\input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
@settitle General Documentation
@titlepage
@sp 7
@center @titlefont{General Documentation}
@sp 3
@end titlepage
@chapter external libraries
FFmpeg can be hooked up with a number of external libraries to add support
for more formats. None of them are used by default, their use has to be
explicitly requested by passing the appropriate flags to @file{./configure}.
@section AMR
AMR comes in two different flavors, wideband and narrowband. FFmpeg can make
use of the AMR wideband (floating-point mode) and the AMR narrowband
(floating-point mode) reference decoders and encoders.
Go to @url{http://www.penguin.cz/~utx/amr} and follow the instructions for
installing the libraries. Then pass @code{--enable-libamr-nb} and/or
@code{--enable-libamr-wb} to configure to enable the libraries.
Note that libamr is copyrighted without any sort of license grant. This means
that you can use it if you legally obtained it but you are not allowed to
redistribute it in any way. @strong{Any FFmpeg binaries with libamr support
you create are non-free and unredistributable!}
@chapter Supported File Formats and Codecs
You can use the @code{-formats} option to have an exhaustive list.
@section File Formats
FFmpeg supports the following file formats through the @code{libavformat}
library:
@multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .4
@item Supported File Format @tab Encoding @tab Decoding @tab Comments
@item MPEG audio @tab X @tab X
@item MPEG-1 systems @tab X @tab X
@tab muxed audio and video
@item MPEG-2 PS @tab X @tab X
@tab also known as @code{VOB} file
@item MPEG-2 TS @tab @tab X
@tab also known as DVB Transport Stream
@item ASF@tab X @tab X
@item AVI@tab X @tab X
@item WAV@tab X @tab X
@item Macromedia Flash@tab X @tab X
@item AVM2 (Flash 9) @tab X @tab X
@tab Only embedded audio is decoded.
@item FLV @tab X @tab X
@tab Macromedia Flash video files
@item Real Audio and Video @tab X @tab X
@item Raw AC3 @tab X @tab X
@item Raw MJPEG @tab X @tab X
@item Raw MPEG video @tab X @tab X
@item Raw PCM8/16 bits, mulaw/Alaw@tab X @tab X
@item Raw CRI ADX audio @tab X @tab X
@item Raw Shorten audio @tab @tab X
@item SUN AU format @tab X @tab X
@item NUT @tab X @tab X @tab NUT Open Container Format
@item QuickTime @tab X @tab X
@item MPEG-4 @tab X @tab X
@tab MPEG-4 is a variant of QuickTime.
@item Raw MPEG4 video @tab X @tab X
@item DV @tab X @tab X
@item 4xm @tab @tab X
@tab 4X Technologies format, used in some games.
@item Playstation STR @tab @tab X
@item Id RoQ @tab X @tab X
@tab Used in Quake III, Jedi Knight 2, other computer games.
@item Interplay MVE @tab @tab X
@tab Format used in various Interplay computer games.
@item WC3 Movie @tab @tab X
@tab Multimedia format used in Origin's Wing Commander III computer game.
@item Sega FILM/CPK @tab @tab X
@tab Used in many Sega Saturn console games.
@item Westwood Studios VQA/AUD @tab @tab X
@tab Multimedia formats used in Westwood Studios games.
@item Id Cinematic (.cin) @tab @tab X
@tab Used in Quake II.
@item FLIC format @tab @tab X
@tab .fli/.flc files
@item Sierra VMD @tab @tab X
@tab Used in Sierra CD-ROM games.
@item Sierra Online @tab @tab X
@tab .sol files used in Sierra Online games.
@item Matroska @tab X @tab X
@item Electronic Arts Multimedia @tab @tab X
@tab Used in various EA games; files have extensions like WVE and UV2.
@item Nullsoft Video (NSV) format @tab @tab X
@item ADTS AAC audio @tab X @tab X
@item Creative VOC @tab X @tab X @tab Created for the Sound Blaster Pro.
@item American Laser Games MM @tab @tab X
@tab Multimedia format used in games like Mad Dog McCree
@item AVS @tab @tab X
@tab Multimedia format used by the Creature Shock game.
@item Smacker @tab @tab X
@tab Multimedia format used by many games.
@item GXF @tab X @tab X
@tab General eXchange Format SMPTE 360M, used by Thomson Grass Valley playout servers.
@item CIN @tab @tab X
@tab Multimedia format used by Delphine Software games.
@item MXF @tab @tab X
@tab Material eXchange Format SMPTE 377M, used by D-Cinema, broadcast industry.
@item SEQ @tab @tab X
@tab Tiertex .seq files used in the DOS CDROM version of the game Flashback.
@item DXA @tab @tab X
@tab This format is used in non-Windows version of Feeble Files game and
different game cutscenes repacked for use with ScummVM.
@item THP @tab @tab X
@tab Used on the Nintendo GameCube.
