1 \input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
3 @settitle General Documentation
6 @center @titlefont{General Documentation}
11 @chapter external libraries
13 FFmpeg can be hooked up with a number of external libraries to add support
14 for more formats. None of them are used by default, their use has to be
15 explicitly requested by passing the appropriate flags to @file{./configure}.
19 AMR comes in two different flavors, wideband and narrowband. FFmpeg can make
20 use of the AMR wideband (floating-point mode) and the AMR narrowband
21 (floating-point mode) reference decoders and encoders.
23 Go to @url{http://www.penguin.cz/~utx/amr} and follow the instructions for
24 installing the libraries. Then pass @code{--enable-libamr-nb} and/or
25 @code{--enable-libamr-wb} to configure to enable the libraries.
27 Note that libamr is copyrighted without any sort of license grant. This means
28 that you can use it if you legally obtained it but you are not allowed to
29 redistribute it in any way. @strong{Any FFmpeg binaries with libamr support
30 you create are non-free and unredistributable!}
33 @chapter Supported File Formats and Codecs
35 You can use the @code{-formats} option to have an exhaustive list.
39 FFmpeg supports the following file formats through the @code{libavformat}
42 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .4
43 @item Name @tab Encoding @tab Decoding @tab Comments
45 @tab 4X Technologies format, used in some games.
46 @item Audio IFF (AIFF) @tab X @tab X
47 @item American Laser Games MM @tab @tab X
48 @tab Multimedia format used in games like Mad Dog McCree.
49 @item 3GPP AMR @tab X @tab X
50 @item ASF @tab X @tab X
51 @item AVI @tab X @tab X
52 @item AVISynth @tab @tab X
54 @tab Multimedia format used by the Creature Shock game.
55 @item Beam Software SIFF @tab @tab X
56 @tab Audio and video format used in some games by Beam Software.
57 @item Bethesda Softworks VID @tab @tab X
58 @tab Used in some games from Bethesda Softworks.
59 @item Brute Force & Ignorance @tab @tab X
60 @tab Used in the game Flash Traffic: City of Angels.
61 @item Interplay C93 @tab @tab X
62 @tab Used in the game Cyberia from Interplay.
63 @item Delphine Software International CIN @tab @tab X
64 @tab Multimedia format used by Delphine Software games.
65 @item CRC testing format @tab X @tab
66 @item Creative Voice @tab X @tab X
67 @tab Created for the Sound Blaster Pro.
68 @item CRYO APC @tab @tab X
69 @tab Audio format used in some games by CRYO Interactive Entertainment.
70 @item D-Cinema audio @tab X @tab X
71 @item DV video @tab X @tab X
73 @tab This format is used in the non-Windows version of the Feeble Files
74 game and different game cutscenes repacked for use with ScummVM.
75 @item Electronic Arts cdata @tab @tab X
76 @item Electronic Arts Multimedia @tab @tab X
77 @tab Used in various EA games; files have extensions like WVE and UV2.
78 @item FFM (FFserver live feed) @tab X @tab X
79 @item Flash (SWF) @tab X @tab X
80 @item Flash 9 (AVM2) @tab X @tab X
81 @tab Only embedded audio is decoded.
82 @item FLI/FLC/FLX animation @tab @tab X
84 @item FLV @tab X @tab X
85 @tab Macromedia Flash video files
86 @item framecrc testing format @tab X @tab
87 @item FunCom ISS @tab @tab X
88 @tab Audio format used in various games from FunCom like The Longest Journey.
89 @item GIF Animation @tab X @tab
90 @item GXF @tab X @tab X
91 @tab General eXchange Format SMPTE 360M, used by Thomson Grass Valley
93 @item id Cinematic @tab @tab X
94 @tab Used in Quake II.
95 @item id RoQ @tab X @tab X
96 @tab Used in Quake III, Jedi Knight 2, other computer games.
98 @tab Interchange File Format
99 @item Interplay MVE @tab @tab X
100 @tab Format used in various Interplay computer games.
101 @item LMLM4 @tab @tab X
102 @tab Used by Linux Media Labs MPEG-4 PCI boards
103 @item Matroska @tab X @tab X
104 @item Matroska audio @tab X @tab
105 @item MAXIS XA @tab @tab X
106 @tab Used in Sim City 3000; file extension .xa.
107 @item Monkey's Audio @tab @tab X
108 @item Motion Pixels MVI @tab @tab X
109 @item MOV/QuickTime/MP4 @tab X @tab X
110 @tab 3GP, 3GP2, PSP, iPod variants supported
111 @item MP2 @tab X @tab
112 @item MP3 @tab X @tab
113 @item MPEG audio @tab X @tab X
114 @item MPEG-1 System @tab X @tab X
115 @tab muxed audio and video, VCD format supported
116 @item MPEG-PS (program stream) @tab X @tab X
117 @tab also known as @code{VOB} file, SVCD and DVD format supported
118 @item MPEG-TS (transport stream) @tab X @tab X
119 @tab also known as DVB Transport Stream
120 @item MPEG-4 @tab X @tab X
121 @tab MPEG-4 is a variant of QuickTime.
122 @item MIME multipart JPEG @tab X @tab
123 @item MSN TCP webcam @tab @tab X
124 @tab Used by MSN Messenger webcam streams.
125 @item MTV @tab @tab X
126 @item Musepack @tab @tab X
127 @item Musepack SV8 @tab @tab X
128 @item Material eXchange Format (MXF) @tab X @tab X
129 @tab SMPTE 377M, used by D-Cinema, broadcast industry.
130 @item Material eXchange Format (MXF), D-10 Mapping @tab X @tab X
131 @tab SMPTE 386M, D-10/IMX Mapping.
132 @item NC camera feed @tab @tab X
133 @tab NC (AVIP NC4600) camera streams
134 @item Nullsoft Streaming Video @tab @tab X
135 @item NuppelVideo @tab @tab X
136 @item NUT @tab X @tab X
137 @tab NUT Open Container Format
138 @item Ogg @tab X @tab X
139 @item TechnoTrend PVA @tab @tab X
140 @tab Used by TechnoTrend DVB PCI boards.
