HOWTO: Install and use the latest FFmpeg and x264

[macsmith]

aha!

funny, when you express a problem for others to understand, the answer pops out all by itself.

I did all this today but looking at the output, it's dated yesterday's build. Yesterday I installed an older version and today I installed the latest version.

When I did ./ffmpeg instead of ffmpeg, I get today's version and it works!

So, new question: why hasn't the installation utility copied the latest build into my path directory? Is there a missing step in the installation?

Thanks

[peerLAN]

I managed to fix my "no ratecontrol method specified". The problem was with a x264 lib that I installed using the ubuntu repository and it didn't updated (?) when I installed the new one from git. So I removed everything x264 and installed it just using the latest version from git on clean and it works now.

[FakeOutdoorsman]

Help. I've installed and re-installed but still get a blank configuration, see below.

I'm running ubuntu 8.04.1, downloaded today's version of ffmpeg, yasm and x264. I updated the installation using the instructions on page 1 of this thread. There were no build errors. I've also read all 21 pages of this thread!

What can I try next?

Thanks

FFmpeg version SVN-r15821, Copyright (c) 2000-2008 Fabrice Bellard, et al.
configuration:
libavutil 49.12. 0 / 49.12. 0
libavcodec 52. 3. 0 / 52. 3. 0
libavformat 52.23. 1 / 52.23. 1
libavdevice 52. 1. 0 / 52. 1. 0
built on Nov 14 2008 16:34:59, gcc: 4.2.3 (Ubuntu 4.2.3-2ubuntu7)
Input #0, mpeg, from '/public/temp/guitarHero.mpg':
Duration: 00:02:03.69, start: 0.224367, bitrate: 30119 kb/s
Stream #0.0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 1920x1080 [PAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 40000 kb/s, 25.00 tb(r)
Stream #0.1[0x1c0]: Audio: mp2, 48000 Hz, stereo, s16, 224 kb/s
Warning: not compiled with thread support, using thread emulation
Unknown encoder 'libx264'

What do you mean by, "get a blank configuration"? Show your complete ffmpeg command and the full ffmpeg response.

Edit: Ok, ignore that. I came here straight from the email notification and failed to see your following message. Did you uninstall your old ffmpeg before updating?

[FakeOutdoorsman]

I managed to fix my "no ratecontrol method specified". The problem was with a x264 lib that I installed using the ubuntu repository and it didn't updated (?) when I installed the new one from git. So I removed everything x264 and installed it just using the latest version from git on clean and it works now.

Which x264 lib from the repository was it (libx264-59, libx264-dev)? If you have those installed already before starting this guide they will conflict with your compiled x264 from git, not update.

[Ng Oon-Ee]

aha!

funny, when you express a problem for others to understand, the answer pops out all by itself.

I did all this today but looking at the output, it's dated yesterday's build. Yesterday I installed an older version and today I installed the latest version.

When I did ./ffmpeg instead of ffmpeg, I get today's version and it works!

So, new question: why hasn't the installation utility copied the latest build into my path directory? Is there a missing step in the installation?

Thanks

I think you have to purge ffmpeg prior to installing

I've never used ffplay before, buy I believe you'll need to install libsdl1.2-dev and then recompile ffmpeg. This will bring in a good number of other packages as well, but most are small in size. You may need some other packages, but I didn't test it much. I should add this info to the guide.

Your advise was exactly correct. Simply installing libsdl1.2-dev before the ./configure and make gave me ffplay as well. Thank you very much, suggest you add that to your guide, maybe a subsection with (add this if you want/use ffplay).

[macsmith]

Hi,

I thought I had uninstalled the old version but it doesn't look like it.

Should the new install process have copied ffmpeg to my bin directory? Obviously I can easily do the copy manually. Are there any other files that need to be copied?

Thanks

[Ng Oon-Ee]

Hi,

I thought I had uninstalled the old version but it doesn't look like it.

Should the new install process have copied ffmpeg to my bin directory? Obviously I can easily do the copy manually. Are there any other files that need to be copied?

Thanks

The installation should obviously have copied ffmpeg to your bin directory (it did on mine). Maybe just purge ffmpeg and see if anything is left in your bin.

sudo apt-get purge ffmpeg
ls /usr/bin | grep ff

Check for ffmpeg, ffmpeg2theora, ffplay, ffserver. I have all of those from installing according to this guide. If you still have them after you run the purge, just delete them and run the guide again (or, to save time, just install the .deb the guide created for you ).

[@H.264]

Uff, i get frustrated with those updates for ffmpeg/x264 which are after install latest packages.
Someone has an idea what do i need to do to avoid those updates from Ubuntu package?

[Ng Oon-Ee]

Uff, i get frustrated with those updates for ffmpeg/x264 which are after install latest packages.
Someone has an idea what do i need to do to avoid those updates from Ubuntu package?

As the guide states, you can just 'lock' your packages.

Alternatively, the way I do it is to follow Ubuntu's naming standard, so in the case that a newer ffmpeg is updated to the repos, I'll get notified of it. Anyway, currently (in Intrepid) there's only one version of ffmpeg, as Medibuntu doesn't have it yet, and may not add it. The important number is the Version Number, which is simply a string which is compared with what you have to see which is numerically/alphabetically higher. The problem is that the defaults for installing ffmpeg from source provide a version number which is totally numerical, and that is trumped by the repo's version.

So, anyway, the current version number I have is 3:0.svn20080206-12ubuntu3. I downloaded my source copy from SVN on 11th November 2008, so when I run sudo checkinstall, I select option 3 (the 4th option) and change the installed version number to 3:0.svn20081115-12ubuntu3, just replacing the date with the date of my download.

If somehow Ubuntu decides to update ffmpeg, the version number they use will be higher than this, and I'll get that version. Of course, I may not want the Intrepid version if its not from medibuntu, but at least I know somethings been updated.

For reference, the corresponding current repo versions of x264 is 1:0.svn20080408-0.0ubuntu1 and my updated version is 1:0.svn20081115-0.0ubuntu1.

[@H.264]

I'll try now...

p.s. same thing for both packages ( ffmpeg+x264 )?

//Edit:



So, what do i need to write on option 3?