@item C93 @tab @tab X
@tab Used in the game Cyberia from Interplay.
@item Bethsoft VID @tab @tab X
@tab Used in some games from Bethesda Softworks.
@item CRYO APC @tab @tab X
@tab Audio format used in some games by CRYO Interactive Entertainment.
@item Monkey's Audio @tab @tab X
@item SIFF @tab @tab X
@tab Audio and video format used in some games by Beam Software
@item LMLM4 @tab @tab X
@tab Used by Linux Media Labs MPEG-4 PCI boards
@item PVA @tab @tab X
@tab Used by TechnoTrend DVB PCI boards
@item MSN TCP Webcam @tab @tab X
@tab Used by MSN Messenger Webcam streams.
@item RL2 @tab @tab X
@tab Audio and video format used in some games by Entertainment Software Partners
@end multitable
@code{X} means that encoding (resp. decoding) is supported.
@section Image Formats
FFmpeg can read and write images for each frame of a video sequence. The
following image formats are supported:
@multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .4
@item Supported Image Format @tab Encoding @tab Decoding @tab Comments
@item PGM, PPM @tab X @tab X
@item PAM @tab X @tab X @tab PAM is a PNM extension with alpha support.
@item PGMYUV @tab X @tab X @tab PGM with U and V components in YUV 4:2:0
@item JPEG @tab X @tab X @tab Progressive JPEG is not supported.
@item .Y.U.V @tab X @tab X @tab one raw file per component
@item animated GIF @tab X @tab X @tab Only uncompressed GIFs are generated.
@item PNG @tab X @tab X @tab 2 bit and 4 bit/pixel not supported yet.
@item Targa @tab @tab X @tab Targa (.TGA) image format.
@item TIFF @tab X @tab X @tab YUV, JPEG and some extension is not supported yet.
@item SGI @tab X @tab X @tab SGI RGB image format
@item PTX @tab @tab X @tab V.Flash PTX format
@item RAS @tab @tab X @tab Sun Rasterfile
@item PCX @tab @tab X @tab PC Paintbrush
@end multitable
@code{X} means that encoding (resp. decoding) is supported.
@section Video Codecs
@multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .4
@item Supported Codec @tab Encoding @tab Decoding @tab Comments
@item MPEG-1 video @tab X @tab X
@item MPEG-2 video @tab X @tab X
@item MPEG-4 @tab X @tab X
@item MSMPEG4 V1 @tab X @tab X
@item MSMPEG4 V2 @tab X @tab X
@item MSMPEG4 V3 @tab X @tab X
@item WMV7 @tab X @tab X
@item WMV8 @tab X @tab X @tab not completely working
@item WMV9 @tab @tab X @tab not completely working
@item VC1 @tab @tab X
@item H.261 @tab X @tab X
@item H.263(+) @tab X @tab X @tab also known as RealVideo 1.0
@item H.264 @tab @tab X
@item RealVideo 1.0 @tab X @tab X
@item RealVideo 2.0 @tab X @tab X
@item MJPEG @tab X @tab X
@item lossless MJPEG @tab X @tab X
@item JPEG-LS @tab X @tab X @tab fourcc: MJLS, lossless and near-lossless is supported
@item Apple MJPEG-B @tab @tab X
@item Sunplus MJPEG @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: SP5X
@item DV @tab X @tab X
@item HuffYUV @tab X @tab X
@item FFmpeg Video 1 @tab X @tab X @tab experimental lossless codec (fourcc: FFV1)
@item FFmpeg Snow @tab X @tab X @tab experimental wavelet codec (fourcc: SNOW)
@item Asus v1 @tab X @tab X @tab fourcc: ASV1
@item Asus v2 @tab X @tab X @tab fourcc: ASV2
@item Creative YUV @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: CYUV
@item Sorenson Video 1 @tab X @tab X @tab fourcc: SVQ1
@item Sorenson Video 3 @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: SVQ3
@item On2 VP3 @tab @tab X @tab still experimental
@item On2 VP5 @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: VP50
@item On2 VP6 @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: VP60,VP61,VP62
@item Theora @tab X @tab X @tab still experimental
@item Intel Indeo 3 @tab @tab X
@item FLV @tab X @tab X @tab Sorenson H.263 used in Flash
@item Flash Screen Video @tab X @tab X @tab fourcc: FSV1
@item ATI VCR1 @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: VCR1
@item ATI VCR2 @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: VCR2
@item Cirrus Logic AccuPak @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: CLJR
@item 4X Video @tab @tab X @tab Used in certain computer games.
@item Sony Playstation MDEC @tab @tab X
@item Id RoQ @tab X @tab X @tab Used in Quake III, Jedi Knight 2, other computer games.
@item Xan/WC3 @tab @tab X @tab Used in Wing Commander III .MVE files.
@item Interplay Video @tab @tab X @tab Used in Interplay .MVE files.
