[MEncoder-users] Converting PNG files to MPEG-4

[Pierre Sarrazin]

Hi.  I'm trying to convert twenty-five 800x600 PNG images into a
1-second MPEG-4 movie.  The mencoder command (from the April 13th
snapshot) fails and I'm wondering how to fix it.

The PNG files are named frame-0000.png through frame-0024.png.

The command I give is the following one:

mencoder "mf://*.png" -mf w=800:h=600:fps=25:type=png -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4 -oac copy -o output.avi

It gives the following output:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
MEncoder dev-CVS-050413-00:00-3.4.2 (C) 2000-2005 MPlayer Team
CPU: Advanced Micro Devices Athlon Thunderbird (Family: 6, Stepping: 2)
Detected cache-line size is 64 bytes
CPUflags: Type: 6 MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 1 3DNow2: 1 SSE: 0 SSE2: 0
Compiled for x86 CPU with extensions: MMX MMX2 3DNow 3DNowEx

File not found: 'frameno.avi'
Failed to open frameno.avi
success: format: 16  data: 0x0 - 0x0
[demuxer] mf support.
[mf] search expr: *.png
[mf] number of files: 25 (100)
VIDEO:  [MPNG]  800x600  24bpp  25.000 fps    0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
[V] filefmt:16  fourcc:0x474E504D  size:800x600  fps:25.00  ftime:=0.0400
Opening video filter: [expand osd=1]
Expand: -1 x -1, -1 ; -1  (-1=autodetect) osd: 1
==========================================================================
Opening video decoder: [mpng] PNG Images decoder
Selected video codec: [mpng] vfm:mpng (PNG image decoder)
==========================================================================
Writing AVI header...
ODML: Aspect information not (yet?) available or unspecified, not writing vprp header.
VDec: vo config request - 800 x 600 (preferred csp: BGR 8-bit)
Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale...
Opening video filter: [scale]
The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec.

Exiting...
----------------------------------------------------------------------

A few of these lines of text look like error messages, and I'm
wondering which one reflects the root cause:

- Failed to open frameno.avi

- ODML: Aspect information not (yet?) available or unspecified,
  not writing vprp header.

- Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale...

- The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec.


Then I also tried playing the PNG files, with this command:

mplayer "mf://*.png"

This also failed and displayed the following:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
MPlayer dev-CVS-050413-00:00-3.4.2 (C) 2000-2005 MPlayer Team
CPU: Advanced Micro Devices Athlon Thunderbird (Family: 6, Stepping: 2)
Detected cache-line size is 64 bytes
CPUflags:  MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 1 3DNow2: 1 SSE: 0 SSE2: 0
Compiled for x86 CPU with extensions: MMX MMX2 3DNow 3DNowEx


Playing mf://*.png.
[demuxer] mf support.
[demux_mf] file type was not set! trying 'type=png'...
[mf] search expr: *.png
[mf] number of files: 25 (100)
VIDEO:  [MPNG]  0x0  24bpp  25.000 fps    0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
vo: X11 running at 1024x768 with depth 16 and 16 bpp (":0.0" => local display)
==========================================================================
Opening video decoder: [mpng] PNG Images decoder
Selected video codec: [mpng] vfm:mpng (PNG image decoder)
==========================================================================
Audio: no sound
Starting playback...
VDec: Codec did not set sh->disp_w and sh->disp_h, trying workaround.
VDec: vo config request - 800 x 600 (preferred csp: BGR 8-bit)
Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale...
Opening video filter: [scale]
The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec.

FATAL: Could not initialize video filters (-vf) or video output (-vo).


Exiting... (End of file)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

What exactly is the video_out device that I've apparently selected?
In the mencoder case, I'm trying to send the output to a file, so I
don't understand how the codec would have a problem with that.

Could my system be missing libraries that implement the "lavc" codec?
How could I check for that?

The PNG files were created by a Perl script using the GD module.
The GIMP is able to open and display those files without problems.

My system is Fedora Core 3 on an Athlon processor.

Thanks.

-- 
Pierre Sarrazin <sarrazip at sympatico dot ca>