[MEncoder-users] output format and mencoder.conf profiles

Mon Apr 16 21:11:31 CEST 2007

Joey Parrish wrote:
> On 4/16/07, Dave Puryear <Dave.Puryear at dataconversions.biz> wrote:
>> I'm wondering why MEncoder's verbose output states the following:
>> WARNING: OUTPUT FILE FORMAT IS _AVI_. See -of help.
>> 
>> I am aware of the need to specify output format when using containers
>> other than avi.
> 
>> The output file is definitely MPEG-2, playable by wmp, real, vlc,
>> mplayer, and ffplay, but why the AVI warning?
> 
> On what are you basing the notion that it's "definitely MPEG-2"?  The
> fact that it plays in other players is not proof of that.  Run the
> file utility, like so:
> file C:\A-V\Net\file_01_edit.mpg
> What does it say?
> 
I'm running Windows XP - I don't know of or have "file utility," so
here's mplayer -identify:

C:\MPlayer070401>mplayer -identify C:\A-V\Net\file_01_edit.mpg
MPlayer Sherpya-SVN-r22870-4.1.2 (C) 2000-2007 MPlayer Team
CPU: Genuine Intel(R) CPU           T2050  @ 1.60GHz (Family: 6, Model:
14, Step
ping: 8)
CPUflags:  MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled for x86 CPU with extensions: MMX MMX2 SSE SSE2

Playing C:\A-V\Net\file_01_edit.mpg.
ID_VIDEO_ID=0
ID_AUDIO_ID=0
MPEG-PS file format detected.
VIDEO:  MPEG2  640x480  (aspect 2)  29.970 fps  4000.0 kbps (500.0
kbyte/s)
ID_FILENAME=C:\A-V\Net\file_01_edit.mpg
ID_DEMUXER=mpegps
ID_VIDEO_FORMAT=0x10000002
ID_VIDEO_BITRATE=4000000
ID_VIDEO_WIDTH=640
ID_VIDEO_HEIGHT=480
ID_VIDEO_FPS=29.970
ID_VIDEO_ASPECT=0.0000
ID_AUDIO_FORMAT=80
ID_AUDIO_BITRATE=0
ID_AUDIO_RATE=0
ID_AUDIO_NCH=0
ID_LENGTH=9.11
========================================================================
==
Opening video decoder: [mpegpes] MPEG 1/2 Video passthrough
VDec: vo config request - 640 x 480 (preferred colorspace: Mpeg PES)
Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale...
Opening video filter: [scale]
The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec.
Try appending the scale filter to your filter list,
e.g. -vf spp,scale instead of -vf spp.
VDecoder init failed :(
Opening video decoder: [libmpeg2] MPEG 1/2 Video decoder
libmpeg2-v0.4.0b
Selected video codec: [mpeg12] vfm: libmpeg2 (MPEG-1 or 2 (libmpeg2))
========================================================================
==
ID_VIDEO_CODEC=mpeg12
========================================================================
==
Opening audio decoder: [mp3lib] MPEG layer-2, layer-3
AUDIO: 48000 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 128.0 kbit/8.33% (ratio: 16000->192000)
ID_AUDIO_BITRATE=128000
ID_AUDIO_RATE=48000
ID_AUDIO_NCH=2
Selected audio codec: [mp3] afm: mp3lib (mp3lib MPEG layer-2, layer-3)
========================================================================
==
AO: [dsound] 48000Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
ID_AUDIO_CODEC=mp3
Starting playback...
VDec: vo config request - 640 x 480 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is 1.33:1 - prescaling to correct movie aspect.
ID_VIDEO_ASPECT=1.3333
VO: [directx] 640x480 => 640x480 Planar YV12
A:   2.2 V:   2.2 A-V: -0.008 ct:  0.041  61/ 61 11%  7%  1.2% 0 0
Exiting... (Quit)

And ffmpeg -i:
Input #0, mpeg, from 'C:\A-V\Net\file_01_edit.mpg':
  Duration: 00:00:09.7, start: 0.233367, bitrate: 4348 kb/s
  Stream #0.0[0x1e0]: Video: mpeg2video, yuv420p, 640x480, 4000 kb/s,
29.97 fps(
r)
  Stream #0.1[0x1c0]: Audio: mp2, 48000 Hz, stereo, 128 kb/s
Must supply at least one output file

In addition, the file is deemed to be an MPEG-2 by MediaInfo.exe and
imports successfully into ultra-finicky editing program M2-edit Pro.
M2-edit Pro's info panel report:

C:\A-V\Net\file_01_edit.mpg
------------------------

File name       : file_01_edit.mpg
File size       : 5277696
Duration        : 10.076734 s
Number of frames: 302
Drop frame flag : not set 

Systems         : 
format          = MPEG-2 Program Stream
mux rate        = 10080000 b/s
real bit rate   = 4190005 b/s

Video           :
stream ID       = 0xE0
format          = MPEG-2
chroma format   = 4:2:0
horizontal size = 640
vertical size   = 480
aspect ratio    = 3/4
display width   = 640
display height  = 480
frame rate      = 29.97003 frame/s
bit rate        = 4000000 bit/s
start time code = 00:00:00:00
first PTS       = 0.23336667
last PTS        = 10.276733
vbv buf size    = 229376

Audio           :
stream ID       = 0xC0
format          = LayerII
bit rate        = 128000 bit/s
sampling rate   = 48000 Hz
mode            = stereo
ID              = 1
first PTS       = 0.23336667
last PTS        = 9.833366
audio duration  = 9.624

>> Freehand CL typing produces no such warnings:
> Which should be good evidence that something is different.
> 
> Personally, I get this warning most often when I've screwed up the
> path to my config file.  Perhaps your config options aren't being
> loaded.  So try the file utility and verify if it believes that your
> output is in fact MPEG.
> 
> --Joey
> 
I'm sure the path to config is correct, otherwise I'd get a different
warning.
Plus, if I intentionally misspell a profile's option (i.e. mpegoptz) I
get a warning like this:
Warning unknown option mpegoptz at line 40

Thanks,

--Dave P.