@item Apple Animation @tab X @tab X @tab fourcc: 'rle '
@item Apple Graphics @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: 'smc '
@item Apple Video @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: rpza
@item Apple QuickDraw @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: qdrw
@item Cinepak @tab @tab X
@item Microsoft RLE @tab @tab X
@item Microsoft Video-1 @tab @tab X
@item Westwood VQA @tab @tab X
@item Id Cinematic Video @tab @tab X @tab Used in Quake II.
@item Planar RGB @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: 8BPS
@item FLIC video @tab @tab X
@item Duck TrueMotion v1 @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: DUCK
@item Duck TrueMotion v2 @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: TM20
@item VMD Video @tab @tab X @tab Used in Sierra VMD files.
@item MSZH @tab @tab X @tab Part of LCL
@item ZLIB @tab X @tab X @tab Part of LCL, encoder experimental
@item TechSmith Camtasia @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: TSCC
@item IBM Ultimotion @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: ULTI
@item Miro VideoXL @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: VIXL
@item QPEG @tab @tab X @tab fourccs: QPEG, Q1.0, Q1.1
@item LOCO @tab @tab X @tab
@item Winnov WNV1 @tab @tab X @tab
@item Autodesk Animator Studio Codec @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: AASC
@item Fraps FPS1 @tab @tab X @tab
@item CamStudio @tab @tab X @tab fourcc: CSCD
@item American Laser Games Video @tab @tab X @tab Used in games like Mad Dog McCree
@item ZMBV @tab X @tab X @tab Encoder works only on PAL8
@item AVS Video @tab @tab X @tab Video encoding used by the Creature Shock game.
@item Smacker Video @tab @tab X @tab Video encoding used in Smacker.
@item RTjpeg @tab @tab X @tab Video encoding used in NuppelVideo files.
@item KMVC @tab @tab X @tab Codec used in Worms games.
@item VMware Video @tab @tab X @tab Codec used in videos captured by VMware.
@item Cin Video @tab @tab X @tab Codec used in Delphine Software games.
@item Tiertex Seq Video @tab @tab X @tab Codec used in DOS CDROM FlashBack game.
@item DXA Video @tab @tab X @tab Codec originally used in Feeble Files game.
@item AVID DNxHD @tab X @tab X @tab aka SMPTE VC3
@item C93 Video @tab @tab X @tab Codec used in Cyberia game.
@item THP @tab @tab X @tab Used on the Nintendo GameCube.
@item Bethsoft VID @tab @tab X @tab Used in some games from Bethesda Softworks.
@item Renderware TXD @tab @tab X @tab Texture dictionaries used by the Renderware Engine.
@item AMV @tab @tab X @tab Used in Chinese MP3 players.
@item Mimic @tab @tab X @tab Used in MSN Messenger Webcam streams.
@end multitable
@code{X} means that encoding (resp. decoding) is supported.
@section Audio Codecs
@multitable @columnfractions .4 .1 .1 .1 .7
@item Supported Codec @tab Encoding @tab Decoding @tab Comments
@item MPEG audio layer 2 @tab IX @tab IX
@item MPEG audio layer 1/3 @tab X @tab IX
@tab MP3 encoding is supported through the external library LAME.
@item AC3 @tab IX @tab IX
@tab liba52 is used internally for decoding.
@item Vorbis @tab X @tab X
@item WMA V1/V2 @tab X @tab X
@item AAC @tab X @tab X
@tab Supported through the external library libfaac/libfaad.
@item Microsoft ADPCM @tab X @tab X
@item AMV IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used in AMV files
@item MS IMA ADPCM @tab X @tab X
@item QT IMA ADPCM @tab X @tab X
@item 4X IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
@item G.726 ADPCM @tab X @tab X
@item Duck DK3 IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used in some Sega Saturn console games.
@item Duck DK4 IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used in some Sega Saturn console games.
@item Westwood Studios IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used in Westwood Studios games like Command and Conquer.
@item SMJPEG IMA ADPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used in certain Loki game ports.
@item CD-ROM XA ADPCM @tab @tab X
@item CRI ADX ADPCM @tab X @tab X
@tab Used in Sega Dreamcast games.
@item Electronic Arts ADPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used in various EA titles.
@item Creative ADPCM @tab @tab X
@tab 16 -> 4, 8 -> 4, 8 -> 3, 8 -> 2
@item THP ADPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used on the Nintendo GameCube.
@item RA144 @tab @tab X
@tab Real 14400 bit/s codec
@item RA288 @tab @tab X
@tab Real 28800 bit/s codec
@item RADnet @tab X @tab IX
@tab Real low bitrate AC3 codec, liba52 is used for decoding.
@item AMR-NB @tab X @tab X
@tab Supported through an external library.
@item AMR-WB @tab X @tab X
@tab Supported through an external library.
