[mythtv-users] FFmpeg releases version 0.5

Bert Haverkamp bert at bertenselena.net
Thu Mar 12 15:22:10 UTC 2009


2009/3/11 Nick Rout <nick.rout at gmail.com>

> On Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 12:04 PM, Robert McNamara
> <robert.mcnamara at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Tue, Mar 10, 2009 at 2:57 PM, gonzalo diethelm <gdiethelm at dcv.cl>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Straight, honest to God question: why is it necessary to import the
> >> code? Would it be possible to use FFmpeg as an external library?
> >>
> >
> > Not that thorny-- a couple of reasons as I understand them.  Firstly,
> > Myth has a fair number of local modifications for the libav* source,
> > particularly the Transport Stream and Program Stream demuxers, which
> > makes the upstream versions unsuitable without some hand massaging.
> > Secondly, importing the source at compile time is very very tricky--
> > ask mplayer devs, who are *constantly* fixing compilation of their
> > player because of their decision to do so.  The ffmpeg code changes a
> > *lot*, including the API, and it would be a lot more work than the
> > relatively small group of core devs could easily manage.
> >
> > Myth as a project is maybe 10ish core devs and 20-30 regular
> > contributors-- just keeping a dynamically imported version of libav*
> > working adds up fast in manpower and developer frustration.
>
> Note: avidemux does much the same.
>
> In short, linking to the movable feast that is ffmpeg would be a
> nightmare. You basically would need to ensure that every myth system
> had a compatible version of ffmpeg, compiled with the same options.
> And with distros being what they are, that wouldn't be easy at all.
>
> Its compounded by lack of releases from ffmpeg, most distros use an
> svn version, and they change like the wind. I've even seen command
> line options change, breaking scripts that rely on an earlier version
> (like the need to put k at the end of a bitrate so a parameter that
> was previously 384 becomes suddenly 384k).
>
> So by importing the code en masse, you lose the speed with which the
> ffmpeg devs incorporate fixes or new features, but gain stability and
> control, as well as your own myth-tweaks.


So basically the lack of regular releases and API changes on the ffmpeg side
prohibit this.


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