141 @item raw ADTS (AAC) @tab X @tab X
142 @item raw AC-3 @tab X @tab X
143 @item raw CRI ADX @tab X @tab X
144 @item raw Dirac @tab X @tab X
145 @item raw DNxHD @tab X @tab X
146 @item raw DTS @tab X @tab X
147 @item raw E-AC-3 @tab X @tab X
148 @item raw FLAC @tab X @tab X
149 @item raw GSM @tab @tab X
150 @item raw H.261 @tab X @tab X
151 @item raw H.263 @tab X @tab X
152 @item raw H.264 @tab X @tab X
153 @item raw Ingenient MJPEG @tab @tab X
154 @item raw MJPEG @tab X @tab X
155 @item raw MLP @tab @tab X
156 @item raw MPEG @tab @tab X
157 @item raw MPEG-1 @tab @tab X
158 @item raw MPEG-2 @tab @tab X
159 @item raw MPEG-4 @tab X @tab X
160 @item raw NULL @tab X @tab
161 @item raw video @tab X @tab X
162 @item raw id RoQ @tab X @tab
163 @item raw Shorten @tab @tab X
164 @item raw VC-1 @tab @tab X
165 @item raw PCM A-law @tab X @tab X
166 @item raw PCM mu-law @tab X @tab X
167 @item raw PCM signed 8 bit @tab X @tab X
168 @item raw PCM signed 16 bit big-endian @tab X @tab X
169 @item raw PCM signed 16 bit little-endian @tab X @tab X
170 @item raw PCM signed 24 bit big-endian @tab X @tab X
171 @item raw PCM signed 24 bit little-endian @tab X @tab X
172 @item raw PCM signed 32 bit big-endian @tab X @tab X
173 @item raw PCM signed 32 bit little-endian @tab X @tab X
174 @item raw PCM unsigned 8 bit @tab X @tab X
175 @item raw PCM unsigned 16 bit big-endian @tab X @tab X
176 @item raw PCM unsigned 16 bit little-endian @tab X @tab X
177 @item raw PCM unsigned 24 bit big-endian @tab X @tab X
178 @item raw PCM unsigned 24 bit little-endian @tab X @tab X
179 @item raw PCM unsigned 32 bit big-endian @tab X @tab X
180 @item raw PCM unsigned 32 bit little-endian @tab X @tab X
181 @item raw PCM floating-point 32 bit big-endian @tab X @tab X
182 @item raw PCM floating-point 32 bit little-endian @tab X @tab X
183 @item raw PCM floating-point 64 bit big-endian @tab X @tab X
184 @item raw PCM floating-point 64 bit little-endian @tab X @tab X
185 @item RDT @tab @tab X
186 @item REDCODE R3D @tab @tab X
187 @tab File format used by RED Digital cameras, contains JPEG 2000 frames and PCM audio.
188 @item RealMedia @tab X @tab X
189 @item Redirector @tab @tab X
190 @item Renderware TeXture Dictionary @tab @tab X
191 @item RL2 @tab @tab X
192 @tab Audio and video format used in some games by Entertainment Software Partners.
193 @item RPL/ARMovie @tab @tab X
194 @item RTP @tab @tab X
195 @item RTSP @tab @tab X
196 @item SDP @tab @tab X
197 @item Sega FILM/CPK @tab @tab X
198 @tab Used in many Sega Saturn console games.
199 @item Sierra SOL @tab @tab X
200 @tab .sol files used in Sierra Online games.
201 @item Sierra VMD @tab @tab X
202 @tab Used in Sierra CD-ROM games.
203 @item Smacker @tab @tab X
204 @tab Multimedia format used by many games.
205 @item Sony OpenMG (OMA) @tab @tab X
206 @tab Audio format used in Sony Sonic Stage and Sony Vegas.
207 @item Sony PlayStation STR @tab @tab X
208 @item SUN AU format @tab X @tab X
209 @item THP @tab @tab X
210 @tab Used on the Nintendo GameCube.
211 @item Tiertex Limited SEQ @tab @tab X
212 @tab Tiertex .seq files used in the DOS CD-ROM version of the game Flashback.
213 @item True Audio @tab @tab X
214 @item VC-1 test bitstream @tab X @tab X
215 @item WAV @tab X @tab X
216 @item WavPack @tab @tab X
217 @item Wing Commander III movie @tab @tab X
218 @tab Multimedia format used in Origin's Wing Commander III computer game.
219 @item Westwood Studios audio @tab @tab X
220 @tab Multimedia format used in Westwood Studios games.
221 @item Westwood Studios VQA @tab @tab X
222 @tab Multimedia format used in Westwood Studios games.
223 @item YUV4MPEG pipe @tab X @tab X
226 @code{X} means that encoding (resp. decoding) is supported.
228 @section Image Formats
230 FFmpeg can read and write images for each frame of a video sequence. The
231 following image formats are supported:
233 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .4
234 @item Name @tab Encoding @tab Decoding @tab Comments
235 @item .Y.U.V @tab X @tab X @tab one raw file per component
236 @item animated GIF @tab X @tab X @tab Only uncompressed GIFs are generated.
237 @item JPEG @tab X @tab X @tab Progressive JPEG is not supported.
238 @item JPEG 2000 @tab @tab E @tab decoding supported through external library libopenjpeg
239 @item PAM @tab X @tab X @tab PAM is a PNM extension with alpha support.
240 @item PCX @tab @tab X @tab PC Paintbrush
241 @item PGM, PPM @tab X @tab X
242 @item PGMYUV @tab X @tab X @tab PGM with U and V components in YUV 4:2:0
243 @item PNG @tab X @tab X @tab 2/4 bpp not supported yet
244 @item PTX @tab @tab X @tab V.Flash PTX format
245 @item RAS @tab @tab X @tab Sun Rasterfile
246 @item SGI @tab X @tab X @tab SGI RGB image format
247 @item Targa @tab @tab X @tab Targa (.TGA) image format
248 @item TIFF @tab X @tab X @tab YUV, JPEG and some extension is not supported yet.
251 @code{X} means that encoding (resp. decoding) is supported.
253 @code{E} means that support is provided through an external library.