@item DV audio @tab @tab X
@item Id RoQ DPCM @tab X @tab X
@tab Used in Quake III, Jedi Knight 2, other computer games.
@item Interplay MVE DPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used in various Interplay computer games.
@item Xan DPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used in Origin's Wing Commander IV AVI files.
@item Sierra Online DPCM @tab @tab X
@tab Used in Sierra Online game audio files.
@item Apple MACE 3 @tab @tab X
@item Apple MACE 6 @tab @tab X
@item FLAC lossless audio @tab X @tab X
@item Shorten lossless audio @tab @tab X
@item Apple lossless audio @tab @tab X
@tab QuickTime fourcc 'alac'
@item FFmpeg Sonic @tab X @tab X
@tab experimental lossy/lossless codec
@item Qdesign QDM2 @tab @tab X
@tab there are still some distortions
@item Real COOK @tab @tab X
@tab All versions except 5.1 are supported
@item DSP Group TrueSpeech @tab @tab X
@item True Audio (TTA) @tab @tab X
@item Smacker Audio @tab @tab X
@item WavPack Audio @tab @tab X
@item Cin Audio @tab @tab X
@tab Codec used in Delphine Software games.
@item Intel Music Coder @tab @tab X
@item Musepack @tab @tab X
@tab SV7 and SV8 are supported
@item DT$ Coherent Audio @tab @tab X
@item ATRAC 3 @tab @tab X
@item Monkey's Audio @tab @tab X @tab Only versions 3.97-3.99 are supported
@item Nellymoser ASAO @tab @tab X
@end multitable
@code{X} means that encoding (resp. decoding) is supported.
@code{I} means that an integer-only version is available, too (ensures high
performance on systems without hardware floating point support).
@chapter Platform Specific information
@section BSD
BSD make will not build FFmpeg, you need to install and use GNU Make
(@file{gmake}).
@section Windows
To get help and instructions for building FFmpeg under Windows, check out
the FFmpeg Windows Help Forum at
@url{http://arrozcru.no-ip.org/ffmpeg/}.
@subsection Native Windows compilation
FFmpeg can be built to run natively on Windows using the MinGW tools. Install
the current versions of MSYS and MinGW from @url{http://www.mingw.org/}. Also
install the coreutils package. You can find detailed installation
instructions in the download section and the FAQ.
Within the MSYS shell, configure and make with:
@example
./configure --enable-memalign-hack
make
make install
@end example
This will install @file{ffmpeg.exe} along with many other development files
to @file{/usr/local}. You may specify another install path using the
@code{--prefix} option in @file{configure}.
Notes:
@itemize
@item Use at least bash 3.1. Older versions are known to fail on the
configure script.
@item In order to compile vhooks, you must have a POSIX-compliant libdl in
your MinGW system. Get dlfcn-win32 from
@url{http://code.google.com/p/dlfcn-win32}.
@item In order to compile FFplay, you must have the MinGW development library
of SDL. Get it from @url{http://www.libsdl.org}.
Edit the @file{bin/sdl-config} script so that it points to the correct prefix
where SDL was installed. Verify that @file{sdl-config} can be launched from
the MSYS command line.
@item The target @code{make wininstaller} can be used to create a
Nullsoft-based Windows installer for FFmpeg and FFplay. @file{SDL.dll}
must be copied to the FFmpeg directory in order to build the
installer.
@item By using @code{./configure --enable-shared} when configuring FFmpeg,
you can build libavutil, libavcodec and libavformat as DLLs.
@end itemize
@subsection Microsoft Visual C++ compatibility
As stated in the FAQ, FFmpeg will not compile under MSVC++. However, if you
want to use the libav* libraries in your own applications, you can still
compile those applications using MSVC++. But the libav* libraries you link
to @emph{must} be built with MinGW. However, you will not be able to debug
inside the libav* libraries, since MSVC++ does not recognize the debug
symbols generated by GCC.
We strongly recommend you to move over from MSVC++ to MinGW tools.
This description of how to use the FFmpeg libraries with MSVC++ is based on
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition. If you have a different version,
you might have to modify the procedures slightly.
@subsubsection Using static libraries
Assuming you have just built and installed FFmpeg in @file{/usr/local}.
@enumerate
@item Create a new console application ("File / New / Project") and then
select "Win32 Console Application". On the appropriate page of the
Application Wizard, uncheck the "Precompiled headers" option.
@item Write the source code for your application, or, for testing, just
copy the code from an existing sample application into the source file
that MSVC++ has already created for you. For example, you can copy
@file{output_example.c} from the FFmpeg distribution.
@item Open the "Project / Properties" dialog box. In the "Configuration"
combo box, select "All Configurations" so that the changes you make will
affect both debug and release builds. In the tree view on the left hand
side, select "C/C++ / General", then edit the "Additional Include
Directories" setting to contain the path where the FFmpeg includes were
installed (i.e. @file{c:\msys\1.0\local\include}).
