[MEncoder-users] MPEG encoding: Do I need a frame server?

[Sebastian Kemper]

Am Sonntag, den 11.01.2009, 12:19 +0100 schrieb Sebastian Kemper:
> Hello all,
> 
> I need mencoder to be able to start encoding at random positions of an
> input file. This works fine for most file types, but it occasionally
> doesn't work with MPEG files.
> 
> I read in mplayer's man page that it can generate an index (-saveidx),
> but according to the manual this only works for AVI files.
> 
> Is there another way to do this with mplayer/mencoder or do I need a
> frame server? Is there even a working frame server for Linux yet, one
> that is available in major distributions? I read about avisynth 3.0 but
> it seems it's not widely available yet.

Hi again,

didn't get a single reply so it seems I have to come up with an answer
myself :)

I have the following workaround idea: In case the script detects a MPEG
multiplex let mencoder re-multiplex the file into an AVI container.

Would that work? Would I get the correct running time when I call
'mplayer -identify' on the resulting AVI? Would I be able to jump to any
segment within the AVI with mplayer/mencoder?

Thanks
Sebastian