[FFmpeg-user] Why FFMPEG?

[Carl Zwanzig]

Well..... since you asked.....

On 8/15/2021 12:28 PM, Android PowerUser wrote:
> If FFMPEG is a collection of codecs then why are the most memory efficient
> codecs not available. 

Could be than they're not freely available or license-compatible with 
ffmpeg? (Quite likely, actually.) Or that those codecs are not the best for 
the actual purpose (the output, not the process).

> If the best codecs for storage efficiency are not there, and thus
> probably the most important codecs, why use FFMPEG at all?
Because for many people it does what's needed ("most important codecs"? like 
mpeg2, h264/265, jpeg, etc).

> And it's not even useful for text. You are better served with 7zip
> or xz.  

zip/g-zip/7-zip are _file_ compressors, not media codecs or muxers. (Text? 
That's not a "media" format....) And many uses are well-fulfilled by the 
codecs/formats/containers that ffmpeg does support.

> So a cross-device codec collection is a good idea, but then you should do
> it right. I can't help with that, but those who can and have so far
> partially done it should end it.  

What is "right" in this case? Sure, ffmpeg has its shortcomings, but many 
people will never run into them.

> Otherwise it doesn't make any sense ... right?

Wrong. Anyway, anonymous complaints that can't or won't help with fixing 
perceived deficiencies are worth the paper they're printed on. Add to that a 
misunderstanding of ffmpeg's purpose and license (see 
https://ffmpeg.org/about.html).

Later,

z!
just a usually-happy ffmpeg user