avi2mpeg on linux

Support Basics & Interface
1

Hi,

is there a !free! Linux avi=>mpeg converter. Mainactor does the job, but you have to buy the suite (btw. is the mpeg2 codec from mainconcept suitable for linux?). And the avi2mpeg is a win-program.

Thanks
macherb

2

This is one of the best linux programs I’ve tried, for image conversion that is.
http://www.imagemagick.org/

3

OK, I installed ImageMagick, downloaded mpeg2encode and…
Convert seems to accept only raw-avi, no problem except that the console-output indicates, that only frame 0 and frame 1 are converted and then convert exits without any error. I tried to find out, if I missed some options, but did not find anything relevant.
Where shall I search for errors and for infos?
(debian testing, 2.4.18, enlightenment)

Thanks
macherb

4

I seem to remember converting .avi’s to jpg then to mpg. What happens when you try to play the avi you converted?

5

As I understand, convert should be able to convert .avi’s (raw format) directly, whereas converting jpeg-avi’s results in an error: jpeg format (not yet) supported.

I can play the avi-file e.g. with aviplay or xanim. Convert creates the mpeg-file and MTV tries to start the video and stops immediately displaying 0 frames.

macherb

6

I have the same problem trying to convert avi’s on OS X:
‘[localhost:~] michaelv% convert Render/animations/imagetest.avi mpg:Desktop/test.mpg
Warning: setting constrained_parameters_flag = 0
Encoding frame 0 …
Encoding frame 1 …’
then it stops.
I don’t know if it’s a problem with ImageMagick or the mpeg2encoder. All of the other conversions I’ve tried have worked with out a problem, so I’d suspect the encoder. Reading the documentation for the encoder I’ve found this:
'MPEG-2 Test Sequence, 25 frames/sec
test%d /* name of source files /
q%d / name of reconstructed images ("-": don’t store) */

  •     /* name of intra quant matrix file     ("-": default matrix) */ 

  •     /* name of non intra quant matrix file ("-": default matrix) */

stat.out /* name of statistics file ("-": stdout ) /
0 / input picture file format: 0=.Y,.U,.V, 1=.yuv, 2=*.ppm /
150 / number of frames /
0 / number of first frame /
00:00:00:00 / timecode of first frame /
12 / N (# of frames in GOP) /
3 / M (I/P frame distance) /
0 / ISO/IEC 11172-2 stream /
0 / 0:frame pictures, 1:field pictures */ ’

.par file which is used by the encoder for it’s input, I suspect the need to edit this file to make it work :o
This is only part of the file.

7

AVI is a VERY generic format. It’s more of a framing format than a compression format. An AVI file may indeed contain its payload as an MPEG. My point is, no one program is guarateed to convert everything. For example, if you have an old game called Quarantine, the cutscenes use a compression that’s pretty much guaranteed to not work with anything else, but it’s a valid AVI file.

That said, transcode (http://www.theorie.physik.uni-goettingen.de/~ostreich/transcode/) generally works well. Using my Blender-produced AVIs, I need to add the -z option; ymmv.

8

[snip]

That said, transcode (http://www.theorie.physik.uni-goettingen.de/~ostreich/transcode/) generally works well. Using my Blender-produced AVIs, I need to add the -z option; ymmv.[/quote]

Thanks, transcode seems to be a very versatile instrument . But it needed a lot of downloading und compiling until all option were ‘yes’ in ./config. Puhhh.

Now I am dreaming of a frontend. You too?

macherb