@item Still in the "Project / Properties" dialog box, select
"Linker / General" from the tree view and edit the
"Additional Library Directories" setting to contain the @file{lib}
directory where FFmpeg was installed (i.e. @file{c:\msys\1.0\local\lib}),
the directory where MinGW libs are installed (i.e. @file{c:\mingw\lib}),
and the directory where MinGW's GCC libs are installed
(i.e. @file{C:\mingw\lib\gcc\mingw32\4.2.1-sjlj}). Then select
"Linker / Input" from the tree view, and add the files @file{libavformat.a},
@file{libavcodec.a}, @file{libavutil.a}, @file{libmingwex.a},
@file{libgcc.a}, and any other libraries you used (i.e. @file{libz.a})
to the end of "Additional Dependencies".
@item Now, select "C/C++ / Code Generation" from the tree view. Select
"Debug" in the "Configuration" combo box. Make sure that "Runtime
Library" is set to "Multi-threaded Debug DLL". Then, select "Release" in
the "Configuration" combo box and make sure that "Runtime Library" is
set to "Multi-threaded DLL".
@item Click "OK" to close the "Project / Properties" dialog box.
@item MSVC++ lacks some C99 header files that are fundamental for FFmpeg.
Get msinttypes from @url{http://code.google.com/p/msinttypes/downloads/list}
and install it in MSVC++'s include directory
(i.e. @file{C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\include}).
@item MSVC++ also does not understand the @code{inline} keyword used by
FFmpeg, so you must add this line before @code{#include}ing libav*:
@example
#define inline _inline
@end example
@item If you used @file{output_example.c} as your sample application,
you will have to edit the @code{#include}s to point to the files which
are under the @file{ffmpeg} directory (i.e. @code{<ffmpeg/avformat.h>}).
@item Build your application, everything should work.
@end enumerate
@subsubsection Using shared libraries
This is how to create DLL and LIB files that are compatible with MSVC++:
@enumerate
@item Add a call to @file{vcvars32.bat} (which sets up the environment
variables for the Visual C++ tools) as the first line of @file{msys.bat}.
The standard location for @file{vcvars32.bat} is
@file{C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\bin\vcvars32.bat},
and the standard location for @file{msys.bat} is @file{C:\msys\1.0\msys.bat}.
If this corresponds to your setup, add the following line as the first line
of @file{msys.bat}:
@example
call "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\bin\vcvars32.bat"
@end example
Alternatively, you may start the @file{Visual Studio 2005 Command Prompt},
and run @file{c:\msys\1.0\msys.bat} from there.
@item Within the MSYS shell, run @code{lib.exe}. If you get a help message
from @file{Microsoft (R) Library Manager}, this means your environment
variables are set up correctly, the @file{Microsoft (R) Library Manager}
is on the path and will be used by FFmpeg to create
MSVC++-compatible import libraries.
@item Build FFmpeg with
@example
./configure --enable-shared --enable-memalign-hack
make
make install
@end example
Your install path (@file{/usr/local/} by default) should now have the
necessary DLL and LIB files under the @file{bin} directory.
@end enumerate
To use those files with MSVC++, do the same as you would do with
the static libraries, as described above. But in Step 4,
you should only need to add the directory where the LIB files are installed
(i.e. @file{c:\msys\usr\local\bin}). This is not a typo, the LIB files are
installed in the @file{bin} directory. And instead of adding @file{libxx.a}
files, you should add @file{avcodec.lib}, @file{avformat.lib}, and
@file{avutil.lib}. There should be no need for @file{libmingwex.a},
@file{libgcc.a}, and @file{wsock32.lib}, nor any other external library
statically linked into the DLLs. The @file{bin} directory contains a bunch
of DLL files, but the ones that are actually used to run your application
are the ones with a major version number in their filenames
(i.e. @file{avcodec-51.dll}).
@subsection Cross compilation for Windows with Linux
You must use the MinGW cross compilation tools available at
@url{http://www.mingw.org/}.
Then configure FFmpeg with the following options:
@example
./configure --target-os=mingw32 --cross-prefix=i386-mingw32msvc-
@end example
(you can change the cross-prefix according to the prefix chosen for the
MinGW tools).
Then you can easily test FFmpeg with Wine
(@url{http://www.winehq.com/}).
@subsection Compilation under Cygwin
The main issue with Cygwin is that newlib, its C library, does not
contain llrint(). However, it is possible to leverage the
implementation in MinGW.
Just install your Cygwin with all the "Base" packages, plus the
following "Devel" ones:
@example
binutils, gcc-core, make, subversion, mingw-runtime
@end example
Do not install binutils-20060709-1 (they are buggy on shared builds);
use binutils-20050610-1 instead.
