

This log looks like a successful encode: there should be output with video and audio, in a file of about 3.3 MB.