HOWTO: Install and use the latest FFmpeg and x264

[Bachstelze]

I'm trying to follow this HOWTO on a Debian Lenny installation and I get an error (undefined reference to `x264_encoder_open_84') when I try to make ffmpeg:

ffmpeg.c: In function ‘do_video_out’:
ffmpeg.c:1023: warning: passing argument 2 of ‘sws_scale’ from incompatible pointer type
ffmpeg.c: In function ‘output_packet’:
ffmpeg.c:1317: warning: suggest parentheses around && within ||
gcc -L"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavcodec -L"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavdevice -L"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavfilter -L"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavformat -L"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavutil -L"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libpostproc -L"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libswscale -Wl,--warn-common -Wl,--as-needed -Wl,-rpath-link,"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libpostproc -Wl,-rpath-link,"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libswscale -Wl,-rpath-link,"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavfilter -Wl,-rpath-link,"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavdevice -Wl,-rpath-link,"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavformat -Wl,-rpath-link,"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavcodec -Wl,-rpath-link,"/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg"/libavutil -Wl,-Bsymbolic -o ffmpeg_g ffmpeg.o cmdutils.o -lavdevice -lavformat -lavcodec -lpostproc -lswscale -lavutil -lz -lbz2 -pthread -lm -lfaac -lfaad -lmp3lame -lm -lopencore-amrnb -lm -lopencore-amrwb -lm -ltheoraenc -ltheoradec -logg -lx264 -lm -lxvidcore -lasound -ljack -ldl -lasound -ljack -lX11 -lXext -lXfixes -lasound
/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg/libavcodec/libavcodec.a(libx264.o): In function `X264_init':
/home/brian/Videos/ffmpeg/libavcodec/libx264.c:286: undefined reference to `x264_encoder_open_84'
collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
make: *** [ffmpeg_g] Error 1
rm ffmpeg.o

I've tried to follow the steps very closely (with the exception of building all this in my /home partition as I worried my / partition would run out of space.) Any thoughts?

There has been a lot of changes in the x264 ABI those past few days, make sure your x264 and ffmpeg sources are up-to-date. If you are using my x264 packages, an updated one will be available later today.

[mc4man]

undefined reference to ..blah, blah

That can also occur when you have a previously installed libx264-dev
(typically a package version in /usr

[brianwc]

Thanks mc4man, I think I did have a previously installed libx264-dev. apt-get removing everything and doing the x264 and ffmpeg builds over again did the trick.

[david h george]

Love to get a free ride to FFmpeg. Got karmic koala and would like to down load the thing from the application menu.
Thanks for all the inside baseball though
David

[Ralob]

I'm glad you like the guide. Are you referring to the epoch? According to the Ubuntu Policy Manual, the format is: [epoch:]upstream_version[-debian_revision] and the epoch is "provided to allow mistakes in the version numbers of older versions of a package, and also a package's previous version numbering schemes, to be left behind".

I had to look this up because I can't seem to make myself learn the proper way of versioning my self-compiled packages. I simply edit the pkgversion to properly reflect the build date which conincidentaly is always higher than the official repository version and therefore makes apt not suggest an upgrade with the official, and older, version.

Thanks for the guide. I myself always screw up the version numbers on my own debs, heh. I just thought I saw some other debs having a different epoch and wasn't certain. Doesn't really matter as I compile daily and slap apt for suggesting updates anyway

Again, thank you so much for your guide. It truly is a lifesaver.

[FakeOutdoorsman]

Thanks for the guide. I myself always screw up the version numbers on my own debs, heh. I just thought I saw some other debs having a different epoch and wasn't certain. Doesn't really matter as I compile daily and slap apt for suggesting updates anyway

Again, thank you so much for your guide. It truly is a lifesaver.

Are Synaptic or apt(itude) suggesting updates to your compiled x264 and FFmpeg packages? They don't do that for me, but maybe I overlooked something.

[Jive Turkey]

running through this today I'm getting this message when I go to compile ffmpeg:

ERROR: libx264 version must be >= 0.83.

