HOWTO: Install and use the latest FFmpeg and x264

[FakeOutdoorsman]

I see from this post

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...eg+ipod&page=2

that Medibuntu does not have an updated ffmpeg yet. I believe you used to be able to get an x264 enabled package there, mitigating the requirement to compile yourself and thus avoid the issues with the update bothering you.

I guess I will keep checking Medibuntu...

I read somewhere that Medibuntu won't be supplying ffmpeg for Intrepid, but I'm not sure if that is correct or not. In the link you provided, mr_pouit explains that you can get the same functionality as the Medibuntu's ffmpeg by installing the unstripped packages. I haven't tried this myself.

Re: Medibuntu ffmpeg for Intrepid Help?

[billhung]

I read somewhere that Medibuntu won't be supplying ffmpeg for Intrepid, but I'm not sure if that is correct or not. In the link you provided, mr_pouit explains that you can get the same functionality as the Medibuntu's ffmpeg by installing the unstripped packages. I haven't tried this myself.

Re: Medibuntu ffmpeg for Intrepid Help?

From my first hand experience. I confirm that Medibuntu is not having ffmpeg for 8.10 Intrepid (at least not now), while ffmpeg was working well with x264 in 8.04 hardy.

For more detail, look here:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/291011

[FakeOutdoorsman]

The subversion server for ffmpeg has been updated to the ffmpeg.org domain. If you keep your ffmpeg folder and use it to update ffmpeg, then you can tell subversion to use the new server with:

cd ~/ffmpeg
svn switch --relocate svn://svn.mplayerhq.hu/ svn://svn.ffmpeg.org/

The old address will continue to work for awhile, but it is advised to start using the new one.

More info: [FFmpeg-devel] Subversion services now available from ffmpeg.org

[Ng Oon-Ee]

Hi, just followed this guide since the ffmpeg in intrepid is borked. However, I noticed that once I've completed it the command "man ffmpeg" gives the undocumented error. Is there a reason for this/anyway to get the man page besides loading it up online? Reason being I often rely on the man page to remember what options exist and their formatting.

[andrew.46]

Hi Ng:

Hi, just followed this guide since the ffmpeg in intrepid is borked. However, I noticed that once I've completed it the command "man ffmpeg" gives the undocumented error.

Hmmm.... actually I bumped into this problem myself in a different distro. I suspect that under Ubuntu you are missing the texi2html package. Try adding that with apt-get and recompiling.

If this works (he says crossing his fingers) this might be worth adding to the guide Fakeoutdoorsman?

Andrew

[Ng Oon-Ee]

Hmmm.... actually I bumped into this problem myself in a different distro. I suspect that under Ubuntu you are missing the texi2html package. Try adding that with apt-get and recompiling.

If this works (he says crossing his fingers) this might be worth adding to the guide Fakeoutdoorsman?

Andrew

Thanks, that was EXACTLY the solution =). +1 for adding it to the guide. Would never have been able to figure this out, I don't think.

[andrew.46]

Hi Ng:

Thanks, that was EXACTLY the solution =). +1 for adding it to the guide. Would never have been able to figure this out, I don't think.

Wooo hooooo! I know almost nothing about ffmpeg so it feels very good to successfully troubleshoot it . I came across this problem a few months ago with a slightly different solution in the LQ Forums. In that case Slackware had texi2html but it was not available to the installation script I was using.

Andrew

[FakeOutdoorsman]

Hi Ng:



Hmmm.... actually I bumped into this problem myself in a different distro. I suspect that under Ubuntu you are missing the texi2html package. Try adding that with apt-get and recompiling.

If this works (he says crossing his fingers) this might be worth adding to the guide Fakeoutdoorsman?

Andrew

Thanks, Andrew. Confirmed to work with Ibex. I didn't test Hardy, but added to the guide anyway. What was once a derelict, unemployed man is now a working man.

[Ng Oon-Ee]

Thanks, Andrew. Confirmed to work with Ibex. I didn't test Hardy, but added to the guide anyway. What was once a derelict, unemployed man is now a working man.

Ah... work, that scourge of enjoyment . Just a question for you, for times when you're NOT working (no rush). When I follow your guide, somehow ffplay isn't properly installed, shows as not installed when I try to run it, no man page (ffmpeg does), and I can see ffplay.c in the ~/ffmpeg directory but no ffplay.d or ffplay.o, which leads me to believe its a compiler problem. Except that no errors were raised. Any info you need/suggestions?

Thanks for the guide, again.


EDIT: There's a file called config.err in ~/ffmpeg, when I search for occurrences of ffplay it says that ffplay depends on SDL, could the problem be that I don't have some SDL dev files? Do you have ffplay on your install? And do you have any SDL packages installed? I have a few, but those are binaries only.

[kevdog]

I think I installed this package correctly, but how do I check? -- I'm on Ibex. Any test script?