255 @section Video Codecs
257 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .4
258 @item Name @tab Encoding @tab Decoding @tab Comments
259 @item 4X Video @tab @tab X
260 @tab Used in certain computer games.
261 @item American Laser Games MM @tab @tab X
262 @tab Used in games like Mad Dog McCree.
263 @item AMV @tab @tab X
264 @tab Used in Chinese MP3 players.
265 @item Apple Animation @tab X @tab X
267 @item Apple Graphics @tab @tab X
269 @item Apple MJPEG-B @tab @tab X
270 @item Apple QuickDraw @tab @tab X
272 @item Apple Video @tab @tab X
274 @item Asus v1 @tab X @tab X
276 @item Asus v2 @tab X @tab X
278 @item ATI VCR1 @tab @tab X
280 @item ATI VCR2 @tab @tab X
282 @item Autodesk RLE @tab @tab X
284 @item AVID DNxHD @tab X @tab X
286 @item AVS video @tab @tab X
287 @tab Video encoding used by the Creature Shock game.
288 @item Bethsoft VID @tab @tab X
289 @tab Used in some games from Bethesda Softworks.
290 @item C93 video @tab @tab X
291 @tab Codec used in Cyberia game.
292 @item CamStudio @tab @tab X
294 @item Cin video @tab @tab X
295 @tab Codec used in Delphine Software games.
296 @item Cinepak @tab @tab X
297 @item Cirrus Logic AccuPak @tab @tab X
299 @item Creative YUV @tab @tab X
301 @item Dirac @tab E @tab E
302 @tab supported through external libdirac/libschroedinger libraries
303 @item Duck TrueMotion v1 @tab @tab X
305 @item Duck TrueMotion v2 @tab @tab X
307 @item DV @tab X @tab X
308 @item DXA Video @tab @tab X
309 @tab Codec originally used in Feeble Files game.
310 @item Electronic Arts CMV @tab @tab X
311 @tab Used in NHL 95 game.
312 @item Electronic Arts TGV @tab @tab X
313 @item Electronic Arts TGQ @tab @tab X
314 @item Electronic Arts TQI @tab @tab X
315 @item FFmpeg Video 1 @tab X @tab X
316 @tab experimental lossless codec (fourcc: FFV1)
317 @item Flash Screen Video @tab X @tab X
319 @item FLIC video @tab @tab X
320 @item FLV @tab X @tab X
321 @tab Sorenson H.263 used in Flash
322 @item Fraps FPS1 @tab @tab X
323 @item H.261 @tab X @tab X
324 @item H.263(+) @tab X @tab X
325 @tab also known as RealVideo 1.0
326 @item H.264 @tab E @tab X
327 @tab encoding supported through external library libx264
328 @item HuffYUV @tab X @tab X
329 @item IBM Ultimotion @tab @tab X
331 @item id Cinematic video @tab @tab X
332 @tab Used in Quake II.
333 @item id RoQ @tab X @tab X
334 @tab Used in Quake III, Jedi Knight 2, other computer games.
335 @item Intel Indeo 3 @tab @tab X
336 @item Interplay Video @tab @tab X
337 @tab Used in Interplay .MVE files.
338 @item JPEG-LS @tab X @tab X
339 @tab fourcc: MJLS, lossless and near-lossless is supported.
340 @item KMVC @tab @tab X
341 @tab Codec used in Worms games.
342 @item LOCO @tab @tab X
343 @item lossless MJPEG @tab X @tab X
344 @item Microsoft RLE @tab @tab X
345 @item Microsoft Video-1 @tab @tab X
346 @item Mimic @tab @tab X
347 @tab Used in MSN Messenger Webcam streams.
348 @item Miro VideoXL @tab @tab X
350 @item MJPEG @tab X @tab X
351 @item Motion Pixels Video @tab @tab X
352 @item MPEG-1 @tab X @tab X
353 @item MPEG-2 @tab X @tab X
354 @item MPEG-4 @tab X @tab X
355 @item MSMPEG4 V1 @tab X @tab X
356 @item MSMPEG4 V2 @tab X @tab X
357 @item MSMPEG4 V3 @tab X @tab X
358 @item MSZH @tab @tab X
360 @item On2 VP3 @tab @tab X
361 @tab still experimental
362 @item On2 VP5 @tab @tab X
364 @item On2 VP6 @tab @tab X
365 @tab fourcc: VP60,VP61,VP62
366 @item planar RGB @tab @tab X
368 @item QPEG @tab @tab X
369 @tab fourccs: QPEG, Q1.0, Q1.1
370 @item RealVideo 1.0 @tab X @tab X
371 @item RealVideo 2.0 @tab X @tab X
372 @item RealVideo 3.0 @tab @tab X
373 @tab still far from ideal
374 @item RealVideo 4.0 @tab @tab X
375 @item Renderware TXD @tab @tab X
376 @tab Texture dictionaries used by the Renderware Engine.
377 @item RTjpeg @tab @tab X
378 @tab Video encoding used in NuppelVideo files.
379 @item Smacker video @tab @tab X
380 @tab Video encoding used in Smacker.
381 @item Snow @tab X @tab X
382 @tab experimental wavelet codec (fourcc: SNOW)
383 @item Sony PlayStation MDEC @tab @tab X
384 @item Sorenson Video 1 @tab X @tab X
386 @item Sorenson Video 3 @tab @tab X
388 @item Sunplus MJPEG @tab @tab X
390 @item TechSmith Camtasia @tab @tab X
392 @item Theora @tab E @tab X
393 @tab encoding supported through external library libtheora
394 @item THP @tab @tab X
395 @tab Used on the Nintendo GameCube.
396 @item Tiertex Seq video @tab @tab X
397 @tab Codec used in DOS CD-ROM FlashBack game.
398 @item VC-1 @tab @tab X
399 @item VMD Video @tab @tab X
400 @tab Used in Sierra VMD files.
401 @item VMware Video @tab @tab X
402 @tab Codec used in videos captured by VMware.
403 @item Westwood VQA @tab @tab X
404 @item Winnov WNV1 @tab @tab X
405 @item WMV7 @tab X @tab X
406 @item WMV8 @tab X @tab X
407 @item WMV9 @tab @tab X
408 @tab not completely working
409 @item Xan/WC3 @tab @tab X
410 @tab Used in Wing Commander III .MVE files.
