[MEncoder-users] Using ovc copy and container for Quicktime

[Patryk Laurent]

Hello,

I have found using -ovc copy, a copy of a file that used to play in
QuickTime doesn't play.  How can I preserve the quicktime-playability
of the video?  Is there any way to use Mencoder to preserve the
QuickTime container--if that's what's being lost?   The funny thing is
that if I re-encode the video using MEncoder's x264 support, the
resulting file does play in QuickTime.  But I'd rather not re-encode,
especially since I can't seem to control the bitrate in the
x264encopts (my bitrate settings seem to be ignored).

Here's a specific example.  I have a video generated from HandBrake
that plays fine in QuickTime.  For this video, MPlayer reports:

 Playing SourceFromHandbrake.mp4.
 ISO: File Type Major Brand: ISO/IEC 14496-1 (MPEG-4 system) v2
 Quicktime/MOV file format detected.
 VIDEO:  [avc1]  528x400  24bpp  29.981 fps    0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)



I  then use the -ovc copy and the EDL facility to edit out parts of the movie:

$ mencoder -oac mp3lame -ovc copy SourceFromHandbrake.mp4 -o
edited.mp4  -edl edl.out

WARNING: OUTPUT FILE FORMAT IS _AVI_. See -of help.
success: format: 0  data: 0x0 - 0x15e188ab
ISO: File Type Major Brand: ISO/IEC 14496-1 (MPEG-4 system) v2
Quicktime/MOV file format detected.
[mov] Video stream found, -vid 0
[mov] Audio stream found, -aid 1
[mov] Subtitle stream found, -sid 2
VIDEO:  [avc1]  528x400  24bpp  29.981 fps    0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
[V] filefmt:7  fourcc:0x31637661  size:528x400  fps:29.98  ftime:=0.0334
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [faad] AAC (MPEG2/4 Advanced Audio Coding)
AUDIO: 48000 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 127.9 kbit/8.33% (ratio: 15993->192000)
Selected audio codec: [faad] afm: faad (FAAD AAC (MPEG-2/MPEG-4 Audio) decoder)
==========================================================================


The resulting file does not play in QuickTime ("This file is not a
movie file.").    On this resulting file, MPlayer reports:

Playing edited.mp4.
AVI file format detected.
VIDEO:  [avc1]  528x400  24bpp  29.981 fps  1488.2 kbps (181.7 kbyte/s)
Clip info:
 Software: MEncoder dev-SVN-r24651-4.0.1
==========================================================================
Opening video decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg's libavcodec codec family
Selected video codec: [ffh264] vfm: ffmpeg (FFmpeg H.264)
==========================================================================
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [mp3lib] MPEG layer-2, layer-3
AUDIO: 48000 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 224.0 kbit/14.58% (ratio: 28000->192000)
Selected audio codec: [mp3] afm: mp3lib (mp3lib MPEG layer-2, layer-3)
==========================================================================

QuickTime refuses to play it even if I use faac instead of mp3lame.
As I mentioned before, if I use MEncoder to re-encode the file using
h264 / mp3lame, the resulting file *does* play in QuickTime.  But I'd
rather not re-encode the file if I don't have to, especially since I
can't seem to control the bitrate using x264encopts...

Any suggestions would be very helpful.  Thank you,

Patryk