[MEncoder-users] Converted video has ID_LENGTH problem (but whole vid still plays)

[David Smith]

Hello.  I have a very large (1.5Gb) and lengthy (7.37 hours) rm file.   When
I use mplayer to identify the source file it says the ID_LENGTH is 26543.00,
which is correct (7.37 hours).

I finally found a set of commands that converts the rm to flv beautifully
without sync problems, AND at a smaller file size than the original rm.
However, the ID_LENGTH of the converted video is strangely 9766.49, which is
only 2.7 hours.  This is also what the Flash player GUI shows.  However,
when I get to the "end" of the seek bar the video continues to play, and I
have no doubt it actually contains the entire 7.37 hours of video (due to
file size), but I can't seek forward past the 2.7 hours mark.

One odd thing I suspect is that this big file may have been generated from a
series of smaller files that spanned the 7 hour event (see info dump
below).   And, at the 9766-ish mark is the screen goes to black, and stays
black for about 10 seconds.  Is there some mechanism in Mencoder where it
automatically cuts the ID_LENGTH when things go to black?  After that point
in the video, the Flash keeps playing, but my seek bar stays pegged at 100%
so I cannot seek forward any more, nor does the user know how long the video
actually is after that.  Or could it be that's where one of the files was
joined?  Any ideas?

Here's my conversion string if it helps:

mencoder big.rm -o big2.flv -oac mp3lame -lameopts abr:br=56 -srate 22050
-ovc lavc -lavcopts
vcodec=flv:vbitrate=128:mbd=2:mv0:trell:v4mv:cbp:last_pred=3 -ofps 24 -mc 1
-of lavf -vf harddup

*----------------------------------*
**
*Here's the full info dump of my source rm file:*

MPlayer 1.0rc2-4.2.1 (C) 2000-2007 MPlayer Team
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU     E6750  @ 2.66GHz (Family: 6, Model: 15,
Step
ping: 11)
CPUflags:  MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled with runtime CPU detection.
Playing big.rm.
REAL file format detected.
Stream description: audio/x-pn-multirate-realaudio logical stream
Stream mimetype: logical-audio/x-pn-multirate-realaudio
Stream description: video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo logical stream
Stream mimetype: logical-video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo
Stream description: fileinfo
Stream mimetype: logical-fileinfo
Stream description: Audio Stream
Stream mimetype: audio/x-pn-multirate-realaudio
ID_AUDIO_ID=0
[real] Audio stream found, -aid 0
Stream description: Audio Stream
Stream mimetype: audio/x-pn-realaudio
ID_AUDIO_ID=1
[real] Audio stream found, -aid 1
Stream description: Audio Stream
Stream mimetype: audio/x-pn-multirate-realaudio
ID_AUDIO_ID=2
[real] Audio stream found, -aid 2
Stream description: Video Stream
Stream mimetype: video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo
ID_VIDEO_ID=3
[real] Video stream found, -vid 3
Stream description: Video Stream
Stream mimetype: video/x-pn-realvideo
ID_VIDEO_ID=4
[real] Video stream found, -vid 4
Stream description: Video Stream
Stream mimetype: video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo
ID_VIDEO_ID=5
[real] Video stream found, -vid 5
Stream description: Video Stream
Stream mimetype: video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo
ID_VIDEO_ID=6
[real] Video stream found, -vid 6
Stream description: Video Stream
Stream mimetype: video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo
ID_VIDEO_ID=7
[real] Video stream found, -vid 7
Stream description: Video Stream
Stream mimetype: video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo
ID_VIDEO_ID=8
[real] Video stream found, -vid 8
Stream description: Audio Stream
Stream mimetype: audio/x-pn-multirate-realaudio
ID_AUDIO_ID=9
[real] Audio stream found, -aid 9
Stream description: Video Stream
Stream mimetype: video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo
ID_VIDEO_ID=10
[real] Video stream found, -vid 10
Stream description: Video Stream
Stream mimetype: video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo
ID_VIDEO_ID=11
[real] Video stream found, -vid 11
Stream description: Video Stream
Stream mimetype: video/x-pn-multirate-realvideo
ID_VIDEO_ID=15
[real] Video stream found, -vid 15
VIDEO:  [RV30]  320x240  24bpp  30.000 fps    0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
Clip info:
 name: [long title]
ID_CLIP_INFO_NAME0=name
ID_CLIP_INFO_VALUE0=[stuff]
ID_CLIP_INFO_NAME1=author
ID_CLIP_INFO_VALUE1=[stuff]
ID_CLIP_INFO_NAME2=copyright
ID_CLIP_INFO_VALUE2=[stuff]
ID_CLIP_INFO_N=3
ID_FILENAME=big.rm
ID_DEMUXER=real
ID_VIDEO_FORMAT=RV30
ID_VIDEO_BITRATE=0
ID_VIDEO_WIDTH=320
ID_VIDEO_HEIGHT=240
ID_VIDEO_FPS=30.000
ID_VIDEO_ASPECT=0.0000
ID_AUDIO_FORMAT=cook
ID_AUDIO_BITRATE=0
ID_AUDIO_RATE=22050
ID_AUDIO_NCH=1
ID_LENGTH=26543.00
==========================================================================
Forced video codec: null
Opening video decoder: [null] Null video decoder
VDec: vo config request - 320 x 240 (preferred colorspace: BGR 24-bit)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
VO: [null] 320x240 => 320x240 Planar YV12
Selected video codec: [null] vfm: null (NULL codec (no decoding!))
==========================================================================
ID_VIDEO_CODEC=null
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [ffmpeg] FFmpeg/libavcodec audio decoders
AUDIO: 22050 Hz, 1 ch, s16le, 32.0 kbit/9.08% (ratio: 4005->44100)
ID_AUDIO_BITRATE=32040
ID_AUDIO_RATE=22050
ID_AUDIO_NCH=1
Selected audio codec: [ffcook] afm: ffmpeg (FFmpeg COOK audio decoder)
==========================================================================
AO: [null] 22050Hz 1ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
ID_AUDIO_CODEC=ffcook
Starting playback...