411 @item YAMAHA SMAF @tab X @tab X
412 @item ZLIB @tab X @tab X
413 @tab part of LCL, encoder experimental
414 @item ZMBV @tab X @tab X
415 @tab Encoder works only in PAL8.
418 @code{X} means that encoding (resp. decoding) is supported.
420 @code{E} means that support is provided through an external library.
422 @section Audio Codecs
424 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .4
425 @item Name @tab Encoding @tab Decoding @tab Comments
426 @item 4X IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
427 @item 8SVX audio @tab @tab X
428 @item AAC @tab E @tab X
429 @tab encoding supported through external library libfaac
430 @item AC-3 @tab IX @tab IX
431 @item AMR-NB @tab E @tab E
432 @tab supported through external library libamrnb
433 @item AMR-WB @tab E @tab E
434 @tab supported through external library libamrwb
435 @item AMV IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
436 @tab Used in AMV files
437 @item Apple lossless audio @tab X @tab X
438 @tab QuickTime fourcc 'alac'
439 @item Apple MACE 3 @tab @tab X
440 @item Apple MACE 6 @tab @tab X
441 @item ATRAC 3 @tab @tab X
442 @item CD-ROM XA ADPCM @tab @tab X
443 @item Cin audio @tab @tab X
444 @tab Codec used in Delphine Software International games.
445 @item Creative ADPCM @tab @tab X
446 @tab 16 -> 4, 8 -> 4, 8 -> 3, 8 -> 2
447 @item CRI ADX ADPCM @tab X @tab X
448 @tab Used in Sega Dreamcast games.
449 @item DSP Group TrueSpeech @tab @tab X
450 @item DTS Coherent Audio @tab @tab X
451 @item Duck DK3 IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
452 @tab Used in some Sega Saturn console games.
453 @item Duck DK4 IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
454 @tab Used in some Sega Saturn console games.
455 @item DV audio @tab @tab X
456 @item Electronic Arts ADPCM @tab @tab X
457 @tab Used in various EA titles.
458 @item Enhanced AC-3 @tab @tab X
459 @item FLAC lossless audio @tab IX @tab X
460 @item G.726 ADPCM @tab X @tab X
461 @item GSM @tab E @tab E
462 @tab supported through external library libgsm
463 @item GSM_MS @tab E @tab E
464 @tab supported through external library libgsm
465 @item id RoQ DPCM @tab X @tab X
466 @tab Used in Quake III, Jedi Knight 2, other computer games.
467 @item Intel Music Coder @tab @tab X
468 @item Interplay MVE DPCM @tab @tab X
469 @tab Used in various Interplay computer games.
470 @item ISS IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
471 @tab Used in FunCom games.
472 @item MAXIS EA ADPCM @tab @tab X
473 @tab Used in Sim City 3000.
474 @item Microsoft ADPCM @tab X @tab X
475 @item MLP/TrueHD @tab @tab X
476 @tab Used in DVD-Audio and Blu-Ray discs.
477 @item Monkey's Audio @tab @tab X
478 @tab Only versions 3.97-3.99 are supported.
479 @item MPEG audio layer 3 @tab E @tab IX
480 @tab encoding supported through external library LAME
481 @item MPEG audio layer 2 @tab IX @tab IX
482 @item MS IMA ADPCM @tab X @tab X
483 @item Musepack @tab @tab X
484 @tab SV7 and SV8 are supported.
485 @item Nellymoser ASAO @tab X @tab X
486 @item QCELP / PureVoice @tab @tab X
487 @item Qdesign QDM2 @tab @tab X
488 @tab There are still some distortions.
489 @item QT IMA ADPCM @tab X @tab X
490 @item RA144 @tab @tab X
491 @tab Real 14400 bit/s codec
492 @item RA288 @tab @tab X
493 @tab Real 28800 bit/s codec
494 @item RADnet @tab IX @tab IX
495 @tab Real low bitrate AC-3 codec
496 @item Real COOK @tab @tab X
497 @tab All versions except 5.1 are supported.
498 @item Shorten @tab @tab X
499 @item Sierra Online DPCM @tab @tab X
500 @tab Used in Sierra Online game audio files.
501 @item Smacker audio @tab @tab X
502 @item SMJPEG IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
503 @tab Used in certain Loki game ports.
504 @item Sonic @tab X @tab X
505 @tab experimental codec
506 @item Sonic lossless @tab X @tab X
507 @tab experimental codec
508 @item Speex @tab @tab E
509 @tab supported through external library libspeex
510 @item THP ADPCM @tab @tab X
511 @tab Used on the Nintendo GameCube.
512 @item True Audio (TTA) @tab @tab X
513 @item Vorbis @tab X @tab X
514 @item WavPack @tab @tab X
515 @item Westwood Studios IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
516 @tab Used in Westwood Studios games like Command and Conquer.
517 @item WMA v1/v2 @tab X @tab X
518 @item Xan DPCM @tab @tab X
519 @tab Used in Origin's Wing Commander IV AVI files.
522 @code{X} means that encoding (resp. decoding) is supported.
524 @code{E} means that support is provided through an external library.
526 @code{I} means that an integer-only version is available, too (ensures high
527 performance on systems without hardware floating point support).
529 @section Subtitle Formats
531 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1
532 @item Name @tab Muxing @tab Demuxing @tab Encoding @tab Decoding
533 @item SSA/ASS @tab X @tab X
534 @item DVB @tab X @tab X @tab X @tab X
535 @item DVD @tab X @tab X @tab X @tab X
536 @item XSUB @tab @tab @tab @tab X
539 @code{X} means that the feature is supported.
541 @section Network Protocols
543 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1
544 @item Name @tab Support
554 @code{X} means that the protocol is supported.
557 @chapter Platform Specific information
561 BSD make will not build FFmpeg, you need to install and use GNU Make
566 To get help and instructions for building FFmpeg under Windows, check out
567 the FFmpeg Windows Help Forum at
568 @url{http://ffmpeg.arrozcru.org/}.