Then create a small library that just contains llrint():
@example
ar x /usr/lib/mingw/libmingwex.a llrint.o
ar cq /usr/local/lib/libllrint.a llrint.o
@end example
Then run
@example
./configure --enable-static --disable-shared --extra-ldflags='-L /usr/local/lib' --extra-libs='-l llrint'
@end example
to make a static build or
@example
./configure --enable-shared --disable-static --extra-ldflags='-L /usr/local/lib' --extra-libs='-l llrint'
@end example
to build shared libraries.
If you want to build FFmpeg with additional libraries, download Cygwin
"Devel" packages for Ogg and Vorbis from any Cygwin packages repository
and/or SDL, xvid, faac, faad2 packages from Cygwin Ports,
(@url{http://cygwinports.dotsrc.org/}).
@subsection Crosscompilation for Windows under Cygwin
With Cygwin you can create Windows binaries that do not need the cygwin1.dll.
Just install your Cygwin as explained before, plus these additional
"Devel" packages:
@example
gcc-mingw-core, mingw-runtime, mingw-zlib
@end example
and add some special flags to your configure invocation.
For a static build run
@example
./configure --target-os=mingw32 --enable-memalign-hack --enable-static --disable-shared --extra-cflags=-mno-cygwin --extra-libs=-mno-cygwin
@end example
and for a build with shared libraries
@example
./configure --target-os=mingw32 --enable-memalign-hack --enable-shared --disable-static --extra-cflags=-mno-cygwin --extra-libs=-mno-cygwin
@end example
@section BeOS
BeOS support is broken in mysterious ways.
@section OS/2
For information about compiling FFmpeg on OS/2 see
@url{http://www.edm2.com/index.php/FFmpeg}.
@chapter Developers Guide
@section API
@itemize @bullet
@item libavcodec is the library containing the codecs (both encoding and
decoding). Look at @file{libavcodec/apiexample.c} to see how to use it.
@item libavformat is the library containing the file format handling (mux and
demux code for several formats). Look at @file{ffplay.c} to use it in a
player. See @file{output_example.c} to use it to generate audio or video
streams.
@end itemize
@section Integrating libavcodec or libavformat in your program
You can integrate all the source code of the libraries to link them
statically to avoid any version problem. All you need is to provide a
'config.mak' and a 'config.h' in the parent directory. See the defines
generated by ./configure to understand what is needed.
You can use libavcodec or libavformat in your commercial program, but
@emph{any patch you make must be published}. The best way to proceed is
to send your patches to the FFmpeg mailing list.
@node Coding Rules
@section Coding Rules
FFmpeg is programmed in the ISO C90 language with a few additional
features from ISO C99, namely:
@itemize @bullet
@item
the @samp{inline} keyword;
@item
@samp{//} comments;
@item
designated struct initializers (@samp{struct s x = @{ .i = 17 @};})
@item
compound literals (@samp{x = (struct s) @{ 17, 23 @};})
@end itemize
These features are supported by all compilers we care about, so we will not
accept patches to remove their use unless they absolutely do not impair
clarity and performance.
All code must compile with GCC 2.95 and GCC 3.3. Currently, FFmpeg also
compiles with several other compilers, such as the Compaq ccc compiler
or Sun Studio 9, and we would like to keep it that way unless it would
be exceedingly involved. To ensure compatibility, please do not use any
additional C99 features or GCC extensions. Especially watch out for:
@itemize @bullet
@item
mixing statements and declarations;
@item
@samp{long long} (use @samp{int64_t} instead);
@item
@samp{__attribute__} not protected by @samp{#ifdef __GNUC__} or similar;
@item
GCC statement expressions (@samp{(x = (@{ int y = 4; y; @})}).
@end itemize
Indent size is 4.
The presentation is the one specified by 'indent -i4 -kr -nut'.
The TAB character is forbidden outside of Makefiles as is any
form of trailing whitespace. Commits containing either will be
rejected by the Subversion repository.
The main priority in FFmpeg is simplicity and small code size in order to
minimize the bug count.
Comments: Use the JavaDoc/Doxygen
format (see examples below) so that code documentation
can be generated automatically. All nontrivial functions should have a comment
above them explaining what the function does, even if it is just one sentence.
All structures and their member variables should be documented, too.
@example
/**
* @@file mpeg.c
* MPEG codec.
* @@author ...
*/
/**
* Summary sentence.
* more text ...
* ...
*/
typedef struct Foobar@{
int var1; /**< var1 description */
int var2; ///< var2 description
/** var3 description */
int var3;
@} Foobar;
/**
* Summary sentence.
* more text ...
* ...
* @@param my_parameter description of my_parameter
* @@return return value description
*/
int myfunc(int my_parameter)
...
@end example
fprintf and printf are forbidden in libavformat and libavcodec,
please use av_log() instead.
Casts should be used only when necessary. Unneeded parentheses
should also be avoided if they don't make the code easier to understand.
@section Development Policy
@enumerate
@item
Contributions should be licensed under the LGPL 2.1, including an
"or any later version" clause, or the MIT license. GPL 2 including
an "or any later version" clause is also acceptable, but LGPL is
preferred.