If you think configure made a mistake, make sure you are using the latest
version from SVN.  If the latest version fails, report the problem to the
ffmpeg-user@mplayerhq.hu mailing list or IRC #ffmpeg on irc.freenode.net.
Include the log file "config.err" produced by configure as this will help
solving the problem.

my config.err ends with:

check_cpp_condition x264.h X264_BUILD >= 0.83
check_cpp
BEGIN /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c
    1	#include <x264.h>
    2	#if !(X264_BUILD >= 0.83)
    3	#error "unsatisfied condition: X264_BUILD >= 0.83"
    4	#endif
END /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c
gcc -D_ISOC99_SOURCE -D_POSIX_C_SOURCE=200112 -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -D_LARGEFILE_SOURCE -std=c99 -fomit-frame-pointer -pthread -E -o /tmp/ffconf.ELAbnWvl.o /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c
In file included from /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c:1:
/usr/local/include/x264.h:32:4: warning: #warning You must include stdint.h or inttypes.h before x264.h
/tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c:2:21: error: floating constant in preprocessor expression
ERROR: libx264 version must be >= 0.83.

Methinks someone broke something, but I'm not going to mess around with getting someone who knows what to do on IRC unless it still appears to be broken in a week or so. Also, I don't thing the git server at videolan.org likes me any more;( as it gives connection refused when I try to checkout.

[Bachstelze]

running through this today I'm getting this message when I go to compile ffmpeg:

ERROR: libx264 version must be >= 0.83.

If you think configure made a mistake, make sure you are using the latest
version from SVN.  If the latest version fails, report the problem to the
ffmpeg-user@mplayerhq.hu mailing list or IRC #ffmpeg on irc.freenode.net.
Include the log file "config.err" produced by configure as this will help
solving the problem.

my config.err ends with:

check_cpp_condition x264.h X264_BUILD >= 0.83
check_cpp
BEGIN /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c
    1	#include <x264.h>
    2	#if !(X264_BUILD >= 0.83)
    3	#error "unsatisfied condition: X264_BUILD >= 0.83"
    4	#endif
END /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c
gcc -D_ISOC99_SOURCE -D_POSIX_C_SOURCE=200112 -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -D_LARGEFILE_SOURCE -std=c99 -fomit-frame-pointer -pthread -E -o /tmp/ffconf.ELAbnWvl.o /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c
In file included from /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c:1:
/usr/local/include/x264.h:32:4: warning: #warning You must include stdint.h or inttypes.h before x264.h
/tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c:2:21: error: floating constant in preprocessor expression
ERROR: libx264 version must be >= 0.83.

Methinks someone broke something, but I'm not going to mess around with getting someone who knows what to do on IRC unless it still appears to be broken in a week or so. Also, I don't thing the git server at videolan.org likes me any more;( as it gives connection refused when I try to checkout.

You can use my x264 packages in the meantime..

</shameless self-advertising>

[n.hinton]

</shameless self-advertising>

Then why re quote it???

[FakeOutdoorsman]

running through this today I'm getting this message when I go to compile ffmpeg:

ERROR: libx264 version must be >= 0.83.

If you think configure made a mistake, make sure you are using the latest
version from SVN.  If the latest version fails, report the problem to the
ffmpeg-user@mplayerhq.hu mailing list or IRC #ffmpeg on irc.freenode.net.
Include the log file "config.err" produced by configure as this will help
solving the problem.

my config.err ends with:

check_cpp_condition x264.h X264_BUILD >= 0.83
check_cpp
BEGIN /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c
    1	#include <x264.h>
    2	#if !(X264_BUILD >= 0.83)
    3	#error "unsatisfied condition: X264_BUILD >= 0.83"
    4	#endif
END /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c
gcc -D_ISOC99_SOURCE -D_POSIX_C_SOURCE=200112 -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -D_LARGEFILE_SOURCE -std=c99 -fomit-frame-pointer -pthread -E -o /tmp/ffconf.ELAbnWvl.o /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c
In file included from /tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c:1:
/usr/local/include/x264.h:32:4: warning: #warning You must include stdint.h or inttypes.h before x264.h
/tmp/ffconf.dXIvShEq.c:2:21: error: floating constant in preprocessor expression
ERROR: libx264 version must be >= 0.83.

Methinks someone broke something, but I'm not going to mess around with getting someone who knows what to do on IRC unless it still appears to be broken in a week or so. Also, I don't thing the git server at videolan.org likes me any more;( as it gives connection refused when I try to checkout.

Jive Turkey,

I just tested the guide and I can't duplicate your error message on my virtual 32-bit Karmic test system. What version of Ubuntu are you using? Did you change any of the commands in the guide?

Might be worth another try and if it doesn't work you can go from there. See the Updating Your Installation section of this guide.