570 @subsection Native Windows compilation
572 FFmpeg can be built to run natively on Windows using the MinGW tools. Install
573 the latest versions of MSYS and MinGW from @url{http://www.mingw.org/}.
574 You can find detailed installation
575 instructions in the download section and the FAQ.
577 FFmpeg does not build out-of-the-box with the packages the automated MinGW
578 installer provides. It also requires coreutils to be installed and many other
579 packages updated to the latest version. The minimum version for some packages
584 @item msys-make 3.81-2 (note: not mingw32-make)
586 @item mingw-runtime 3.15
589 You will also need to pass @code{-fno-common} to the compiler to work around
590 a GCC bug (see @url{http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=37216}).
592 Within the MSYS shell, configure and make with:
595 ./configure --enable-memalign-hack --extra-cflags=-fno-common
600 This will install @file{ffmpeg.exe} along with many other development files
601 to @file{/usr/local}. You may specify another install path using the
602 @code{--prefix} option in @file{configure}.
608 @item In order to compile vhooks, you must have a POSIX-compliant libdl in
609 your MinGW system. Get dlfcn-win32 from
610 @url{http://code.google.com/p/dlfcn-win32}.
612 @item In order to compile FFplay, you must have the MinGW development library
613 of SDL. Get it from @url{http://www.libsdl.org}.
614 Edit the @file{bin/sdl-config} script so that it points to the correct prefix
615 where SDL was installed. Verify that @file{sdl-config} can be launched from
616 the MSYS command line.
618 @item By using @code{./configure --enable-shared} when configuring FFmpeg,
619 you can build libavutil, libavcodec and libavformat as DLLs.
623 @subsection Microsoft Visual C++ compatibility
625 As stated in the FAQ, FFmpeg will not compile under MSVC++. However, if you
626 want to use the libav* libraries in your own applications, you can still
627 compile those applications using MSVC++. But the libav* libraries you link
628 to @emph{must} be built with MinGW. However, you will not be able to debug
629 inside the libav* libraries, since MSVC++ does not recognize the debug
630 symbols generated by GCC.
631 We strongly recommend you to move over from MSVC++ to MinGW tools.
633 This description of how to use the FFmpeg libraries with MSVC++ is based on
634 Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition. If you have a different version,
635 you might have to modify the procedures slightly.
637 @subsubsection Using static libraries
639 Assuming you have just built and installed FFmpeg in @file{/usr/local}.
643 @item Create a new console application ("File / New / Project") and then
644 select "Win32 Console Application". On the appropriate page of the
645 Application Wizard, uncheck the "Precompiled headers" option.
647 @item Write the source code for your application, or, for testing, just
648 copy the code from an existing sample application into the source file
649 that MSVC++ has already created for you. For example, you can copy
650 @file{output_example.c} from the FFmpeg distribution.
652 @item Open the "Project / Properties" dialog box. In the "Configuration"
653 combo box, select "All Configurations" so that the changes you make will
654 affect both debug and release builds. In the tree view on the left hand
655 side, select "C/C++ / General", then edit the "Additional Include
656 Directories" setting to contain the path where the FFmpeg includes were
657 installed (i.e. @file{c:\msys\1.0\local\include}).
658 Do not add MinGW's include directory here, or the include files will
659 conflict with MSVC's.
661 @item Still in the "Project / Properties" dialog box, select
662 "Linker / General" from the tree view and edit the
663 "Additional Library Directories" setting to contain the @file{lib}
664 directory where FFmpeg was installed (i.e. @file{c:\msys\1.0\local\lib}),
665 the directory where MinGW libs are installed (i.e. @file{c:\mingw\lib}),
666 and the directory where MinGW's GCC libs are installed
667 (i.e. @file{C:\mingw\lib\gcc\mingw32\4.2.1-sjlj}). Then select
668 "Linker / Input" from the tree view, and add the files @file{libavformat.a},
669 @file{libavcodec.a}, @file{libavutil.a}, @file{libmingwex.a},
670 @file{libgcc.a}, and any other libraries you used (i.e. @file{libz.a})
671 to the end of "Additional Dependencies".
673 @item Now, select "C/C++ / Code Generation" from the tree view. Select
674 "Debug" in the "Configuration" combo box. Make sure that "Runtime
675 Library" is set to "Multi-threaded Debug DLL". Then, select "Release" in
676 the "Configuration" combo box and make sure that "Runtime Library" is
677 set to "Multi-threaded DLL".
679 @item Click "OK" to close the "Project / Properties" dialog box.
681 @item MSVC++ lacks some C99 header files that are fundamental for FFmpeg.
682 Get msinttypes from @url{http://code.google.com/p/msinttypes/downloads/list}
683 and install it in MSVC++'s include directory
684 (i.e. @file{C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\include}).
686 @item MSVC++ also does not understand the @code{inline} keyword used by
687 FFmpeg, so you must add this line before @code{#include}ing libav*:
689 #define inline _inline
692 @item Build your application, everything should work.
696 @subsubsection Using shared libraries
698 This is how to create DLL and LIB files that are compatible with MSVC++:
702 @item Add a call to @file{vcvars32.bat} (which sets up the environment
703 variables for the Visual C++ tools) as the first line of @file{msys.bat}.
704 The standard location for @file{vcvars32.bat} is
705 @file{C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\bin\vcvars32.bat},
706 and the standard location for @file{msys.bat} is @file{C:\msys\1.0\msys.bat}.
707 If this corresponds to your setup, add the following line as the first line
711 call "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\bin\vcvars32.bat"
714 Alternatively, you may start the @file{Visual Studio 2005 Command Prompt},
715 and run @file{c:\msys\1.0\msys.bat} from there.
717 @item Within the MSYS shell, run @code{lib.exe}. If you get a help message
718 from @file{Microsoft (R) Library Manager}, this means your environment
719 variables are set up correctly, the @file{Microsoft (R) Library Manager}
720 is on the path and will be used by FFmpeg to create
721 MSVC++-compatible import libraries.
723 @item Build FFmpeg with
726 ./configure --enable-shared --enable-memalign-hack
731 Your install path (@file{/usr/local/} by default) should now have the
732 necessary DLL and LIB files under the @file{bin} directory.