Exiting... (End of file)

**
**
*And here's am info dump of the file after it's been converted to FLV:*

MPlayer 1.0rc2-4.2.1 (C) 2000-2007 MPlayer Team
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU     E6750  @ 2.66GHz (Family: 6, Model: 15,
Step
ping: 11)
CPUflags:  MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 0 3DNow2: 0 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1
Compiled with runtime CPU detection.
Playing big2.flv.
libavformat file format detected.
ID_VIDEO_ID=0
[lavf] Video stream found, -vid 0
ID_AUDIO_ID=1
[lavf] Audio stream found, -aid 1
VIDEO:  [FLV1]  320x240  0bpp  24.000 fps    0.0 kbps ( 0.0 kbyte/s)
ID_FILENAME=big2.flv
ID_DEMUXER=lavfpref
ID_VIDEO_FORMAT=FLV1
ID_VIDEO_BITRATE=0
ID_VIDEO_WIDTH=320
ID_VIDEO_HEIGHT=240
ID_VIDEO_FPS=24.000
ID_VIDEO_ASPECT=0.0000
ID_AUDIO_FORMAT=85
ID_AUDIO_BITRATE=48000
ID_AUDIO_RATE=22050
ID_AUDIO_NCH=1
ID_LENGTH=9766.49
==========================================================================
Forced video codec: null
Opening video decoder: [null] Null video decoder
VDec: vo config request - 320 x 240 (preferred colorspace: BGR 24-bit)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
VO: [null] 320x240 => 320x240 Planar YV12
Selected video codec: [null] vfm: null (NULL codec (no decoding!))
==========================================================================
ID_VIDEO_CODEC=null
==========================================================================
Opening audio decoder: [mp3lib] MPEG layer-2, layer-3
AUDIO: 22050 Hz, 2 ch, s16le, 56.0 kbit/7.94% (ratio: 7000->88200)
ID_AUDIO_BITRATE=56000
ID_AUDIO_RATE=22050
ID_AUDIO_NCH=2
Selected audio codec: [mp3] afm: mp3lib (mp3lib MPEG layer-2, layer-3)
==========================================================================
AO: [null] 22050Hz 2ch s16le (2 bytes per sample)
ID_AUDIO_CODEC=mp3
Starting playback...

Exiting... (End of file)