@item
You must not commit code which breaks FFmpeg! (Meaning unfinished but
enabled code which breaks compilation or compiles but does not work or
breaks the regression tests)
You can commit unfinished stuff (for testing etc), but it must be disabled
(#ifdef etc) by default so it does not interfere with other developers'
work.
@item
You do not have to over-test things. If it works for you, and you think it
should work for others, then commit. If your code has problems
(portability, triggers compiler bugs, unusual environment etc) they will be
reported and eventually fixed.
@item
Do not commit unrelated changes together, split them into self-contained
pieces. Also do not forget that if part B depends on part A, but A does not
depend on B, then A can and should be committed first and separate from B.
Keeping changes well split into self-contained parts makes reviewing and
understanding them on the commit log mailing list easier. This also helps
in case of debugging later on.
Also if you have doubts about splitting or not splitting, do not hesitate to
ask/discuss it on the developer mailing list.
@item
Do not change behavior of the program (renaming options etc) without
first discussing it on the ffmpeg-devel mailing list. Do not remove
functionality from the code. Just improve!
Note: Redundant code can be removed.
@item
Do not commit changes to the build system (Makefiles, configure script)
which change behavior, defaults etc, without asking first. The same
applies to compiler warning fixes, trivial looking fixes and to code
maintained by other developers. We usually have a reason for doing things
the way we do. Send your changes as patches to the ffmpeg-devel mailing
list, and if the code maintainers say OK, you may commit. This does not
apply to files you wrote and/or maintain.
@item
We refuse source indentation and other cosmetic changes if they are mixed
with functional changes, such commits will be rejected and removed. Every
developer has his own indentation style, you should not change it. Of course
if you (re)write something, you can use your own style, even though we would
prefer if the indentation throughout FFmpeg was consistent (Many projects
force a given indentation style - we do not.). If you really need to make
indentation changes (try to avoid this), separate them strictly from real
changes.
NOTE: If you had to put if()@{ .. @} over a large (> 5 lines) chunk of code,
then either do NOT change the indentation of the inner part within (do not
move it to the right)! or do so in a separate commit
@item
Always fill out the commit log message. Describe in a few lines what you
changed and why. You can refer to mailing list postings if you fix a
particular bug. Comments such as "fixed!" or "Changed it." are unacceptable.
@item
If you apply a patch by someone else, include the name and email address in
the log message. Since the ffmpeg-cvslog mailing list is publicly
archived you should add some SPAM protection to the email address. Send an
answer to ffmpeg-devel (or wherever you got the patch from) saying that
you applied the patch.
@item
When applying patches that have been discussed (at length) on the mailing
list, reference the thread in the log message.
@item
Do NOT commit to code actively maintained by others without permission.
Send a patch to ffmpeg-devel instead. If no one answers within a reasonable
timeframe (12h for build failures and security fixes, 3 days small changes,
1 week for big patches) then commit your patch if you think it is OK.
Also note, the maintainer can simply ask for more time to review!
@item
Subscribe to the ffmpeg-cvslog mailing list. The diffs of all commits
are sent there and reviewed by all the other developers. Bugs and possible
improvements or general questions regarding commits are discussed there. We
expect you to react if problems with your code are uncovered.
@item
Update the documentation if you change behavior or add features. If you are
unsure how best to do this, send a patch to ffmpeg-devel, the documentation
maintainer(s) will review and commit your stuff.
@item
Try to keep important discussions and requests (also) on the public
developer mailing list, so that all developers can benefit from them.
@item
Never write to unallocated memory, never write over the end of arrays,
always check values read from some untrusted source before using them
as array index or other risky things.
@item
Remember to check if you need to bump versions for the specific libav
parts (libavutil, libavcodec, libavformat) you are changing. You need
to change the version integer and the version string.
Incrementing the first component means no backward compatibility to
previous versions (e.g. removal of a function from the public API).
Incrementing the second component means backward compatible change
(e.g. addition of a function to the public API).
Incrementing the third component means a noteworthy binary compatible
change (e.g. encoder bug fix that matters for the decoder).
@item
If you add a new codec, remember to update the changelog, add it to
the supported codecs table in the documentation and bump the second
component of the @file{libavcodec} version number appropriately. If
it has a fourcc, add it to @file{libavformat/avienc.c}, even if it
is only a decoder.
@item
Compiler warnings indicate potential bugs or code with bad style. If a type of
warning always points to correct and clean code, that warning should
be disabled, not the code changed.
Thus the remaining warnings can either be bugs or correct code.
If it is a bug, the bug has to be fixed. If it is not, the code should
be changed to not generate a warning unless that causes a slowdown
or obfuscates the code.
@item
If you add a new file, give it a proper license header. Do not copy and
paste it from a random place, use an existing file as template.