736 To use those files with MSVC++, do the same as you would do with
737 the static libraries, as described above. But in Step 4,
738 you should only need to add the directory where the LIB files are installed
739 (i.e. @file{c:\msys\usr\local\bin}). This is not a typo, the LIB files are
740 installed in the @file{bin} directory. And instead of adding @file{libxx.a}
741 files, you should add @file{avcodec.lib}, @file{avformat.lib}, and
742 @file{avutil.lib}. There should be no need for @file{libmingwex.a},
743 @file{libgcc.a}, and @file{wsock32.lib}, nor any other external library
744 statically linked into the DLLs. The @file{bin} directory contains a bunch
745 of DLL files, but the ones that are actually used to run your application
746 are the ones with a major version number in their filenames
747 (i.e. @file{avcodec-51.dll}).
749 @subsection Cross compilation for Windows with Linux
751 You must use the MinGW cross compilation tools available at
752 @url{http://www.mingw.org/}.
754 Then configure FFmpeg with the following options:
756 ./configure --target-os=mingw32 --cross-prefix=i386-mingw32msvc-
758 (you can change the cross-prefix according to the prefix chosen for the
761 Then you can easily test FFmpeg with Wine
762 (@url{http://www.winehq.com/}).
764 @subsection Compilation under Cygwin
766 The main issue with the 1.5.x Cygwin versions is that newlib, its C library,
767 does not contain llrint(). You need to upgrade to the unstable 1.7.x versions,
768 or leverage the implementation in MinGW (as explained below).
770 Just install your Cygwin with all the "Base" packages, plus the
771 following "Devel" ones:
773 binutils, gcc-core, make, subversion, mingw-runtime, diffutils
776 The experimental gcc4 package is still buggy, hence please
777 use the official gcc 3.4.4 or a 4.2.x compiled from source by yourself.
779 Install the current binutils-20080624-2 as they work fine (the old
780 binutils-20060709-1 proved buggy on shared builds).
782 Then create a small library that just contains llrint():
785 ar x /usr/lib/mingw/libmingwex.a llrint.o
786 ar cq /usr/local/lib/libllrint.a llrint.o
792 ./configure --enable-static --disable-shared --extra-ldflags='-L /usr/local/lib' --extra-libs='-l llrint'
795 to make a static build or
798 ./configure --enable-shared --disable-static --extra-ldflags='-L /usr/local/lib' --extra-libs='-l llrint'
801 to build shared libraries.
803 If you want to build FFmpeg with additional libraries, download Cygwin
804 "Devel" packages for Ogg and Vorbis from any Cygwin packages repository:
806 libogg-devel, libvorbis-devel
809 These library packages are only available from Cygwin Ports
810 (@url{http://sourceware.org/cygwinports/}) :
813 yasm, libSDL-devel, libdirac-devel, libfaac-devel, libfaad-devel, libgsm-devel,
814 libmp3lame-devel, libschroedinger1.0-devel, speex-devel, libtheora-devel,
818 The recommendation for libnut and x264 is to build them from source by
819 yourself, as they evolve too quickly for Cygwin Ports to be up to date.
821 Cygwin 1.7.x has IPv6 support. You can add IPv6 to Cygwin 1.5.x by means
822 of the @code{libgetaddrinfo-devel} package, available at Cygwin Ports.
824 @subsection Crosscompilation for Windows under Cygwin
826 With Cygwin you can create Windows binaries that do not need the cygwin1.dll.
828 Just install your Cygwin as explained before, plus these additional
831 gcc-mingw-core, mingw-runtime, mingw-zlib
834 and add some special flags to your configure invocation.
836 For a static build run
838 ./configure --target-os=mingw32 --enable-memalign-hack --enable-static --disable-shared --extra-cflags=-mno-cygwin --extra-libs=-mno-cygwin
841 and for a build with shared libraries
843 ./configure --target-os=mingw32 --enable-memalign-hack --enable-shared --disable-static --extra-cflags=-mno-cygwin --extra-libs=-mno-cygwin
848 BeOS support is broken in mysterious ways.
852 For information about compiling FFmpeg on OS/2 see
853 @url{http://www.edm2.com/index.php/FFmpeg}.
855 @chapter Developers Guide
859 @item libavcodec is the library containing the codecs (both encoding and
860 decoding). Look at @file{libavcodec/apiexample.c} to see how to use it.
862 @item libavformat is the library containing the file format handling (mux and
863 demux code for several formats). Look at @file{ffplay.c} to use it in a
864 player. See @file{output_example.c} to use it to generate audio or video
869 @section Integrating libavcodec or libavformat in your program
871 You can integrate all the source code of the libraries to link them
872 statically to avoid any version problem. All you need is to provide a
873 'config.mak' and a 'config.h' in the parent directory. See the defines
874 generated by ./configure to understand what is needed.
876 You can use libavcodec or libavformat in your commercial program, but
877 @emph{any patch you make must be published}. The best way to proceed is
878 to send your patches to the FFmpeg mailing list.
881 @section Coding Rules
883 FFmpeg is programmed in the ISO C90 language with a few additional
884 features from ISO C99, namely:
887 the @samp{inline} keyword;
891 designated struct initializers (@samp{struct s x = @{ .i = 17 @};})
893 compound literals (@samp{x = (struct s) @{ 17, 23 @};})
896 These features are supported by all compilers we care about, so we will not
897 accept patches to remove their use unless they absolutely do not impair
898 clarity and performance.
900 All code must compile with GCC 2.95 and GCC 3.3. Currently, FFmpeg also
901 compiles with several other compilers, such as the Compaq ccc compiler
902 or Sun Studio 9, and we would like to keep it that way unless it would
903 be exceedingly involved. To ensure compatibility, please do not use any
904 additional C99 features or GCC extensions. Especially watch out for:
907 mixing statements and declarations;
909 @samp{long long} (use @samp{int64_t} instead);
911 @samp{__attribute__} not protected by @samp{#ifdef __GNUC__} or similar;
913 GCC statement expressions (@samp{(x = (@{ int y = 4; y; @})}).
917 The presentation is the one specified by 'indent -i4 -kr -nut'.
918 The TAB character is forbidden outside of Makefiles as is any
919 form of trailing whitespace. Commits containing either will be
920 rejected by the Subversion repository.
