ffmpeg: Pipe input error
I'm facing an issue while working with ffmpeg when input and output are pipes. Though Output pipe is working fine, piping the input is causing some error.
I tried to convert mp4 video to flv using the following command and it worked fine:
$ ffmpeg -i video-2012-04-26-19-48-40.mp4 -ar 44100 -ab 96 -f flv pipe:1 | cat> videoname.flv
It worked fine and gave the following output:
FFmpeg version 0.6-4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3, Copyright (c) 2000-2010 the FFmpeg developers
built on Dec 21 2011 18:37:43 with gcc 4.4.5
configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --enable-shared --disable-static
WARNING: library configuration mismatch
libavutil configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu3.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libdirac --enable-libgsm --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-libmp3lame --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libfaad --enable-libxvid --enable-libx264 --enable-librtmp --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavcodec configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu3.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libdirac --enable-libgsm --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-libmp3lame --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libfaad --enable-libxvid --enable-libx264 --enable-librtmp --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavformat configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavdevice configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavfilter configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libswscale configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libpostproc configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavutil 50.15. 1 / 50.15. 1
libavcodec 52.72. 2 / 52.72. 2
libavformat 52.64. 2 / 52.64. 2
libavdevice 52. 2. 0 / 52. 2. 0
libavfilter 1.19. 0 / 1.19. 0
libswscale 0.11. 0 / 0.11. 0
libpostproc 51. 2. 0 / 51. 2. 0
Seems stream 0 codec frame rate differs from container frame rate: 60000.00 (60000/1) -> 1000.00 (1000/1)
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'video-2012-04-26-19-48-40.mp4':
Metadata:
major_brand : 3gp4
minor_version : 768
compatible_brands: 3gp43gp6
Duration: 00:00:09.55, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 3366 kb/s
Stream #0.0(eng): Video: h264, yuv420p, 720x480, 3304 kb/s, 29.61 fps, 1k tbr, 30k tbn, 60k tbc
Stream #0.1(eng): Audio: aac, 16000 Hz, mono, s16, 56 kb/s
WARNING: The bitrate parameter is set too low. It takes bits/s as argument, not kbits/s
Output #0, flv, to 'pipe:1':
Metadata:
encoder : Lavf52.64.2
Stream #0.0(eng): Video: flv, yuv420p, 720x480, q=2-31, 200 kb/s, 1k tbn, 1k tbc
Stream #0.1(eng): Audio: adpcm_swf, 44100 Hz, mono, s16, 0 kb/s
Stream mapping:
Stream #0.0 -> #0.0
Stream #0.1 -> #0.1
Press [q] to stop encoding
frame= 283 fps=175 q=31.0 Lsize= 924kB time=9.52 bitrate= 794.7kbits/s
video:709kB audio:207kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead 0.867656%
But when I read the input also from pipe, I get an error:
Command:
$cat video-2012-04-26-19-48-40.mp4| ffmpeg -i pipe: -ar 44100 -ab 96 -f flv pipe:1 | cat> videoname.flv
Error output:
FFmpeg version 0.6-4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3, Copyright (c) 2000-2010 the FFmpeg developers
built on Dec 21 2011 18:37:43 with gcc 4.4.5
configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --enable-shared --disable-static
WARNING: library configuration mismatch
libavutil configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu3.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libdirac --enable-libgsm --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-libmp3lame --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libfaad --enable-libxvid --enable-libx264 --enable-librtmp --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavcodec configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu3.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libdirac --enable-libgsm --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-libmp3lame --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libfaad --enable-libxvid --enable-libx264 --enable-librtmp --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavformat configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavdevice configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavfilter configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libswscale configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libpostproc configuration: --extra-version=4:0.6-2ubuntu6.3 --prefix=/usr --enable-avfilter --enable-avfilter-lavf --enable-vdpau --enable-bzlib --enable-libgsm --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-vaapi --enable-pthreads --enable-zlib --enable-libvpx --disable-stripping --enable-runtime-cpudetect --enable-gpl --enable-postproc --enable-x11grab --enable-libdc1394 --shlibdir=/usr/lib/i686/cmov --cpu=i686 --enable-shared --disable-static --disable-ffmpeg --disable-ffplay
libavutil 50.15. 1 / 50.15. 1
libavcodec 52.72. 2 / 52.72. 2
libavformat 52.64. 2 / 52.64. 2
libavdevice 52. 2. 0 / 52. 2. 0
libavfilter 1.19. 0 / 1.19. 0
libswscale 0.11. 0 / 0.11. 0
libpostproc 51. 2. 0 / 51. 2. 0
[mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2 @ 0x8962bc0]stream 0, offset 0x28: partial file
[mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2 @ 0x8962bc0]Could not find codec parameters (Video: h264, 3304 kb/s)
[mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2 @ 0x8962bc0]Could not find codec parameters (Audio: aac, mono, s16, 56 kb/s)
pipe:: could not find codec parameters
Please help me fix the error.
Short answer:
Run
mp4box -hint
on the MP4 file before piping, so that the structural metadata (the "moov" box) is near the beginning of the file. Or you can devise another solution to rearrange the mp4 stream in the pipeline — although that may require buffering the entire video.
Long answer:
I see the same error from FFmpeg when I pipe an mp4 file whose moov box is after the mdat box. Many mp4 generators produce such files because it is the most convenient when recording, but for consuming (especially when streaming and piping) it is frequently better to arrange the file so that the moov box comes before the mdat box.
In your scenario, FFmpeg is scanning through the stream looking for the moov metadata before beginning to process the video frames. After it parses the moov metadata at the end of the file, it then attempts to seek back to the mdat data near the beginning. Naturally, you cannot seek in pipe input. FFmpeg's I/O abstraction layer ("avio") does provide a limited capability to maintain a buffer in memory and allows seeks to occur within this buffer, but the buffer isn't nearly large enough to contain an entire mdat box (i.e. all the video frames!) so that libavformat can "seek" back to the beginning.
A few options you might consider:
- Run MP4Box (with the -hint argument) on your mp4 file before piping, to rearrange the mp4 file so that the
moovbox is at the beginning of the file. - Perhaps FFmpeg's avio buffer could be increased to a size that can accomodate the largest video file you anticipate processing. Then, the "seek back to the
mdatbox" will succeed because the buffer contains the entire file. Obviously, this would be very wasteful in terms of memory. - If you absolutely require a pipeline solution, you could devise a program to accept mdat-before-moov mp4 on standard input, and write the translated moov-before-mdat stream to the standard output. This also requires buffering the entire file, which could be done in memory or in temporary files.
Curious that David didn't suggest qt-faststart being as he's clearly an FFmpeg fan and it's included with the source.
From the FFmpeg source dir:
./configure --disable-everything #(only needed if you haven't built ffmpeg already)
make tools/qt-faststart
chmod +x tools/qt-faststart
sudo cp tools/qt-faststart /usr/local/bin #(optional step to move the binary to a PATH included directory)
You can then use it to move the moov atom to the beginning of the file, in this case:
qt-faststart video-2012-04-26-19-48-40.mp4 video-out-file.mp4