@end enumerate
We think our rules are not too hard. If you have comments, contact us.
Note, these rules are mostly borrowed from the MPlayer project.
@section Submitting patches
First, (@pxref{Coding Rules}) above if you did not yet.
When you submit your patch, try to send a unified diff (diff '-up'
option). We cannot read other diffs :-)
Also please do not submit a patch which contains several unrelated changes.
Split it into separate, self-contained pieces. This does not mean splitting
file by file. Instead, make the patch as small as possible while still
keeping it as a logical unit that contains an individual change, even
if it spans multiple files. This makes reviewing your patches much easier
for us and greatly increases your chances of getting your patch applied.
Run the regression tests before submitting a patch so that you can
verify that there are no big problems.
Patches should be posted as base64 encoded attachments (or any other
encoding which ensures that the patch will not be trashed during
transmission) to the ffmpeg-devel mailing list, see
@url{http://lists.mplayerhq.hu/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-devel}
It also helps quite a bit if you tell us what the patch does (for example
'replaces lrint by lrintf'), and why (for example '*BSD isn't C99 compliant
and has no lrint()')
Also please if you send several patches, send each patch as a separate mail,
do not attach several unrelated patches to the same mail.
@section patch submission checklist
@enumerate
@item
Do the regression tests pass with the patch applied?
@item
Is the patch a unified diff?
@item
Is the patch against latest FFmpeg SVN?
@item
Are you subscribed to ffmpeg-dev?
(the list is subscribers only due to spam)
@item
Have you checked that the changes are minimal, so that the same cannot be
achieved with a smaller patch and/or simpler final code?
@item
If the change is to speed critical code, did you benchmark it?
@item
If you did any benchmarks, did you provide them in the mail?
@item
Have you checked that the patch does not introduce buffer overflows or
other security issues?
@item
Is the patch created from the root of the source tree, so it can be
applied with @code{patch -p0}?
@item
Does the patch not mix functional and cosmetic changes?
@item
Did you add tabs or trailing whitespace to the code? Both are forbidden.
@item
Is the patch attached to the email you send?
@item
Is the mime type of the patch correct? It should be text/x-diff or
text/x-patch or at least text/plain and not application/octet-stream.
@item
If the patch fixes a bug, did you provide a verbose analysis of the bug?
@item
If the patch fixes a bug, did you provide enough information, including
a sample, so the bug can be reproduced and the fix can be verified?
Note please do not attach samples >100k to mails but rather provide a
URL, you can upload to ftp://upload.mplayerhq.hu
@item
Did you provide a verbose summary about what the patch does change?
@item
Did you provide a verbose explanation why it changes things like it does?
@item
Did you provide a verbose summary of the user visible advantages and
disadvantages if the patch is applied?
@item
Did you provide an example so we can verify the new feature added by the
patch easily?
@item
If you added a new file, did you insert a license header? It should be
taken from FFmpeg, not randomly copied and pasted from somewhere else.
@item
You should maintain alphabetical order in alphabetically ordered lists as
long as doing so does not break API/ABI compatibility.
@item
Lines with similar content should be aligned vertically when doing so
improves readability.
@item
Did you provide a suggestion for a clear commit log message?
@item
Did you test your decoder or demuxer against damaged data? If no, see
tools/trasher and the noise bitstream filter. Your decoder or demuxer
should not crash or end in a (near) infinite loop when fed damaged data.
@end enumerate
@section Patch review process
All patches posted to ffmpeg-devel will be reviewed, unless they contain a
clear note that the patch is not for SVN.
Reviews and comments will be posted as replies to the patch on the
mailing list. The patch submitter then has to take care of every comment,
that can be by resubmitting a changed patch or by discussion. Resubmitted
patches will themselves be reviewed like any other patch. If at some point
a patch passes review with no comments then it is approved, that can for
simple and small patches happen immediately while large patches will generally
have to be changed and reviewed many times before they are approved.
After a patch is approved it will be committed to the repository.
We will review all submitted patches, but sometimes we are quite busy so
especially for large patches this can take several weeks.
When resubmitting patches, please do not make any significant changes
not related to the comments received during review. Such patches will
be rejected. Instead, submit significant changes or new features as
separate patches.
@section Regression tests
Before submitting a patch (or committing to the repository), you should at least
test that you did not break anything.
The regression tests build a synthetic video stream and a synthetic
audio stream. These are then encoded and decoded with all codecs or
formats. The CRC (or MD5) of each generated file is recorded in a
result file. A 'diff' is launched to compare the reference results and
the result file.
The regression tests then go on to test the FFserver code with a
limited set of streams. It is important that this step runs correctly
as well.
Run 'make test' to test all the codecs and formats.
Run 'make fulltest' to test all the codecs, formats and FFserver.
[Of course, some patches may change the results of the regression tests. In
this case, the reference results of the regression tests shall be modified
accordingly].
@bye