922 The main priority in FFmpeg is simplicity and small code size in order to
923 minimize the bug count.
925 Comments: Use the JavaDoc/Doxygen
926 format (see examples below) so that code documentation
927 can be generated automatically. All nontrivial functions should have a comment
928 above them explaining what the function does, even if it is just one sentence.
929 All structures and their member variables should be documented, too.
942 typedef struct Foobar@{
943 int var1; /**< var1 description */
944 int var2; ///< var2 description
945 /** var3 description */
953 * @@param my_parameter description of my_parameter
954 * @@return return value description
956 int myfunc(int my_parameter)
960 fprintf and printf are forbidden in libavformat and libavcodec,
961 please use av_log() instead.
963 Casts should be used only when necessary. Unneeded parentheses
964 should also be avoided if they don't make the code easier to understand.
966 @section Development Policy
970 Contributions should be licensed under the LGPL 2.1, including an
971 "or any later version" clause, or the MIT license. GPL 2 including
972 an "or any later version" clause is also acceptable, but LGPL is
975 You must not commit code which breaks FFmpeg! (Meaning unfinished but
976 enabled code which breaks compilation or compiles but does not work or
977 breaks the regression tests)
978 You can commit unfinished stuff (for testing etc), but it must be disabled
979 (#ifdef etc) by default so it does not interfere with other developers'
982 You do not have to over-test things. If it works for you, and you think it
983 should work for others, then commit. If your code has problems
984 (portability, triggers compiler bugs, unusual environment etc) they will be
985 reported and eventually fixed.
987 Do not commit unrelated changes together, split them into self-contained
988 pieces. Also do not forget that if part B depends on part A, but A does not
989 depend on B, then A can and should be committed first and separate from B.
990 Keeping changes well split into self-contained parts makes reviewing and
991 understanding them on the commit log mailing list easier. This also helps
992 in case of debugging later on.
993 Also if you have doubts about splitting or not splitting, do not hesitate to
994 ask/discuss it on the developer mailing list.
996 Do not change behavior of the program (renaming options etc) without
997 first discussing it on the ffmpeg-devel mailing list. Do not remove
998 functionality from the code. Just improve!
1000 Note: Redundant code can be removed.
1002 Do not commit changes to the build system (Makefiles, configure script)
1003 which change behavior, defaults etc, without asking first. The same
1004 applies to compiler warning fixes, trivial looking fixes and to code
1005 maintained by other developers. We usually have a reason for doing things
1006 the way we do. Send your changes as patches to the ffmpeg-devel mailing
1007 list, and if the code maintainers say OK, you may commit. This does not
1008 apply to files you wrote and/or maintain.
1010 We refuse source indentation and other cosmetic changes if they are mixed
1011 with functional changes, such commits will be rejected and removed. Every
1012 developer has his own indentation style, you should not change it. Of course
1013 if you (re)write something, you can use your own style, even though we would
1014 prefer if the indentation throughout FFmpeg was consistent (Many projects
1015 force a given indentation style - we do not.). If you really need to make
1016 indentation changes (try to avoid this), separate them strictly from real
1019 NOTE: If you had to put if()@{ .. @} over a large (> 5 lines) chunk of code,
1020 then either do NOT change the indentation of the inner part within (do not
1021 move it to the right)! or do so in a separate commit
1023 Always fill out the commit log message. Describe in a few lines what you
1024 changed and why. You can refer to mailing list postings if you fix a
1025 particular bug. Comments such as "fixed!" or "Changed it." are unacceptable.
1027 If you apply a patch by someone else, include the name and email address in
1028 the log message. Since the ffmpeg-cvslog mailing list is publicly
1029 archived you should add some SPAM protection to the email address. Send an
1030 answer to ffmpeg-devel (or wherever you got the patch from) saying that
1031 you applied the patch.
1033 When applying patches that have been discussed (at length) on the mailing
1034 list, reference the thread in the log message.
1036 Do NOT commit to code actively maintained by others without permission.
1037 Send a patch to ffmpeg-devel instead. If no one answers within a reasonable
1038 timeframe (12h for build failures and security fixes, 3 days small changes,
1039 1 week for big patches) then commit your patch if you think it is OK.
1040 Also note, the maintainer can simply ask for more time to review!
1042 Subscribe to the ffmpeg-cvslog mailing list. The diffs of all commits
1043 are sent there and reviewed by all the other developers. Bugs and possible
1044 improvements or general questions regarding commits are discussed there. We
1045 expect you to react if problems with your code are uncovered.
1047 Update the documentation if you change behavior or add features. If you are
1048 unsure how best to do this, send a patch to ffmpeg-devel, the documentation
1049 maintainer(s) will review and commit your stuff.
1051 Try to keep important discussions and requests (also) on the public
1052 developer mailing list, so that all developers can benefit from them.
1054 Never write to unallocated memory, never write over the end of arrays,
1055 always check values read from some untrusted source before using them
1056 as array index or other risky things.
1058 Remember to check if you need to bump versions for the specific libav
1059 parts (libavutil, libavcodec, libavformat) you are changing. You need
1060 to change the version integer.
1061 Incrementing the first component means no backward compatibility to
1062 previous versions (e.g. removal of a function from the public API).
1063 Incrementing the second component means backward compatible change
1064 (e.g. addition of a function to the public API or extension of an
1065 existing data structure).
1066 Incrementing the third component means a noteworthy binary compatible
1067 change (e.g. encoder bug fix that matters for the decoder).
1069 Compiler warnings indicate potential bugs or code with bad style. If a type of
1070 warning always points to correct and clean code, that warning should
1071 be disabled, not the code changed.
1072 Thus the remaining warnings can either be bugs or correct code.
1073 If it is a bug, the bug has to be fixed. If it is not, the code should
1074 be changed to not generate a warning unless that causes a slowdown
1075 or obfuscates the code.
1077 If you add a new file, give it a proper license header. Do not copy and
1078 paste it from a random place, use an existing file as template.
1081 We think our rules are not too hard. If you have comments, contact us.
1083 Note, these rules are mostly borrowed from the MPlayer project.
1085 @section Submitting patches
1087 First, (@pxref{Coding Rules}) above if you did not yet.
1089 When you submit your patch, try to send a unified diff (diff '-up'
1090 option). We cannot read other diffs :-)
1092 Also please do not submit a patch which contains several unrelated changes.
1093 Split it into separate, self-contained pieces. This does not mean splitting
1094 file by file. Instead, make the patch as small as possible while still
1095 keeping it as a logical unit that contains an individual change, even
1096 if it spans multiple files. This makes reviewing your patches much easier
1097 for us and greatly increases your chances of getting your patch applied.
1099 Run the regression tests before submitting a patch so that you can
1100 verify that there are no big problems.
1102 Patches should be posted as base64 encoded attachments (or any other
1103 encoding which ensures that the patch will not be trashed during
1104 transmission) to the ffmpeg-devel mailing list, see
1105 @url{http://lists.mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-devel}
1107 It also helps quite a bit if you tell us what the patch does (for example
1108 'replaces lrint by lrintf'), and why (for example '*BSD isn't C99 compliant
1109 and has no lrint()')
1111 Also please if you send several patches, send each patch as a separate mail,
1112 do not attach several unrelated patches to the same mail.
1114 @section New codecs or formats checklist
1118 Did you use av_cold for codec initialization and close functions?
1120 Did you add a long_name under NULL_IF_CONFIG_SMALL to the AVCodec or
1121 AVInputFormat/AVOutputFormat struct?
1123 Did you bump the minor version number in @file{avcodec.h} or
1126 Did you register it in @file{allcodecs.c} or @file{allformats.c}?
1128 Did you add the CodecID to @file{avcodec.h}?
1130 If it has a fourcc, did you add it to @file{libavformat/riff.c},
1131 even if it is only a decoder?
1133 Did you add a rule to compile the appropriate files in the Makefile?
1134 Remember to do this even if you're just adding a format to a file that is
1135 already being compiled by some other rule, like a raw demuxer.
1137 Did you add an entry to the table of supported formats or codecs in the
1140 Did you add an entry in the Changelog?
1142 If it depends on a parser or a library, did you add that dependency in
1145 Did you "svn add" the appropriate files before commiting?
1148 @section patch submission checklist
1152 Do the regression tests pass with the patch applied?
1154 Does @code{make checkheaders} pass with the patch applied?
1156 Is the patch a unified diff?
1158 Is the patch against latest FFmpeg SVN?
1160 Are you subscribed to ffmpeg-dev?
1161 (the list is subscribers only due to spam)
1163 Have you checked that the changes are minimal, so that the same cannot be
1164 achieved with a smaller patch and/or simpler final code?
1166 If the change is to speed critical code, did you benchmark it?
1168 If you did any benchmarks, did you provide them in the mail?
1170 Have you checked that the patch does not introduce buffer overflows or
1171 other security issues?
1173 Did you test your decoder or demuxer against damaged data? If no, see
1174 tools/trasher and the noise bitstream filter. Your decoder or demuxer
1175 should not crash or end in a (near) infinite loop when fed damaged data.
1177 Is the patch created from the root of the source tree, so it can be
1178 applied with @code{patch -p0}?
1180 Does the patch not mix functional and cosmetic changes?
1182 Did you add tabs or trailing whitespace to the code? Both are forbidden.
1184 Is the patch attached to the email you send?
1186 Is the mime type of the patch correct? It should be text/x-diff or
1187 text/x-patch or at least text/plain and not application/octet-stream.
1189 If the patch fixes a bug, did you provide a verbose analysis of the bug?
1191 If the patch fixes a bug, did you provide enough information, including
1192 a sample, so the bug can be reproduced and the fix can be verified?
1193 Note please do not attach samples >100k to mails but rather provide a
1194 URL, you can upload to ftp://upload.ffmpeg.org
1196 Did you provide a verbose summary about what the patch does change?
1198 Did you provide a verbose explanation why it changes things like it does?
1200 Did you provide a verbose summary of the user visible advantages and
1201 disadvantages if the patch is applied?
1203 Did you provide an example so we can verify the new feature added by the
1206 If you added a new file, did you insert a license header? It should be
1207 taken from FFmpeg, not randomly copied and pasted from somewhere else.
1209 You should maintain alphabetical order in alphabetically ordered lists as
1210 long as doing so does not break API/ABI compatibility.
1212 Lines with similar content should be aligned vertically when doing so
1213 improves readability.
1215 Did you provide a suggestion for a clear commit log message?
1218 @section Patch review process
1220 All patches posted to ffmpeg-devel will be reviewed, unless they contain a
1221 clear note that the patch is not for SVN.
1222 Reviews and comments will be posted as replies to the patch on the
1223 mailing list. The patch submitter then has to take care of every comment,
1224 that can be by resubmitting a changed patch or by discussion. Resubmitted
1225 patches will themselves be reviewed like any other patch. If at some point
1226 a patch passes review with no comments then it is approved, that can for
1227 simple and small patches happen immediately while large patches will generally
1228 have to be changed and reviewed many times before they are approved.
1229 After a patch is approved it will be committed to the repository.
1231 We will review all submitted patches, but sometimes we are quite busy so
1232 especially for large patches this can take several weeks.
1234 When resubmitting patches, please do not make any significant changes
1235 not related to the comments received during review. Such patches will
1236 be rejected. Instead, submit significant changes or new features as
1239 @section Regression tests
1241 Before submitting a patch (or committing to the repository), you should at least
1242 test that you did not break anything.
1244 The regression tests build a synthetic video stream and a synthetic
1245 audio stream. These are then encoded and decoded with all codecs or
1246 formats. The CRC (or MD5) of each generated file is recorded in a
1247 result file. A 'diff' is launched to compare the reference results and
1250 The regression tests then go on to test the FFserver code with a
1251 limited set of streams. It is important that this step runs correctly
1254 Run 'make test' to test all the codecs and formats.
1256 Run 'make fulltest' to test all the codecs, formats and FFserver.
1258 [Of course, some patches may change the results of the regression tests. In
1259 this case, the reference results of the regression tests shall be modified